Latics keep eye on goals ace

INSTANT hero Jonathan Forte is carrying a knee condition which needs careful handling, Athletic manager Lee Johnson has revealed.

The former Southampton striker was withdrawn from Saturday’s Sky Bet League One fixture at Colchester 10 minutes from time as a precautionary measure after scoring both goals in a 2-2 draw.

Said Johnson: “We brought off Forte because he has a similar underlying problem to what Korey Smith had last year, which is a bit annoying because he can play but you have to be careful with him all the time.

“Did I really want to take him off the other day? Of course not because he was sat on a hat-trick.

“But he was just starting to ache. He has a little pocket of fluid inside the knee, but he is fine.

“He is feeling no pain, but we have to make sure that he continues to feel no pain.”