Players out to impress

Last updated : 26 January 2006 By The Chairman
Richard Butcher, Danny Hall, Chris Porter and Marc Tierney (pictured) all played for Athletic's second string yesterday in an attempt to prove to Ronnie Moore that they are worth a starting place in the first team game at Huddersfield on Saturday. The reserves beat Rotherham 4-1 with Tierney, Wolfenden, Taylor and Butcher bagging the goals. Moore has the luxury of a 20 man squad to choose from in a game that could see the Latics sneak into a play-off spot.

Moore said, “It’s very much a squad game nowadays so we need as many options as possible if we are going to push up the table. Anyone who wasn’t involved last Saturday needs to stay fit and focused so they can go straight back into the side. Lads like Butcher and Porter would have been disappointed to miss out on the 16, but they’ve got to handle it in the right way. There’s nothing to say I won’t use them at Huddersfield if I think it’s the best way to go. We’ve got to be flexible because there will be times when we play different systems for different games. And one or two players have been below their best in the last couple of weeks, so I’m looking at ways to freshen us up.”