Centre back Hill could be out of the team for months. Clint has been captain of the team almost since he arrived here and was a driving force. As such he will be missed as the Latics try to get back onto the winning trail again after too many drawn games. The results of late have seen Athletic drop to a disappointing fourth place in the league when an automatic promotion spot was, and still is, a distinct possibility. As Dowie is in the process of reducing the ranks the best that he can hope for is to take a player on loan but financial restraints may even rule out that possibility.
Dowie said, “Losing Clint is a terrible hammer blow. He has been absolutely terrific for us, a real leader, and we'll just have to keep our fingers crossed. It
would be nice to bring somebody in and I'll see what the situation is, but there's no transfer kitty to dip into. I won't act in haste and repent at leisure, but we'll be having a chat to see if anything can be done. Julien Baudet would be the obvious replacement, and Will Haining can become a decent player as well. It's important somebody else takes their opportunity, but we do need people like Matty Appleby, Josh Low and Dean Holden to come back as soon as possible.”