I have made mistakes

ATHLETIC manager Stephen Robinson will look to add to his squad if the transfer embargo is lifted.

MISTAKES have been made in the player market, admits Athletic manager Stephen Robinson, as he strives to make amends ahead of the second half of Athletic's season.

While there have been notable successes in the race to build a squad virtually from scratch - the opening league game at Millwall came less than a month after the appointments of Robinson and his assistant Ian Baraclough - there have also been instances of players not hitting the required mark.

Freddie Ladapo returned to Crystal Palace this week and the contract of Calaum Jahraldo-Martin has not been extended, while the loan of Cameron Burgess has now run out, albeit with the possibility of him returning if and when the transfer embargo is lifted.

The futures of Marc Klok and Lee Croft, whose deals both expire this month, are yet to be resolved while Aaron Amadi-Holloway and Anthony Gerrard are primed to sign once the club has settled outstanding bills with fellow Football League clubs.

Robinson, busy preparing his side for the trip to Mansfield next week in the Checkatrade Trophy, says it would have been virtually impossible for every one of his signings to have proven a success.

"We don't have the ability to bring in the best players in the country and to pay them accordingly, or the best facilities," Robinson said.

"What we do is try to pick good characters and I would say we have 95-per-cent right. We have got a couple wrong and I hold my hands up for that.

"When you sign 22 players, if you get them all right then I wouldn't be managing Oldham - I would be managing Real Madrid.

"It's where we are. I have good characters and I haven't got someone who can score goals.

'CHANCE'
"If it (the embargo) is lifted then we have things we want to do. Whether we get the chance, I don't know. At this stage we have to see how the week pans out."

Athletic have made changes to the non-playing staff this week.

Gordon Lawton, who has been with the club for more than 30 years in a variety of roles, has stepped up from publishing and media manager to take on the football secretary role following the recent departure of Tanya Blakey.

Luke Ingram is now the club's main point of contact for media enquiries, with the club inviting applications for a role on the media team to assist him.

A new head of commercial operations is set to be announced next week after Mark Moisley took on the role of chief executive on a permanent basis following the departure of Neil Joy to AFC Fylde.