Return for Gerrard?

Anthony Gerrard

ANTHONY Gerrard is back with Athletic - but only to train, for the time being.

The 30-year-old centre-back, who was arguably the most important playing figure in last season's rearguard action in the successful fight against relegation, has been without a club since his short-term contract expired in the summer.

Now, though, the former Cardiff and Huddersfield man has been invited back to SportsDirect.com Park and has spent this week being put through his paces.

Manager Stephen Robinson stressed that at this stage it is no more than an informal arrangement but he does admit that at some stage at least, he wants to boost the strength in depth of his defence.

As it stands, with George Edmundson and Jamie Stott out on loan at Alfreton and Curzon Ashton respectively, Brian Wilson is the principal cover in the event of either skipper Peter Clarke or Cameron Burgess becoming unavailable.

FITNESS

"Anthony hasn't trained with a club for three or four months now and is working his way up to fitness by his own admission," Robinson said.

"We are all well aware of what he brought last year when he was here.

"But he is way off being able to play yet.

"He has been brought in so that we can help him out in getting up to speed.

"We will see where he is after that.

"Is a defender a priority at the moment?

"Probably not, though we could do with cover back there.

"At this stage, there is no commitment."

Gerrard's influence last term under John Sheridan can be seen statistically in the way Athletic's defence tightened up.

He played in eight games that featured clean sheets, in which 22 points were gained.

Before he arrived in January - he had been playing without pay for Shrewsbury - Athletic had kept a total of three clean sheets and sat second-bottom in the Sky Bet League One table, on 21 points.

Athletic, who travel to Bolton on Saturday hunting a third straight win in all competitions, have been linked with Dundalk centre-back Andy Boyle, but Robinson played that situation down.

"Andrew Boyle is a player we know, with Ian (Baraclough) in particular and the fact I'm from that part of the world," said Robinson, in reference to assistant boss Baraclough's stint working in the League of Ireland as manager of Sligo Rovers.

"He's a good player and there is a lot of interest in him.

"We have looked at him, as we have looked at a lot of players, but there has been no contact with the club or the player so that's as far as it goes."