Ladapo patience pays off

Photo: Max Flego

Freddie Ladapo (C) is mobbed after his goal for Oldham during the League One game between Gillingham and Oldham Athletic at the KRBS Priestfield Stadium, Gillingham, on Sat Oct 8, 2016

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SUPER-SUB Freddie Ladapo helped to fire Athletic away from the foot of the Sky Bet League One table at Gillingham - but his manager didn't claim the striker's introduction as a flash of sudden inspiration.

The on-loan Crystal Palace man rolled his marker and fired in left-footed only four minutes after coming on at Priestfield to pull Athletic level.

It was Ladapo's first professional goal, in his eight showings for Athletic since arriving on a loan deal running that runs to January.

STRIDE

For his boss Stephen Robinson, who later saw Ryan Flynn bag an 89th-minute winner, it has been a case of simply being patient with a player still getting into his stride.

"Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't," said Robinson of his 61st-minute change, which saw the lively and physical Ladapo introduced for Billy Mckay.

"We brought Freddie to the club because we believed he would score goals.

"I have said in the press that, the same as with Lee Erwin, he would take five or six games to get himself right.

"He didn't have much of a pre-season as he was on the bench for Crystal Palace a lot while they waited to sign strikers.

'TWO GOALS'

"He gave us pace and energy off the bench and could have had another two goals as well.

"We have four strikers vying for places and we have challenged the other players to pop in with goals as well."

The confident 2-1 win was only Athletic's second in the league, but further embellished a run away from home that has seen the club unbeaten since the opening day.

"I said at half-time, not only was I disappointed to be 1-0 down but I felt we could go and win and not just draw," added Robinson, whose side are at Bolton on Saturday.

"We believed that, just as we did at Fleetwood and against Charlton and Coventry."

NORTHERN Ireland under-21s host France tomorrow night at Windsor Park (7.45pm kick-off) in their final Euro qualifier.

Ryan McLaughlin missed last week's 1-1 draw in Ukraine with a slight thigh strain, but could be involved in the team captained by Athletic right-back Cameron Dummigan.

Luke Woodland's Philippines, who lost 3-1 at home to Bahrain on Friday, were in action today at home to North Korea in another friendly, while Calaum Jahraldo-Martin's Antigua and Barbuda beat Puerto Rico 2-0 yesterday in their home CONCACAF Gold Cup qualifier.

JAMIE Knight scored on his Ashton United debut to help gain a 2-2 draw at Halesowen Town in the Evo-Stik League Northern Premier Division.

Athletic's first-year professional winger has signed for the club, jointly managed by ex-Athletic defender Will Haining, on a one-month youth loan.