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28th January 2002

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Oldham Evening Chronicle (www.oldham-chronicle.co.uk) Reeves set to boost Latics DAVID REEVES is set to increase competition for striking spots at Boundary Park. The Athletic forward, who has been a big hit since his transfer from Chesterfield, is expected back in training later this week. Reeves, who has scored three times in his five appearances, has missed the last three matches with an ankle injury picked up in the opening minutes of the home win against Swindon Town nearly a fortnight ago. Head coach Mick Wadsworth reports no new injury problems following Saturday’s 3-3 home draw against Bournemouth – only some bruised egos. Wadsworth welcomes the rare absence of a midweek first-team match - the first since before Christmas - as it will provide extra time to work on the training ground. Wadsworth admitted he will have to look at his team’s defence which has let in 18 goals in the last seven matches. He was critical of the defending for Bournemouth’s second and third goals as he was for two of the efforts conceded at Port Vale in midweek. Wadsworth said: “It is a mystery because we were defending so well at the end of the year when we kept three successive clean sheets. “We don’t have any problems scoring goals, but I shall have to look at what is happening at the opposite end of the pitch.” Wadsworth had predicted that Saturday’s match would be win or bust for Athletic in their quest for promotion. But despite picking up only one point from a possible six, Athletic incredibly remain only two points adrift of the play off places. Wadsworth said: “I felt beforehand Saturday was a game we had to win. But when you look at the other results the draw wasn’t too bad. We are certainly not out of it and still have a good chance of finishing in the top six. “It is no use saying we should have beaten Port Vale or Bournemouth. We didn’t , so we cannot dwell on that and we have to look ahead.” Second-half blitz by Latics CRAZY game, crazy team. Athletic's draw with Bournemouth highlighted what is so good — and so bad — about their current form. They have reclaimed the lead in division two's scoring charts after hitting 12 goals in five games. In that sense, they are undoubtedly promotion material. But in another, they are far from it. The same spell has seen them concede 11 times and brought an alarming slump in defensive standards. This match see-sawed with bewildering speed as Bournemouth led once, Athletic led twice and neither side had the steel to make it last. There was an utterly bizarre goal rush and, by the final whistle, the only wonder was that it stayed 3-3. Like at Port Vale on Tuesday, Athletic failed to exploit their knack of finding the net with encouraging — at times exhilarating — regularity. They ended the week with one point when the achievable minimum was four and the Christmas period, which delivered a hat-trick of clean sheets, seems a long time ago. For 45 minutes, there was no hint that Bournemouth could even think about scoring three goals, never mind do it. They were predictable in their impotence and had one shot, which almost hit the corner flag, in the entire first half. The pattern of their play made it no surprise they hadn't won in 11 games — they got within 40 yards of goal, Athletic pressed and they ended up back where they started. It's fine to move backwards or square if you open up gaps. In fact it's patient, good-sense football away from home. But Athletic kept their shape and discipline and the visitors didn't have enough sharpness to cut through. What a difference half-time can make. And what was that about shape and discipline? As soon as the teams re-emerged, it seemed one had been drinking a miracle tonic and the other had popped a few sleeping pills. Bournemouth were vastly improved going forward, while Athletic were all over the place at the merest sign of danger. There were five goals in 13 minutes, plenty more chances to add and panic ensued whenever either side threatened. It was a collective problem for Athletic, whose loss of grip in midfield gave Bournemouth the space they were earlier denied. And the home defence couldn't handle that extra exposure. As the personnel doesn't alter much, the collapse in form is even more mystifying. After a tedious opening, the game rose from its slumber when Stuart Balmer launched himself at a corner and was only just denied. And it was centre-back Balmer who grabbed the lead for Athletic with his fifth goal of the season. John Sheridan lofted an 18th-minute free-kick and Cherries 'keeper Gareth Stewart dashed off his line to gather. But Stewart's bearings were all wrong and the day's first serious blunder — but by no means its last — ended with Balmer heading into a vacant net. Stewart redeemed himself by tipping over Lee Duxbury's piledriver, while Paul Murray was denied by a good defensive block. Athletic had raised the tempo, and Duxbury should have done better when Chris Armstrong picked him out with a deep cross. Armstrong, despite playing full-back in a flat back four, was a useful asset as he motored ceaselessly up and down the left touchline. His side almost made it two before half-time, but Sheridan's free-kick, which he cheekily tried to whip home from 40 yards, whistled over. Bournemouth's first threat didn't materialise for 47 minutes, and even then it took a stray clearance from Scott McNiven to go close for them. Yet, to their own surprise and everyone else's, they went ahead from out of the blue. First, Eddie Howe leapt high at a corner and saw his close-range header deflect inside the post when it would have gone wide. Two minutes later, Balmer and Warren Feeney chased a ball down the inside-right channel. Feeney was clearly held back and dusted himself off before ramming home the penalty. Totally shell-shocked, Athletic needed a quick reply to restore lost confidence and stop Bournemouth pulling down the shutters. It came with a massive chunk of luck as Karl Broadhurst stroked a right-wing cross beautifully into the bottom corner from 16 yards — problem was, he was at the wrong end. If that goal was the stuff of football cock-up videos, Athletic's third was a marvellous individual strike from evergreen David Eyres. The 37-year-old took possession midway inside the visitors' half, weaved through several tackles and rifled an unstoppable shot past Stewart. There had been four goals in 10 freakish minutes, yet the schoolboy defending wasn't over with yet. Feeney took Athletic apart down the right and Richard Hughes was left unmarked to equalise powerfully from 12 yards. Eyres blasted wide, Stewart saved well from the same player and, at the other end, only a deflection stopped Hughes putting Bournemouth 4-3 up. The final twist almost came from Armstrong, but his shot flashed wide in stoppage time — and Athletic were left to rue two more points that got away. We need to develop a ruthless streak, insists Wadsworth
MICK WADSWORTH called on Athletic to find the killer instinct after their draw with struggling Bournemouth. But the head coach, who was "disappointed but not dismayed", insisted the play-off dream was alive and well. Wadsworth said: "Having scored three times at home, we certainly should have won the game. "Our play at the back looked very good over Christmas, but we have been poor in the centre of defence for the last three games. "Bournemouth's first goal was incredibly lucky because it was going wide until it hit Matty Appleby's body, but we should have dealt with the second long before they got the penalty. "We were also poor on the third. Young David Beharall dived in when he should have stayed on his feet — it was a basic error and he needs to dig in now because he's finding it tough after a great start for the club. "We dominated the first half, so it was an issue that we only went in 1-0 up. We need to develop a ruthless streak. "We've proved we have the ability to outplay a lot of teams in this division and we need to start finishing them off. "We got back to 2-2 with a lucky break and then David Eyres scored a fantastic goal, so we were out of a sticky situation. "And that's when the game should have been killed off. We should have given them nothing and there's a strategy in place to do that, but it isn't happening at the moment. "Having said that, I'm not disheartened because we made a lot of chances, we didn't lose and our overall record is still good. "We've taken 16 points out of the last 24, which is two points a game — that's promotion form. "You have to look at the situation in its totality and if we keep picking up points at that rate we'll be up there. "Maybe we should be five points better off after this game and Port Vale, but things could be a lot worse and we've got a free week to work on correcting those flaws." David Eyres, who is Athletic's 11-goal top scorer, revealed the players got a dressing down after losing the lead twice. He said: "We felt we could have had three points, but it wasn't to be and the lads were very disappointed. "We got ourselves in a strong position at 3-2, but there was a sloppy goal — which is down to everyone, not just the defence — and we've had a rollicking for it." Of his own form, Eyres added: "I would have been happy with 10 goals at the start of the season, so it's good that I can push on for 15 or maybe 20. "The gaffer lets me have plenty of rest and I'll just keep giving all I can."

Bournemouth Daily Echo (www.thisisbournemouth.co.uk) `Must do better, but point taken!'SEAN O'Driscoll saw his side edge a step closer to their safety target before admitting he was relieved to see Cherries exit Boundary Park with a share of the spoils. O'Driscoll's troops turned in another Jekyll and Hyde performance during an incident-packed 3-3 draw with Division Two rivals Oldham Athletic on Saturday. Cherries were fortunate to find themselves trailing to just Stuart Balmer's 18th-minute header following another indifferent first-half display. But a much-improved performance after the break helped Cherries earn a potentially-priceless draw in their pursuit of reaching O'Driscoll's 52-point target to avoid the drop. In an absorbing 14-minute spell in the second half, Cherries took the lead through Eddie Howe and a Warren Feeney penalty before Richard Hughes popped up to salvage a point after Karl Broadhurst's own goal and a David Eyres effort had put the Latics back in the driving seat. O'Driscoll, whose side are now four points clear of the bottom four, said: "We really should have been out of it after the first half. We just didn't get going, and to give credit to Oldham, the system they played really gave us problems. "You could see from the looks on the players' faces that they struggled to cope with it. To only be a goal down at half-time gave us a chance to really sort things out and I thought we made a game of it in the second half. "Their first goal and the own goal were both poor goals to give away, but Oldham played the famous Christmas Tree formation which gave us real problems. "Certain people didn't do their jobs and that affected the whole team. They are a passing side and we struggled to get near them in the first half. "But we changed things a little bit in the second half and we were more solid. Maybe we were a little fortunate to go ahead, but it didn't last long. "We were disappointed not to beat QPR in midweek, but we are probably pleased to get a point out of this game. "I don't think many people gave us a chance of getting a point from either game at the start of the week so we have got to be pleased. "In terms of confidence, you would have thought the QPR performance would have set us up for this game, but it didn't. "The players have got to learn that if games don't go as planned, they have got to dig in and not give silly goals away. "Games can change a lot over 90 minutes and this game changed three or four times. It swung one way and then the other. "We are always going to create chances, but we've got to stop giving silly goals away."

Official Oldham Athletic Web Site (www.oldhamathletic.co.uk)Content from the Oldham Athletic Web Site is used with permission of Oldham Athletic Football Club ARGENTINIAN INTERNATIONAL ARRIVES

24 Year Old left sided midfielder, Christian Colusso arrived at Boundary Park this morning and took part in the specially organised practise game here at the Club. The match gave the management the opportunity to cast their eyes on the Rosario Central player. Colusso made his debut in the Argentinian Premia Liga with Rosario Central at the age of 17, making him one of the youngest players ever to play at that level. In 1995, he won the South American Conmebol Cup with Rosario and a year later won the Copa Necochea. He has represented Argentina at both Under 20 & 23 level and won a World Cup Champions medal for the Under 20's side in Qatar. Colusso will be at Boundary Park for a week and he holds a EC Passport so a work permit is not required if Mick Wadsworth decides to keep him longer.
No Stoppage Time

When the fourth official awarded just two minutes of stoppage time on Saturday at the end of the second half against Bournemouth, one or two people were annoyed with that decision. There had been 5 goals in the second half and 5 substitutions and the F.A. guidelines, that meant five minutes stoppage time at least. Mick Wadsworth questioned this decision after the end of the game as to why there was only two minutes awarded, but he felt let down by the decision as the Latics pushed for a dramatic late winner. Setback for Defender

Julien Baudet received an injury setback as he strives to claim a regular first team spot here at Boundary Park. The French defender picked up a slight hamstring strain in the reserves game against Manchester United last week, which kept him out of the squad for the game against Bournemouth. Treatment this week should hopefully help Julien recover in time for the game at Notts County on Saturday.

TEAMtalk (www.teamtalk.co.uk)
Eyres issues rallying cry
David Eyres believes The Latics can still gain promotion if they carry on their current form, despite the disappointing draw with Bournemouth. Mick Wadsworth's men twice led against The Cherries in a topsy-turvy game at Boundary Park on Saturday, but ended up gaining just a point in a 3-3 draw. But veteran forward Eyres, who scored his 11th goal of the season to give The Latics a 3-2 lead, said: "We can still do it. "There are still plenty of games left. If we keep picking up points at the current rate, we will be up there. "We are definitely going in the right direction." The Latics have now taken just one point from the last six available but the players' mood is just as upbeat as ever. Eyres added: "The lads were very disappointed with this result. We ended up being sloppy when we had the lead and it cost us. "It was a collective thing rather than just the defence and we got a rollicking for it." Despite the setbacks The Latics are still only two points off sixth place.
Beharall's bug blow
On-loan defender David Beharall is the latest Latics player to go down with the vomiting bug which has been sweeping the country. The 22-year-old has been told to stay at home until he feels better as a precaution against spreading the illness through the Boundary Park dressing room. Beharall, who is on a season long loan from Newcastle, is expected to have recovered in time for Saturday's visit to Notts County. Midfielder Matty Appleby has also been a victim and spent a couple of days off sick last week, but reported fit for the game against Bournemouth. However, the Barnsley ace had clearly been weakened by the bug and he had to be taken off after 59 minutes, but was back in training on Monday morning.

Skipper's relegation warning Eddie Howe has told his team-mates to sort out their first-half performances if they are to pull themselves clear of the threat of relegation. The Cherries extended their run without a win to 12 games against Oldham on Saturday - despite scoring three goals at Boundary PPark. Sean O'Driscoll's side fought back from trailing 1-0 at half-time to take the lead against The Latics at one stage, and they could even have won all three points. It was the same story against Huddersfield last weekend when they fell 3-0 behind at the interval before mounting a rousing second-half comeback which almost earned them a draw. Cherries skipper Howe knows that a poor start has cost the side too many points this season, and has urged the players to cut out the mistakes so they can banish any fears of being sucked into a relegation battle. The former England under-21 international said: "It has been a factor of our season and one that we don't seem to be able to get rid of. "We seem to start sloppily, give teams goals and then have to battle back from there but I can't put my finger on the reason why its happening."

Contributions and letters should be sent to Gary Davies by e-mail at LaticsGary@ntlworld.comor at Boundary Bullet-zine,41 Verney Road,Royton,Oldham,United Kingdom.OL2 6AZ07786 928689Or in the Setons Chaddy end Row R Seats 67 & 68Boundary Bullet-zine Archive can be found at http://www.oocities.org/laticsgary.geo.The views expressed on this e-zine are not the views of Oldham Athletic F.C. nor necessarily the views of the Editor.This e-zine is a unofficial publication NOT sanctioned by Oldham Athletic Football Club.The editor will not publish any letters containing bad language.This e-zine is written using Microsoft Outlook Express and is best viewed with the HTML (rich) text option enabled.