Peter The Great

Peter Clarke goal celebration

GOAL hero Peter Clarke said it was a case of business as usual after powering in a vital late winning goal for 10-man Athletic in a controversial and feisty relegation clash at Chesterfield.

Athletic's captain was close to a move to Scunthorpe before the transfer deadline hit, but it failed to materialise and the 35-year-old proved his commitment to the cause with a superb injury-time header that lifted John Sheridan's side to fourth-bottom in the Sky Bet League One table.

"The deadline passed and I am still an Oldham player so nothing changes," said Clarke. "I give it my best and I do what I do, going out every game to get a result for the greater good - for myself, for the football club and most importantly, for the fans.

"A week is a long time in football and I suppose it has been. But it was nice to get on the end of the cross and as I have said before, if it is on my best foot then I've got half a chance."

SENT OFF

Athletic had to do it the hard way at the Proact Stadium. Anthony Gerrard was sent off by referee Ross Joyce in the tunnel at half-time for picking up a second yellow card, with television pictures later showing a confrontation with Ian Evatt as the players walked off in which the Spireites man appeared to put his head into Gerrard's.

"I'd like to apologise to the boys and the travelling fans," Gerrard later tweeted. "I saw red in the tunnel after being head butted! I've apologised unreservedly."

Gerrard will now serve a one-match ban and miss tomorrow night's trip to MK Dons, where a point will be enough to lift the club out of the drop zone.

"They are all going to be big games between now and the end of the campaign. But we know what we are about and what we have got to do," added Clarke.

"It will be a different test, but we go there believing we can get a result."

An incident-packed game at Chesterfield also contained a moment of protest in the second half that led to Clarke being booked. He didn't feel Ryan McLaughlin was given sufficient protection from stewards after finding himself injured behind the advertising hoardings and made his views known.

"People were running five or six rows to abuse him," Clarke said. "I thought it was disgraceful."

As for Gerrard's dismissal, his manager John Sheridan only found out about it when he was starting his half-time team talk.

"I am not sure what it was for," Sheridan said. "I went to 4-3-2 and it meant the three midfielders had to work their socks off, which they did to a tee.

"It was all about the team. Every one of them stuck to their task."

Reserve goalkeeper Chris Kettings suffered a concussion last Friday and regulations meant he could not turn out at Chesterfield. He will also be unable to take a place on the bench at MK Dons tomorrow.

Chesterfield manager Gary Caldwell, whose side now sit second-bottom of the division, was left unimpressed by Athletic's conduct on the day.

"I didn't see it (the red card) myself so I can't comment, but the behaviour of certain individuals was poor, really. This is league football and people should be more professional than they were," Caldwell said.

"I said to the players that we use people's attitudes and the way they acted towards us and that can only spur us on.

"I don't like to see the way they acted as individuals at half-time and at full-time."