Pitching in for success

DANNY Philliskirk’s purple patch may be keeping him out of Athletic’s starting XI — but Adam Rooney accepts that such competition for places within the squad is helping to keep levels as high as they are at present.

Philliskirk was an utter menace to the Wolves defence earlier this week, maintaining his excellent personal form by notching his seventh goal of the season.

If manager Lee Johnson was busy admiring his partnership with Jonson Clarke-Harris, Rooney then gave his boss a nudge as to his own abilities by smartly netting Athletic’s second of the night and sixth of the campaign after coming on as a substitute at Molineux.

Add to the forwards mix Charlie MacDonald, who is fit and raring to get onto the field again, and Kirk Millar, who returns to the fray after his Northern Ireland under-21s duties this week, and it is clear than Johnson has plenty of options to perm from.

The same is also true elsewhere in the side, as Rooney pointed out.

“Everyone knows about Danny’s ability,” said the Dublin-born forward (25), formerly of Stoke, Inverness, Birmingham and Swindon.

“We have seen he has been brilliant since he came in and is still only a young lad.

“He is only going to get better as well. He is on a very good run and it is rubbing off on other players.

“Look at Anton Rodgers. He hasn’t played a lot this season, but has come in and been excellent in the last couple of games which may have gone unnoticed as Danny has got the praise.

“I don’t think there is anyone who isn’t playing well right now and that is why we are on the run we are on.

“All over the pitch there is competition and there is that bit of experience now in terms of the lads knowing each others’ games.

“We know who wants the ball in behind, who wants it to feet, and the team is stronger in that it has gelled on the pitch.

“The more players we have scoring goals the better, as it can only help us.

“And defensively, though we conceded late on at Wolves the lads generally handled the game very well.

“The main thing is now, we have set our standards and we need to make sure our levels don’t drop.”