Striker pins his colours to Latics’ mast

CURTIS Main has decided to see out the season with Athletic, instead of going back to relegation rivals Doncaster Rovers. PICTURE by ALAN HOWARTH

CURTIS Main is staying with Athletic until the end of the season after opting not to return to parent club Doncaster.

Athletic boss John Sheridan has confirmed the 23-year-old loan forward has decided to commit himself to the cause at SportsDirect.com Park.

That effectively means he could end up scoring goals that not only improve Athletic’s position, but also plunge his primary employers deeper into the mire.

Doncaster, whose manager Darren Ferguson described Main’s decision as “unfortunate” after losing 2-1 at home to Peterborough, are currently one place ahead of Athletic on goal difference.

Despite Main’s effectiveness in linking up with two-goal Aaron Amadi-Holloway, Sheridan believes he needs to be more alert in the box to break his scoring duck.

“He should have scored two goals and I told him that,” said the manager. “They are the goals that win you games. We would have probably gone in 3-1 up.

“I am not putting any blame on him at all. But for all his workrate and effort, those little things can win you games.”

Sheridan was left deeply disappointed by the derby defeat, though new youth loan player Tareiq Holmes-Dennis (20) went close to marking his debut with a goal, his header passing a foot wide of the goal in the second half.

Only a point is needed to lift Latics out of the bottom four, and Sheridan is determined to remain upbeat: “I’m confident we will stay up. We didn’t deserve to lose the game, but we didn’t play well. We made it too difficult for my liking,” he added. “I don’t want to keep relying on other results. Obviously, it helps us, but even a draw would have taken us out of the bottom-four.

“It is going to be up and down and we will beat ourselves up. But the most important thing is, we stay in the division.

“Now we have to go and surprise everyone in a big game against the league leaders Burton, which we will try to win. Then we have Chesterfield. That’s two big games in quick succession.”