Boss urges Winchester to grab big trophy opportunity

Carl Winchester is still highly rated by Latics boss Stephen Robinson

A FITTER, stronger Carl Winchester has been challenged to show Athletic what they have been missing tonight.

The 23-year-old will make his first start of the season in the Checkatrade Trophy group game at Fleetwood after impressing his manager in training in recent weeks.

Boss Stephen Robinson, who worked with the wiry midfield man when he was a youngster in the Northern Ireland age group side, says that without putting in an extra workload behind the scenes Winchester's career would continue to stall.

Now, he hopes the full international's creative spark can inspire Athletic and help solve their scoring problems.

"Somebody said to me, 'put Carl on and he will score goals'. But Carl has six goals in three seasons and one assist. Those are the facts to it," Robinson (pictured) said, after he named the former Linfield talent on the substitutes' bench for only the third time this season.

"Carl's career has stood still in the last three years and he would be the person to tell you that.

"There was a lot of interest in Carl when I had him as an under-19 and under-21 player and he hasn't pushed on as a player or physically.

"Since I have come in, I have given him a task. In the last four weeks he has really knuckled down and I see a massive difference in him.

'HAPPEN'

"The Carl Winchester I know - who should be in the team, winning games for you and making things happen - is now hopefully just around the corner.

"He will get his chance at Fleetwood and I am desperate for him to do well, as I love him to bits.

"He is Oldham through and through and wants the club to do well."

Winchester, whose sole appearance this term was as a substitute in the 5-4 loss to Carlisle in the first Checkatrade Trophy outing, appeared to be on his way out before deadline day.

"He probably had it set in his head people had told him he was leaving. I wasn't one of them and we had to take the negativity out of his mind," Robinson added.

"It's blatantly obvious to everyone we aren't scoring goals and he is someone who can give you a bit of spark and make things happen when he is fully fit."

Left-back Jamie Reckord is "touch and go" to be involved at Highbury Stadium tonight due to a virus.

Ryan McLaughlin and Cameron Dummigan are away with Northern Ireland's under-21s, who play against Ukraine in Kiev on Thursday, while Calaum Jahraldo-Martin is with Antigua and Barbuda who play in Curacao tomorrow and then at home to Puerto Rico on Saturday.

Athletic could have postponed their game at Gillingham on Saturday due to the three call-ups rule, but chose not to.

"The club felt that where the rearranged fixture would go would mean possibly playing six games in a two-week period," Robinson added. "In the position we are in at the moment, we felt that wouldn't be beneficial to us.

"We don't want to end up behind others fixtures-wise and travelling to Gillingham on a Tuesday night, for fans and for ourselves."

Athletic (probable, 4-4-2): Kettings; Law, Clarke, Burgess, Wilson; Winchester, Green, Banks, Flynn; Ladapo, Mckay. Subs (from): Ripley, Reckord, Dunne, Klok, Fane, Woodland, Croft, Osei, Erwin.