Our festive wish list for Latics...

PHYSICAL PRESENCE: Aaron Amadi-Holloway made a big difference when he arrived at the club last season

IT HAS been a rough ride for Athletic this year, but with Christmas arriving this weekend we decided to get into the festive mood.

Here are the top five wishes for the club on our list, as Stephen Robinson's side strive to get themselves out of relegation trouble in League One . . .

1, THE GIFT OF GOALS

As it stands, Athletic are the lowest scorers in the EFL with only 12 in 21 matches. Defensively, it has been a tight ship generally with Peter Clarke in charge of a back line that is well capable of sitting back and soaking up pressure.

When attempting to go on the offensive at home, though, Robinson's side have struggled to break through themselves. Striker Billy Mckay appears the most likely to hit the goals trail of the current group, even though has yet to get off the mark in the league. The suspicion is that Athletic need to be more creative from midfield in order to provide the ammunition.

2, EMBARGO TO GO

The word is, Athletic expect to pay off the debts to other clubs and therefore have their Football League embargo lifted as of January 1.

Keeping a League One club going on a shoestring is difficult, particularly with only one home match in six weeks having had an adverse effect on cash flow.

Once the embargo disappears, Robinson can embark on the task of shipping out the under-performing players on short-term deals - effectively, extended trials - in order to bring in the targets he has identified. A centre-back, midfielder and striker are all on the agenda.

3, A TOUGH NUGGET

In the second half of season, the arrival of Aaron Amadi-Holloway and Curtis Main helped to remedy some of Athletic's forward-line problems in terms of retaining possession in the final third, while Matty Palmer - an ever-present for Burton in the Championship this season - was key in feeding the ball in towards the front two.

Twelve months on, Athletic are two points worse off than at the corresponding stage last term and again require a new, physical presence up top.

4, THE ROAD TO WEMBLEY

The Checkatrade Trophy has attracted plenty of criticism, with some suspicious that the invitations offered to top academies is a prelude to 'B' teams being introduced in the future. It has worked out quite nicely for Athletic so far, though.

Successes at Fleetwood, Blackburn (via a shoot-out) and Walsall have netted £40,000 thanks to the increased prize fund and a date in the final at Wembley is only three more wins away.

It doesn't carry much real weight compared to the league, but even so, further progress would be welcome from a financial perspective. The prize for beating Mansfield in the last 16 is £40,000 - the equivalent of a new player for six months.

5, 20th PLACE

Climbing out of the bottom-four sooner rather than later will help steady nerves.

Athletic are still only three points shy of the safety line with a game in hand.

Winning at home against Port Vale - the club with the third-worst away record in the division - on Monday, January 2, would work wonders for the belief that gaining three points at SportsDirect.com Park on a regular basis up to and including late April is possible.

From where they find themselves, which isn't altogether too surprising given the catch-up work that had to be taken on in the summer, a 20th-place finish would represent a triumph.