Heroes must rise from adversity

DANNY PHILLISKIRK: goals have dried up.

THE top scorer’s confidence may be low and reinforcements in short supply ahead of tonight’s daunting clash with Rotherham United, but Athletic manager Lee Johnson sees opportunities amid adversity for the fringe players.

James Dayton, David Worrall, Genseric Kusunga, Anton Rodgers and Jonson Clarke-Harris will all be on the sidelines at Boundary Park tonight. Who steps into their boots remains to be seen.

What is clear is that Athletic’s task is for whoever plays to impose themselves on the contest from the start to disrupt a Millers side that hasn’t lost since New Year’s Day.

“With Clarke-Harris out we are down to the bare bones, if you like,” admitted Johnson.

“But other people get a chance and we have to see what they are about.

“We have to make it a challenge for our players to go and beat a good, settled Rotherham side, with what is probably an unsettled Oldham side.”

There are difficulties to consider at both ends of the field for Athletic’s manager.

Defensively, seven goals have been conceded in the last three matches, which have brought with them only one point, at Tranmere.

Danny Philliskirk scored twice in the 5-1 home win over Notts County on November 12 — but that was the last time (other than in the amazing 5-4 triumph over Peterborough) that the team has scored more than one goal in a game at Boundary Park.

The dip in form of the former Chelsea prospect coincided with a knee injury shortly before Christmas. He has scored only once in his last 14 games. Johnson puts that down partly to opposition teams working him out.

The Millers have won seven of their last 10 games and sit in a rock-solid play-off position, fifth in League One.

Up front they are able to call upon Kieran Agard, the former Yeovil player who has found the net 15 times in the league this season — only four shy of the collective total of all Athletic’s players who started the Preston game. That statistic alone tells a story of the scale of the task tonight.