Plucky Latics alive and kicking

Genseric Kusunga puts Athletic in front.

Athletic 1, Wolves 1

KOREY Smith epitomised this gutsy effort, running himself into the sodden ground as Athletic took, lost and then regained the

initiative in a cracking FA Cup tie at Boundary Park.

Captain Smith was an

inspiration. After Genseric Kusunga had sent a rocket up the promotion favourites from Sky Bet League One by

crashing home an early header, a goal from former Athletic loan full-back Scott Golbourne before half-time brought parity for the

visitors.

At that stage, Kenny Jackett’s side were firmly on top and applying a squeeze – just as they had when Athletic were criticised for their passivity at Molineux in a 2-0 defeat last month.

There was no lying down and accepting fate here, though. Not with Smith leading the charge in snapping into

tackles.

“Korey has been phenomenal all season.

“He has had probably two average halves for me, out of the whole season,” said Athletic manager Lee Johnson

“I don’t know if we are asking too much of him, but he has been excellent.

VALUE

“He has bought into what we are doing and he trains hard every day.

“It was another performance which showed his value.”

Both sides had chances to win through to a second-round home tie against Mansfield at the first time of asking.

Golbourne hit a skidding cross high into the Rochdale Road End housing his own fans, while at the other end Kirk Millar took off a coating of paint from a relived Carl Ikeme’s right-hand post with eight minutes of normal time left.

It could have gone either way. But it would have been harsh had Athletic lost on home soil for the first time since Tranmere Rovers smashed-and-grabbed three points on the last day of August.

A glance at the team sheet affirmed how much Athletic were up against it.

While Wolves had Republic of Ireland and Scotland forwards on the bench in the shape of Kevin Doyle and Leigh Griffiths respectively, Athletic’s in-reserve firepower other than Millar was Jordan Bove (17), a striker whose form for the under-18s in scoring 14 goals in 12 appearances brought a first call-up.

Johnson’s side were not intimidated.

From the off they took hold of the game and after Kusunga had firmly planted a header from James Dayton’s free-kick across a rooted Ikeme after 72 seconds, Dayton himself almost made it 2-0 after

only two minutes, 30 seconds were on the clock.

Adam Rooney played in the effective left-winger and his angled shot was pulled a couple of feet wide of the far post.

Wolves came back into it after the first quarter-hour had elapsed.

Though Smith led the charge in closing down the visitors, the passing and movement of Jackett’s side impressed more than their finishing.

Dave Edwards hit the

side-netting when he may have done better and after James Tarkowski – who made a couple of alert blocks – had lost the ball in possession, the same man made a hash of his finish after going one-on-one with Athletic ’keeper Mark Oxley, scuffing off-target.

Wolves did find the net eight minutes before the interval and deservedly so. In-form James Henry supplied the cross from the right and Golbourne snuck in to head down and beyond Oxley.

Rooney and Clarke-Harris, whose link play showed promise within Johnson’s first unchanged line-up of the

season, took the fight to Wolves as the second half got under way.

Rooney didn’t quite get hold of his left-foot effort and Dayton drilled a shot wide, before Oxely was called into action to safely block a strike from the quiet Bakary Sako.

Both Sako and Henry were peripheral figures in the second period – a tribute to the

defensive work of Kusunga and also David Mellor, who cut a determined figure at left-back.

Wolves will feel they should have scored after 66 minutes, when Danny Batth’s far-post header was sent off target.

But Athletic could claim the same of Kusunga’s drive which was parried away by Ikeme soon after, in an end-to-end contest.

Cristian Montano got a verbal bashing from his manager for not closing down the cross which led to Golbourne nearly sending his team in front from a right-wing cross by Henry.

Millar’s big chance came after Sako lost possession poorly. His first-time effort was struck truly but, sadly for the winger from Northern Ireland and those Athletic fans sensing another dose of cup drama, it travelled wide.