14th December 1999 

Eager Beaver to return?
Ritchie cuts squad again

PAUL BEAVERS has shrugged off his injury problems and is back in the running for a long-awaited Athletic comeback. The big striker, who has not featured for well over three months, looked to have suffered yet another setback when he limped out of a reserve-team game at Rochdale last week. But the groin problem proved a minor one and Beavers has now set his sights on Saturday's match at struggling Cambridge. 

The former Sunderland man has yet recapture the form he showed during last season's loan spell at Boundary Park _ one which was crucial to Athletic's scrap against relegation. His progress has been steady since he got over an Achilles injury and his overall fitness is improving. Beavers isn't as sharp as he could be, but manager Andy Ritchie knows the 21-year-old offers something no-one else at the club can. He was brought in as a target man and that style of play could see him named in the squad for only the sixth time this season. Ritchie said: "Paul was close to being involved at Preston on Saturday, but I discounted him when he came off in the reserves. 

"It turned out there wasn't really a problem, so he will be back in contention for Saturday." Unfortunately for Athletic, the same can't be said of defender Richard Graham. The jinxed 25-year-old has already missed five of the last six games with a back problem and is again set to see a specialist. Rest is the best cure for Graham, who is getting involved in training without pushing himself too far. Athletic need him available soon as Stuart Thom, who hoped to be back by Christmas, looks unlikely to achieve that goal. Mark Hotte, meanwhile, has a ban coming up, although it is still unclear whether his sending off at Preston will keep him out for one or three games.

BOUNDARY PARK BULLETIN

Sending-off halts season of progress for young defender

MARK HOTTE’S dramatic sending-off at Preston on Saturday blemished a memorable season for the rookie defender. The sparky Yorkshireman had been relishing his first spell of senior football — especially after being kept in the wings until just after his 21st birthday — but that run will now be interrupted by the first red card of his career. Hotte insists good luck has been the key to his success story, particularly as he was on the verge of joining Neil Warnock’s Bury at the start of the campaign. But he was less than thrilled about taking an early bath at Deepdale after the tussle which eventually put Athletic out of the cup. “The forward (Bjarki Gunnlaugsson) definitely made the most of it,” Hotte said. “He went down at the first contact and made sure he fell in the box for a penalty. “I was a bit upset because I’d never been sent off before. And it probably made it worse that it came in the FA Cup third round. “It was one of those times when you have to make a hard decision — whether to make contact or let them go on and have a shot. “The timing is also disappointing because I was playing quite well and I’d been happy with my form in the previous two games.” While Hotte is small for a central defender, standing an inch or two below six foot, his trademark is his speed — an asset which made him a talented runner at school.

As a youngster, he also played on the wing for Bradford Bulls RL club, who were then known as Bradford Northern. But it didn’t take long for football to take over and, having trained with Huddersfield, Bradford and Sheffield Wednesday, Hotte signed YTS forms with Athletic after being impressed by Joe Royle. He made his league debut almost two years ago, only to fade from the picture and see his future thrown into doubt. Hotte became a free agent in the summer and almost joined Bury after training with them for five weeks. He said: “I thought I’d done enough to get another contract here but, with the money situation, I knew it would be difficult. “I was happy when they gave me another year and I’m hoping to earn another contract when that one runs out. “I’ve been lucky, really. I got my chance when Stuart Thom went off injured against Luton and, if someone else had gone on, this might not have happened. “It isn’t getting easier to play in the first team — I’m still very nervous before games and I prefer playing away because we pass the ball much better. “But we’ve been picking up points when I’ve played, which is a big help, and it’s good I’ve had the chance to come in at sweeper. “I prefer that because my height can count against me if I come up against a couple of big strikers. “The next problem will be getting back in the side after my ban. “There’s a lot of competition for places and I just hope I’ve done enough to keep in there. “I was doing quite well at the start of the season and I went to the Isle of Man tournament and got on the bench for a few league games. “But I couldn’t really expect to be involved in the way I have or to play so many matches. It has been an amazing time.”

Japan-based fan goes hi-tech to stay in touch

THE launch of the Internet has made it a whole new ball game supporting Athletic for Japan-based Steve Cooke. The former Greenfield man, who is now a Tokyo restaurateur, has instant access to up-to-date news through the information super-highway. It is a far cry from the early days when Steve, who has been in Japan for 17 years, had to rely on the BBC World Service and cuttings from the Chronicle, sent by his mother. Steve, who often visits the Chronicle website (www.oldham-chronicle.co.uk) is probably more informed about events at Boundary Park than many regular devotees. The 55-year-old listens to Saturday afternoon sport on the BBC World Service. But, because Japan is nine hours ahead of GMT, he usually falls asleep by the time games finish at 1.45am Japanese time. That doesn’t matter these days as, on Sunday, he simply logs on to the Internet to find out how matches finished. He even managed to find the results of the Saddleworth Band Contests and knew the winners before his mother, who still lives in Greenfield. Though Steve supports Athletic from afar — he has also spent considerable time in Africa — he remains a diehard. He said: “I’m probably a lot more passionate because I live so far from home. “If I was only in Birmingham, I’m sure it would not be such an intense interest.” Steve, who has spent the last 12 years running the 1066 restaurant with wife Jane, has vivid memories of watching Athletic in his childhood.

He said: “I was a ballboy as a youngster and I have been a fan for over 45 years. “I was at Boundary Park for the first floodlit match and even saw Athletic play in Malawi as I was working in Africa when they toured there in the 1960s.” Steve, who is a qualified teacher and has also worked in publishing, was sad to have missed the exciting times of the late 1980s and early 90s. Indeed, in 1994, Jane vowed that Steve must return home in the event of Athletic reaching the FA Cup final. Mark Hughes dashed the chance and instead Steve watched the Manchester United versus Chelsea final from a bar on a beach in Thailand. When Athletic learned of my intention to visit Steve on my recent trip to Tokyo, they provided various souvenirs. They will be proudly displayed in the restaurant, although Steve recently sold the business and is set to move on, along with the other Athletic memorabilia he has on view. Footballing rivalry still exists 6,000 miles away. Steve has several other scarves on display — providing they are blue and white. “Red is definitely a no-no,” he joked.

McLean free to leave as pruning continues

DEFENDER Ian McLean has been handed a free transfer only 14 months after moving to Boundary Park. The 21-year-old left-back is stuck in the same situation as other players Athletic are looking to offload — he is failing to push for the first team while also blocking the progress of youngsters. McLean is number eight on the hit list of players deemed surplus to requirements. Five first-year professionals have already left the club, while David McNiven and Iain Swan are also on the list and available for free. McLean joined Athletic last October after being released by Bradford City. He was thrust straight in for his league debut and played five consecutive games, but he then dropped out of contention and these days is used only in an emergency. Manager Andy Ritchie is particularly disappointed that McLean — who does possess a sweet left foot — has not made the progress expected of him. He often talked up the player’s prospects and, at the start of this season, singled him out as someone whose time to graduate may have come. Instead, the stocky full-back has failed to deliver consistently for the reserves and is nowhere near challenging Andrew Holt for his senior place. If McLean moves on before his contract expires in June, Athletic — who lost Paul Reid in the summer — will have virtually no cover on the left. In the event of Holt being injured, Paul Rickers and Mark Innes would be the only options until the promising Jordan Tait was fully fit. Tait should return soon from a hernia operation, but he is another who naturally favours his right-hand side.

Murphy sets his sights on return to big time

GED MURPHY, who was released by Athletic in the summer, could be back in league action next season. The 20-year-old midfield player, who failed to break into the first team during four years at Boundary Park, is now starring for Football Conference club Nuneaton Borough. Until suffering a brace of defeats against Forest Green Rovers and Northwich, Murphy’s side topped the Conference. They only won promotion from the Dr Martens League at the end of last season but are a club geared to taking the next big step up. Murphy explained: “I couldn’t believe the set-up when I joined Nuneaton. They have plans for a new £4million ground and are going full-time next season. “The club also has its own Academy, with trainees going to college, as well as youth and reserve teams. “We train at Leicester where we have the use of two floodlit grass pitches, an artificial one and indoor facilities.” Murphy believes many of the top Conference clubs could prosper in the league as it isn’t far behind third division standards. He added: “Forest Green’s team included Tony Daley, the former Villa and England winger. He could still do a good job for a first or second division side.” Murphy was linked with Norwich City towards the end of last season after Athletic told him he could leave. Nothing came of his trial at Carrow Road and, though he is now in non-league football, he said: “Oldham gave me my chance and I will always appreciate that.”

NICKY SPOONER, another player who failed to make the grade at Boundary Park in a loan spell from Bolton, has become a stars-and-stripes man after beginning a new career in America. The defender (28) — best remembered for being sent off on his Athletic debut at Millwall last season — has been playing for Charleston Battery in the A-League. Spooner, currently playing for Chester City on a short-term contract, has lined up a return to America in February and will rejoin Battery, who are managed by former Bristol City boss Alan Dicks. Chester’s FA Cup third-round tie against Manchester City at the weekend was a dream match for Spooner, who is a lifelong City fan. But he doesn’t seem to enjoy much luck against his favourite club — Chester crashed 4-1 on Sunday, while Spooner’s only other Athletic appearance was a 3-0 home defeat by Joe Royle’s side.