Athletic skipper Chris Swailes has had his contract paid up and he has left Boundary Park. Swailes has undergone another operation on his heel with the result that he would be out of action until late February. Swailes signed in the summer of 2005 when ex-Latics manager Ronnie Moore went on a spending spree but he was injured in his first day of training and went on to make just nineteen appearances at the club, not an impressive CV. His last appearance was against Millwall at the New Den as he has been dogged by injury ever since.