ON THE RIGHT TRACK

STANDING TALL . . . Athletic defender Cameron Burgess

ATHLETIC will continue to improve as the season progresses - according to one pair of expert eyes, at least.

Bristol Rovers roll up at SportsDirect.com Park tomorrow aiming to avoid becoming the fourth victims in five outings for Stephen Robinson's in-form side.

The manager isn't one for making predictions of how the rest of the campaign will pan out.

If the verdict of experienced former Doncaster and Bristol City manager Sean O'Driscoll is correct, though, then the sense of a plan coming together is one that is shared.

And a second straight victory on home soil would certainly increase optimism of an ultimate position well outside of the bottom-four in Sky Bet League One.

"With Northern Ireland, we won once in 10 games over a two-and-a-half year period, but the performances were getting better as was the understanding of what we wanted," said Robinson.

"Patience and time are not things you get in football and I am very much aware of that.

"We can see it coming together. Sean O'Driscoll watches our games and he says he can see they know what we want off the ball and are starting to understand what we want on the ball, too.

"For me, we can only keep improving. We know the results haven't been what we wanted and we haven't scored the goals we wanted.

"I can see us getting better and better, but as for where we end up? I am not shouting after one win and not too down after one poor performance.

"We have to keep building the football club that had nothing when I came here - no players and no staff and no structure. It was a daily patch-up.

"I have had good backing from (chairman) Simon Corney and the board. Hopefully, we can continue to build something together."

Athletic will probably be without Lee Croft again tomorrow.

The back problem sustained in training and which that saw him miss Scunthorpe might need more time to heal, but there is a return to contention for Ryan McLaughlin, who didn't feature in midweek due to a similar twinge.

One player who stood tall against the Iron was Cameron Burgess and particularly in view of his role in the second goal let in at Bolton, for which he was criticised by his boss, the defender's dominant effort on Tuesday night attracted praise.

"For a young boy, when you make a mistake - and Cameron wasn't the only one at fault for the goal at Bolton, I would point out, as the whole team didn't react and were ball-watching - he showed terrific character," said Robinson, of a player who at the moment is due back at parent club Fulham in January.

"At the start of the game, he gave the ball away a couple of times, but then grew into it and it shows the strength of character of the boy. He is only 20 years of age, but he is getting better and better and learning from his mistakes.

"That's what we can do, build on performances and improve players as we go."

Athletic (probable, 4-4-2): Ripley; Dummigan, Clarke, Burgess, Reckord; Winchester, Fane, Green, Flynn; Erwin, Ladapo.

Subs (from): Kettings, Law, Wilson, Dunne, Klok, Banks, Mckay, Osei, McLaughlin, Jahraldo-Martin.