Clarke confident of avoiding drop

AYE, AYE SKIPPER... Peter Clarke is confident Athletic will get out trouble in Sky Bet League One.

ATHLETIC'S collective expertise has saved the club from a far worse fate than it currently stands in.

That's the verdict of captain Peter Clarke, who has come out at the right end of a crisis or three across his 16-year career.

The club's defensive leader (34) holds that the three-point gap to above-the-line safety in Sky Bet League One will be bridged if and when manager Stephen Robinson is able to bring in fresh blood.

"The tide will turn," said Clarke. "We were probably behind given the start to the pre-season and to be one win away from being out of the bottom four at this stage is testament to the manager and the players, in perfect honesty.

'TOGETHERNESS'
"If there wasn't the character and know-how that's in there, it could be far worse and we could have been cut adrift as we have seen with other teams in other divisions.

"There is a real togetherness and with one or two bodies and a bit of patience, we can make great strides forward."

Clarke's career has brought with it promotion from League One with Huddersfield in 2012 and play-off finishes with the Terriers and Southend, the latter experience coming after the Shrimpers had been relegated from the Championship.

The former Everton trainee also dropped into League One with Blackpool in what was an almost hopeless cause in 2014-15.

He has also staved off relegation - notably at the start of his career, when 18 points from the final 12 games in 2003 saved Port Vale from relegation to the bottom tier.

Clarke believes that the abolition of the emergency loan system may have hurt Athletic. Last season, by this stage Athletic had signed SEVEN players on non-standard loans ­- Simonas Stankevicius, Jay Fulton, Cameron Dummigan, Daniel Lafferty, Michael Higdon, Giorgio Rasulo and Richie Wellens.

Provided the transfer embargo is lifted, Clarke now hopes that the areas Athletic are clearly deficient in can be addressed.

"I am not sure the manager wants anyone's sympathy," he added. "It's clear for everyone to see that the team is doing everything they can to get points and win games for him.

"For whatever reason, it has not happened. Maybe the doing away of the emergency loan system hasn't helped us as a club through the first part of the season.

"Now we are into January, it will hopefully give the manager the opportunity to get in the bodies that they have identified, boost the squad by adding some quality ­- and, hopefully, some goals too.

"Through the course of my career I have been in situations comparable to and probably worse than this and we have managed to get away from trouble.

"It's only a matter of time before that happens here.

"If the manager gets the bodies in, we are confident we can move up the table.

"We have the game in hand but we want to get those points on the board and get out of the bottom four as soon as possible.

"Perform as we did against Port Vale and have the same level of passion, pride and competitiveness, and it will only be a matter of time before we climb the table."