Robinson in upbeat mood

STEPHEN ROBINSON . . . facing home game after impressive away- day displays

IMPRESSIVE back-to-back performances on the road mean Athletic boss Steve Robinson will head into tomorrow's home Sky Bet League One clash against Peterborough in good spirits.

Although only gleaning a single point from tough trips to Scunthorpe and Port Vale over the past week, Athletic did stand out in both games.

They totalled 37 shots across the 180 minutes, and Posh boss Grant McCann has stated - see Page 34 - that he believes Athletic's current 22nd position in the table is false.

IMPORTANT

Robinson and his close to fully-fit squad do seem to be slowly turning an important corner, and they're ready for whatever play-off hopefuls Peterborough throw at them tomorrow.

"Until the other night (when they lost 2-0 to Scunthorpe) Peterborough had been flying and I think Grant McCann has done a great job there," said Robinson.

"They're a really good team, and they have worked hard at building their squad over a few years.

"They've done well to bring a few non-league boys through, too, and they do play a really attractive style of football.

"It's going to be a good game, because we're finding our feet a little bit as well now so I'm hoping it will be an attractive game that we come out on top of.

"It is turning now, though we all know that if we'd put all our chances away we'd be nowhere near where we are now.

'GOOD'
"It's not like a lot of our performances have been poor - to be honest they've been good, we've just not been able to finish teams off, taking those chances when we've been on top.

"That happened to us the other night to a certain extent, but we know we're not too far away now."

Robinson's only injury doubt for tomorrow's game surrounds midfielder Paul Green.

He missed Tuesday's Port Vale clash through suspension, but is struggling to shake off a calf strain he suffered before being sent-off at Scunthorpe last Saturday.

Robinson added: "The boys have done well the last two games and they've trained well this week so there is competition for places.

"However, I've always said to the players that is they do get in the team and play well, they'll stay in the team.

"Obviously we had a tricky start to the season, but we're putting decent players out there now and that gives me confidence.

"All the substitutes from the other night (Carl Winchester, Lee Erwin and Lee Croft) will be pushing for a start, but by the same reckoning, none of the lads who came off (Ousmane Fane, Ryan McLaughlin and Ryan Flynn) played badly.

"It wasn't like we played poorly and I had to make the substitutions to change the way the game was going.

"I just thought we needed an injection with 20 minutes to go."

Athletic (from): Ripley, Kettings, Law, Dummigan, Burgess, Dunne, Clarke, McLaughlin, Fane, Green, Banks, Flynn, Mckay, Ladapo, Erwin, Winchester, Croft, Reckord, Klok, Osei, Wilson.

TOMORROW'S fixtures in Sky Bet League One -

AFC Wimbledon v Fleetwood; Bury v Millwall; Charlton v Sheff Utd; Chesterfield v Bristol Rovers; Coventry v MK Dons; Gillingham v Rochdale; Northampton v Bolton; ATHLETIC v Peterborough; Scunthorpe v Oxford; Shrewsbury v Port Vale; Swindon v Bradford; Walsall v Southend.