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10th December 1999

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Oldham Evening Chronicle

Ritchie's rallying call for cup clash

ATHLETIC are up for the cup, even though Andy Ritchie concedes it will be considered an upset for them to win their third-round tie at Preston. The Athletic manager is upbeat, believing they can reverse last Saturday's 2-0 defeat at Deepdale in a league fixture. Ritchie said: "I don't think it is any secret that we go to Preston as underdogs, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing.

"We learned a few things last Saturday which could make a difference. The lads were disappointed after the league defeat, but are now up for the game." Ritchie was generally pleased with Athletic's defensive display, explaining that it was in front of goal where they were let down by wayward finishing. Front men Craig Dudley and Neil Adams, as expected, return to Athletic's squad after injury. Whether Ritchie pitches them straight back into the team remains to be seen as both only resumed training in the last couple of days so a starting spot may be premature.

Defender Paul Jones drops out of the squad as he is cup-tied with previous club, Leigh RMI. Athletic (from): Kelly, S McNiven, Holt, Garnett, Duxbury, Rickers, Sheridan, Whitehall, Innes, Allott, Hotte, Dudley, Adams, Tipton, Miskelly, Walsh, Futcher.

Preston's midfield will be reinforced by the return of iron-man Sean Gregan after a one-match ban. The Preston captain replaces Michael Appleton who starts a ban after being sent off in a reserve-team match. Manager David Moyes' other dilemma concerns his strikeforce. Jonathan Macken and Kurt Nogan were the front pairing against Athletic, but Icelander Bjarki Gunnlaugsson, a substitute last Saturday, is pressing for a starting spot after scoring a hat-trick against Wrexham in the Auto-Windscreens Shield. Nogan, whose form has dipped, could lose his place unless Moyes again opts to play 4-3-3 as he did in midweek. Preston (from): Moilanen, Alexander, Kidd, Edwards, Jackson, Gregan, Darby, Rankine, Macken, Nogan, Eyres, Gunnlaugsson, Lucas, Diaf, Murdock, Mathie.

MASTERLY Moyes strikes it rich

ANDY RITCHIE admits he is envious of his Preston counterpart David Moyes as he prepares for tomorrow’s FA Cup tie at Deepdale. The fierce competition Preston have for their two striking spots is something the Athletic manager would relish at Boundary Park. Five into two is the equation Moyes has to resolve, with intense competition for places up front. Jonathan Macken and Kurt Nogan are the front pairing currently in favour. But they know that if they don’t deliver they will lose their places as Alex Mathie, Bjarki Gunnlaugsson and Steve Basham are each waiting in reserve. The in-form Macken took his season’s tally to 14 with the brace of goals which beat Athletic 2-0 in last Saturday’s league clash at Deepdale. Ritchie admitted: “It was a tale of two strike forces. Jonathan Macken had two chances and scored both of them, while we didn’t take ours. “Preston are lucky to have a wealth of good strikers which is a big advantage. “Of course they have money to spend but, in saying that, they haven’t gone overboard despite having five top-quality front men.”

Macken, for example, cost what now appears to be a bargain £250,000 when bought from Manchester United in the summer of 1997. The former England youth international didn’t set the second division alight in his first two seasons with modest returns of eight and nine goals. But Macken (22) suddenly seems to have found his feet and is now one of the division’s top marksmen. The much-travelled Nogan has found the net nine times, although he has had a lean time of late. But Nogan and Macken work well in tandem as Athletic discovered last Saturday. Moyes is lucky to have players of the quality of Mathie, Gunnlaugsson and Basham in reserve. Mathie, who was a prolific marksman during his days at Ipswich, is currently nearing the end of a three-month loan spell from Dundee United. Icelander Gunnlaugsson, the brother of Leicester City’s Arni, was captured early this season from Reykjavik for a nominal sum. He sounded a warning to the other front men by scoring a hat-trick in midweek in the 4-1 victory over Wrexham in the Auto Windscreens Shield. Moyes used Gunnlaugsson, Mathie and Macken in a three-pronged strike force against the Welshmen. Last, but not least, is Basham, who is currently on the road to recovery from injury. Basham (22) scored 10 goals in 15 appearances during a loan spell from Southampton last season. He joined Preston in the summer for a tribunal-fixed £200,000, with Southampton seeking £1million. But he has been restricted to only five appearances this season due to a hernia operation and, more recently, had a knee cartilage operation and an ankle ligament problem.

Moyes is delighted to have the weekly dilemma of whom to leave out. He said: “It is important to have a good selection of strikers as they are the players who win you games. “If you can score goals you always have a chance of winning. “We are fortunate Jon Macken is in a great run of form. We must remember, however, that he is young and there will be times in the season when he runs out of form. “It is important we have people capable of coming in and scoring. “You need cover in all positions, but of all the departments, scoring goals is what the game is all about. “The strikers are the players who get their names in the papers and you need them.” Moyes said the physical demands of being a striker means it is important to have plenty of back-up. He said: “The strikers take more kicks and knocks and you ask them to work harder than players in other positions. “You need to rotate your strikers more and they need resting at times because of injury or loss of form.”

Teamtalk Oldham Double boost for Preston clash Neil Adams and Craig Dudley have both declared themselves fit for the FA Cup game with Preston at Deepdale on Saturday. Adams has missed the last four games with a hamstring injury and young striker Dudley has been out for three matches with a thigh strain, but both are fit to play at Deepdale. Andy Ritchie is facing a dilemma, though, as to whether to play both from the start or use them as substitutes. "I will be giving it a lot of thought but my feeling is to go for it."
Adams was coming into his best form before picking up his injury and Dudley has scored four goals in seven appearances. The two clubs met at Deepdale the previous Saturday when Preston were the 2-0 winners. Ritchie, though, insists: "We had enough chances to have won the game and could have been 2-0 up at half-time. The lads aren't downhearted but they know they have to give the players at the back something to defend." "If you don't take your chances you don't win games and that was the difference between the two sides last week. We will be going all out to put that right. Teamtalk Preston PNE to smash hoodoo Sean Gregan and Mark Rankine should return against Oldham as North End look to smash their recent FA Cup third round hoodoo. It is fully six years since North End were last in the hat for the fourth round of the FA Cup and, having been drawn against non-league Kidderminster, they promptly lost 1-0. Since then the FA Cup has been short and sweet at Deepdale. Walsall, Brentford and York knocked North End out in the second round in consecutive years. Stockport and Arsenal have knocked the club out in the third round across the last two seasons. Icelandic forward Bjarki Gunnlaugsson will be waiting to discover whether he is retained in the starting line-up following his hat-trick against Wrexham. He is most likely to be replaced by Kurt Nogan, if at all. Lee Cartwright will definitely be missing after an operation on his knee, Michael Appleton will also miss out for he is suspended but Sean Gregan and Mark Rankine should both return as Moyes juggles his midfield. AWS draw

The Auto Windscreens Shield second round draw will take place on Saturday, Oldham of course had a bye in the first round. It would be somewhat ironic if Oldham were to be drawn against Preston again. Saturday's FA Cup tie on Saturday will be the third meeting between the two teams since August 11th.

From the PRESS ASSOCIATION


GREGAN BACK FOR LOCAL DERBY
Preston skipper Sean Gregan returns to the North End starting line-up after suspension as the Lilywhites look to see off local rivals Oldham Athletic for the second time in a week. The Lilywhites beat Andy Ritchie's men 2-0 in a second division fixture last weekend and are now looking to eliminate them from the FA Cup. Moyes is urging Preston's expectant fans not to celebrate too soon despite Jonathan Macken's impressive brace putting paid to Oldham last weekend. He said: "It was a hard game against Oldham last weekend and it will be a difficult task again for us again. "We need our supporters to get behind the lads. We have great away support and we need the home fans to be just as noisy." Latics winger Neil Adams and in-form striker Craig Dudley could be back in Andy Ritchie's plans for the FA Cup trip to Deepdale. Both will face tests on their fitness before the clash as Oldham look to avenge last week's 2-0 defeat at Preston in their league clash. Ritchie said: "They will be on a high after last week and we are the underdogs but the cup is different. "We are doing a bit better at the moment and we have lost only three games in 14 but we can improve and it will be a tough game."

Lancashire Evening Post Basham back in the frameSteve Basham is back – just in time to give boss David Moyes a cracking Christmas selection headache. The 22-year-old has returned to full training after a three-month injury nightmare and is working flat out to figure in Preston’s festive programme. Basham, who has played only five games this season after a £200,000 move from Southampton in the summer, is expected to get a reserve run-out before coming into contention for first team action over the Christmas period. The news has delighted manager Moyes, even though he could now face the ticklish situation of having FIVE strikers competing for two places in the team. It could become four if Moyes elects not to keep Alex Mathie when his three month loan spell is up next week. But with Bjarki Gunnlaugsson now banging on the door with both fists after Tuesday’s hat-trick against Wrexham, the boss will still have a surfeit of riches up front going into the holiday period. Basham is desperate to kick-start his season after missing 24 of North End’s 29 matches so far through a procession of injury problems. He was forced to sit out the start of term as he recovered from a summer hernia operation. Then, after scoring three in five games, he was cut down by a knee injury in the derby game with Burnley on September 11 and hasn’t been seen since. A cartilage operation sorted out the knee, but then the youngster damaged ankle ligaments in training and has only just recovered from his latest setback. Meanwhile Gunnlaugsson is waiting anxiously to hear if his three goals in the 4-1 Auto Windscreens Shield win in midweek have earned him a start in tomorrow’s FA Cup third round tie with Oldham at Deepdale. The Icelandic international has stated a powerful case in his last three outings, two of them as a substitute. He scored one of the goals which saw off Enfield at St Albans, laid on Jonathan Macken’s second to polish off Oldham in last week’s League meeting and then fired his first senior hat-trick. But he still fears he could be back doing bench duty when the teamsheet goes up in the dressing room tomorrow. “I’ve been in this game long enough to know it might not count for anything,” he said after picking up Tuesday’s matchball. Preston go into the cup tie looking for a repeat of last week’s meeting with the Latics at Deepdale. Macken’s two goals in the last half hour secured three points to make it 14 unbeaten in the League. But Moyes believes tomorrow will still be a difficult game, especially after the problems Oldham created for his side in the first half. “Oldham are a decent footballing side and they made it difficult for us on Saturday,” he said. “But I would settle for another 2-0 win, in fact I’d take any sort of win.”North End were without the powerful presence of suspended skipper Sean Gregan in midfield for last week’s win and, despite being “rested” from Tuesday’s AWS tie, the big man is certain to return.While Gregan is back in the fold, the player who deputised for him against Oldham and Wrexham, is suspended. Michael Appleton misses tomorrow for his sending off in a reserve game against Birmingham two weeks ago. North End are also without right winger Lee Cartwright after his cartilage operation on Monday. Moyes has said he is looking on the loan market for a replacement. But, with loan players not permitted in the FA Cup and Preston’s next League game not until next Saturday’s derby clash with Blackpool, it is unlikely he will bring anyone in until Thursday or Friday. Tomorrow’s third round meeting will be Preston’s 10th cup tie so far with the season still not at the halfway stage. They face an 11th in the AWS second round. The draw for that is tomorrow at 10.30am on Sky Sports Soccer AM. And, should the Oldham tie end in a draw, North End will face more fixture congestion at Christmas with the replay – cup tie number 12 – scheduled for December 23 at Boundary Park (7.45pm). The North Paddock will not be open for tomorrow’s game because safety officers have designated it a possible overspill area for Oldham fans.

Contributions and letters should be sent to Gary Davies by e-mail at GaryDavies@pinevilla1897.freeserve.co.ukThe views expressed on this e-zine are not the views of Oldham Athletic F.C. nor necessarily the views of the EditorThe editor will not publish any letters containing bad languageThis e-zine is written using Microsoft Outlook Express