Latics wave the white flag

Photo: Pictures: ALAN HOWARTH

HUNTING HIGH AND LOW . . . James Wesolowski (left) takes the aerial route in a bid to get Athletic going.

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Athletic 0, Bournemouth 1

Team crisis deepens

ATHLETIC’S players were asked to put everything into this pivotal game.

They failed to do so and another hugely depressing defeat followed.

A shameful lack of desire from some quarters in the first half, when too many challenges went uncontested and too many safe options were taken for personal protection rather than the benefit of the team, was followed by a moment of madness in the second.

What Jose Baxter had on his mind when attempting another slow-chipped penalty down the centre of goal in the 71st minute, only he will know.

Predictably, the trick didn’t work. Outstanding Cherries goalkeeper Ryan Allsop dived to his right but still managed to stick out a hand and claw the ball back into his orbit and Boundary Park exhaled a collective sigh of disbelief as the chance to equalise vanished.

No doubt if 12-goal top scorer Baxter is handed the chance to make amends for this aberration, next time he will try to find a corner.

Not since late summer have Athletic gained anything from a home game after going a goal behind. Only two points have been secured at Boundary Park after conceding the first goal.

But a risposte to adversity was the task they faced after receiving a rare rocket from caretaker manager Tony Philliskirk at half-time.

The fact that aggressive tones had to be uttered says everything about this team’s attitude.

In an awful half of stodgy football on a difficult playing surface, after a neat start Athletic soon fell into familiar traps.

Backing off as Eunan O’Kane raced down the middle, Connor Brown’s tough afternoon saw Lewis Grabban race past him to pull the ball back and Pitman added a tidy close-range finish to net for the 12th time this season.

Woeful set-piece delivery and shots hammered off target were the best Athletic could offer before the teams trudged off for the interval.

Captain James Wesolowski was at least prepared to pull the trigger, albeit sending shots high and wide, and he scuffed one early in the second half as Philliskirk’s side started promisingly.

Baxter tried to inject some pace into the attack when getting forward and had a shot deflected wide after a link-up with Chris Iwelumo.

James Tarkowski’s tumble in the area provoked a few shouts from the stands for a penalty to be awarded. The challenge into his back from Simon Francis appeared a little clumsy.

Dean Bouzanis twice saved well from Pitman and Charlie Daniels and, at the other end, Jordan Obita hit a stinging 20-yard volley which was superbly tipped around the post by Allsop.

In the context of Baxter’s poor spot-kick, that was as close as Athletic came to ending the near six-hour goal drought which is crippling their chances of clambering out of trouble.

Win tomorrow night against Hartlepool and Athletic will be out of the bottom four.

Sadly, on this evidence it looks a tall task even against a team a place lower in the standings.