Jaded Latics second best

RUNNING GAME . . . Athletic front man Freddie Ladapo brushes aside a Bristol Rovers opponent

THERE will be - there will have to be - better days than this for Athletic.

When Carl Winchester made a burst beyond the full-back to receive a Cameron Dummigan pass and put the ball across the line of the six-yard box seven minutes into the second half, it summed up the main malaise so far this season.

Four home goals in eight league games indicates a side that looks gift horses in their mouths. So it was here that nobody reacted to the sort of chance natural goal scorer - a rare beast for a club with Athletic's spending power - would sell his granny for. The ball ambled by and another chance vanished.

By that point, the hosts were a goal down.

And for the third time in four matches, a corner kick was its origin. Wily old Rovers midfielder Chris Lines swung it in from the left, an Athletic head barely flicked it clear and Charlie Colkett had time inside the box to control and fire into the roof of the net.

There was some controversy about the 25th-minute opener - Athletic felt Lee Erwin was blocked off from attempting to charge the ball down - but the strike served to prick the bubble of optimism (rightly) generated by the terrific effort in seeing off Scunthorpe with panache four days earlier.

Stephen Robinson's side started brightly, but mentally and physically seemed drained.

And against a side that scores half its goals from set pieces, this loss was confirmed three minutes from time when substitute Jake Clarke-Salter slammed home a near-post header from another Lines corner.

Athletic need to improve on attacking the ball inside the penalty area, in both penalty areas.

Understandably, though he later confessed it may not have been wise, Robinson elected to make no changes to his line-up that had seen off the league leaders.

On the bench there was still no Lee Croft - struggling with a back injury - but Ryan McLaughlin came back as a substitute in place of Marc Klok. He made a difference after coming on in the second half, with a direct approach that saw a stream of crosses fired into the box, and could now start at Rochdale.

Chasing down four wins from five, which would have represented Athletic's best run of results for three years, Robinson's side picked up where they left off against Scunthorpe, at least initially.

Winchester and Ousmane Fane were among those home players who grafted to win the ball back high up the pitch and four minutes in, a Paul Green cross from the right had goalkeeper Kelle Roos punching clear.

That was the only real work the Rovers custodian had to do, though, in an opening 45 minutes in which the extra physicality and pressing game of Darrell Clarke's visitors exerted real influence.

It took 18 minutes for Connor Ripley to be worried, with full-back Lee Brown's cross just missed by the head of hard-working striker Rory Gaffney.

Rovers - on a run of one loss in 10 entering this contest - didn't look back.

Ripley saved well from a low 25-yard shot by Brown from a free-kick and a minute later, Colkett fired them in front.

After a first touch to control the ball, and possibly aided by some NFL-style blocking off of would-be tacklers, Colkett fired home emphatically.

Robinson's side tried to get going, but found it tough to break down a defence which astutely packed out the middle of the pitch to counter-act Winchester and Flynn's tendency to drift infield.

Colkett also turned a shot over when well-placed from Gaffeny's cut-back and Athletic entered their changing room knowing more was needed to get back into the contest.

A sparky opening to the second period saw Winchester create a chance that wasn't taken advantage of and just after the hour, Freddie Ladapo should have done better than completely miscue a header from an inviting Green cross, no more than 10 yards out and unmarked in the centre of goal.

Roos made his first real save after 65 minutes, getting across quickly to his right to divert an Erwin free-kick away, with Flynn firing in a shot arrowing towards the middle of goal that was then tipped over the top.

Erwin's near-post header after 72 minutes was plucked out by Roos as Athletic continued to press.

Matty Taylor, scorer of a hat-trick in midweek and 10 in total for the season, scooted round Ripley seven minutes later before Peter Clarke somehow managed to sprawl on the ground and block his effort with his body.

Clarke-Salter doubled the lead to seal the deal for Clarke's robust, well-drilled outfit to delight the impressive travelling support of more than 800 fans.

Flynn saw a header saved and Calaum-Jahraldo pulled the rebound across goal, but the game was up for Athletic.

IN A NUTSHELL: Athletic didn't quite have the legs - or the mental energy - to beat a side simply better than they were on the day.