Latics target man worry

Aaron Holloway

JOHN Sheridan is sweating on the fitness of target man Aaron Amadi-Holloway ahead of tonight's bonus trip to MK Dons.

Amadi-Holloway hobbled off the field in the 1-0 win at Chesterfield - a three-point haul that means manager John Sheridan's target for two away trips has been fulfilled.

Rob Hunt also took a knock in the Proact Stadium battle and with Anthony Gerrard suspended and back-up goalkeeper Chris Kettings still unavailable due to concussion, it could be a patched-up side that takes to the field at Stadium MK (7.45pm kick-off).

Still, Athletic are ahead of Sheridan's schedule at this stage, with back-to-back home fixtures against bottom-of-the-table Coventry and Charlton to come next.

"If you win games then the table takes care of itself," said Sheridan, who needs a point in the only Sky Bet League One fixture of the evening to lead an escape from the bottom-four. "We go there trying to get something ahead of two home games we have got coming up.

"I knew Chesterfield and MK Dons would be tough and wanted to win one of them. We have done that now, so let's win the second and go into the next two at home with that bit more confidence."

Ryan Flynn was brought off at Chesterfield in the re-shuffle that followed Gerrard's red card at half-time.

Sheridan says that the ex-Sheffield United player fits in well in a side that now boasts plenty of technical ability.

"I really like Ryan as a player," Sheridan added. "I have told him that and he's one of those players who I want doing all his work in the opposition's half.

"He has a great work ethic and I have a lot of players who are quite similar.

"He has a good football brain, but it's that we have to try to find him more than anything and seeing the positions he is in.

'QUICKER'

"With Chris Taylor in the team and Aiden O'Neill, hopefully we can find his quicker.

"I have got good footballers in the team. Chris Taylor, Ryan McLaughlin, Aiden O'Neill, Ryan Flynn . . . I want us to go and play.

"If we have to grind it out then we can as well. They have shown me in the five games that they have a great work ethic.

"But you have to have that bit of quality in the opposition half of the pitch. With the additions I have made, they might give us that."

As for points targets with 17 games of the season left, Sheridan is unconcerned at this stage with anything beyond simply gaining positive results quickly.

"In the back of my mind, I have an idea how many we need to win but we just have to get wins as quickly as we can in my eyes," he said.

"If we get a draw we get out of the bottom four. If we can get out of there then that would be a plus for me."

Athletic (probable, 4-5-1): Ripley; Law, Clarke, Wilson, Hunt; McLaughlin, Fane, O'Neill, Flynn, Taylor; Amadi-Holloway.

Subs (from): Reckord, Edmundson, Banks, Croft, Green, Obadeyi, Ngoo, Osei, Erwin.