Shrewd move

ANTHONY GERRARD: Training since October

ATHLETIC hope to tie up their new signings in time to take their place in the squad for tomorrow's highly significant trip to Shrewsbury.

Though the registration embargo was lifted earlier this week, the club are awaiting the green light from the authorities before being able to officially process deals that have been agreed with new players.

Centre-back Anthony Gerrard and striker duo Aaron Amadi-Holloway and Michael Ngoo have all been strongly linked with moves to SportsDirect.com Park.

New manager John Sheridan said after the Gillingham game, his first back in charge, that he was seeking "three or four" fresh faces for tomorrow's relegation zone scrap at Greenhous Meadow.

As it stands, Athletic's lack of squad options following the exits of Carl Winchester and Marc Klok are such that Sheridan fielded teenage debutant Brendy Glackin against the Gills last week. The 18-year-old from Northern Ireland made his senior debut in the place of Darius Osei, who is suffering from a strained hamstring that puts his involvement tomorrow in doubt.

Lee Croft (hamstring) and Charles Dunne (pelvis) are both set to miss this weekend's game, with the latter's hairline fracture likely to keep the left-sided defender out of the picture for the next month.

Gerrard, who has been training with Athletic as a free agent since October, is primed to pen a deal to make it three spells with Athletic in as many seasons.

In total to date, the 30-year-old has made 24 appearances, helping keep 14 clean sheets, in that time.

Should he play, Gerrard would be one of only six players - Shrewsbury's Jayson Leutwiler, Jack Grimmer, Junior Brown, Shaun Whalley and Ian Black are the others - who featured in the 1-0 win for Athletic last January.

With goals such a problem for Athletic, a brand new forward line could be fielded buy Sheridan if the deals for Amadi-Holloway and Ngoo go through by the eligibility deadline of noon today.

Amadi-Holloway is currently out of favour and it is possible that despite being on lucrative terms with the Cod Army, Athletic may have negotiated to sign the former Wycombe man on a permanent basis.

The 23-year-old scored twice for the club and led the line very well under Sheridan last season in 10 outings before suffering a season-ending injury.

Ngoo (24), signed by Liverpool from Southend eight years ago, has had loan spells in the past at Hearts, Yeovil and Walsall before joining Kilmarnock.

He has played this term for Bromley but is another player who has spent some time already training with Athletic, impressing then-manager Stephen Robinson by netting a hat-trick in a behind-closed-doors reserves outing away to Bury.

One or both of Lee Erwin and Billy Mckay could make way tomorrow, with no Athletic striker having registered in the league since October's 2-0 win against Scunthorpe.

One player who didn't quite hit it off in an Athletic shirt consistently is Freddie Ladapo. Now on loan at Shrewsbury from Crystal Palace, he scored on his home debut last week from close range.

Under ex-Grimsby Town manager Paul Hurst, the Shrews have faced only two sides in the bottom half of the table since October.

After Athletic tomorrow, it's Gillingham (away) and Bury (home) next up for the Shrews in a vital period for the club.

Athletic (probable, 3-5-2): Ripley; Wilson, Clarke, Gerrard; Dummigan, Law, Flynn, Fane, McLaughlin; Amadi-Holloway, Ngoo.

Subs (from): Kettings, Edmundson, Mantack, Reckord, King, Green, Banks, Erwin, Mckay, Glackin.