Latics hopes high for Rooney addition (no, not that one)

Adam Rooney has impressed in warm-up appearances for Athletic.

LEE Johnson is keeping his fingers crossed that Adam Rooney will become a fully-fledged Athletic player before the new Sky Bet League One season kicks off on Saturday week.

The Athletic manager has built an impressive strike force already with Jonson Clarke-Harris and Charlie MacDonald joining fans’ favourite Jose Baxter as goal-getters.

They will be supported by wide men James Dayton, Sidney Schmeltz and Cristian Montano, and the addition of Rooney would be seen by many Athletic fans as the final piece in the jigsaw.

Rooney’s continuing contract dispute with Swindon is still to be sorted, but Johnson is in no doubt of the player’s potential worth to his new-look squad.

He said of the Rooney situation: “Hopefully it will be resolved - obviously we would like that to happen before the start of the season. He is a good lad and good character who plays the right ball at the right time.”

Rooney was a handful up front against Accrington on Tuesday and choosing his forwards will be a managerial headache of the welcome kind.

Clarke-Harris hopes it will be him, saying of his fellow strikers: “I don’t know all their strengths yet and I am sure they don’t know all mine.

“Obviously, I want to start, but at the moment it is all about getting minutes on the pitch, practising and bonding with certain players.”


ANTON Rodgers and Connor Brown are Athletic’s only injury worries in the build-up to Saturday’s friendly against Huddersfield at Boundary Park.

ATHLETIC fielded several young, inexperienced players in a team beaten 5-0 by a strong Burnley development squad yesterday.
The visitors were five down after only 37 minutes, prompting manager Lee Johnston to pull on his boots to help shore things up for the rest of the game along with backroom staff Paul Murray and Lee Steele.