Spot-kick grievance

Peter Clarke

IN-FORM captain Peter Clarke is still trying to work out exactly how he came to have a penalty awarded against him, as he and his side prepare for a game of major significance against his former club Bury.

Clarke was sure that he made contact with the ball before Simeon Jackson when referee John Brooks gave a second-half spot-kick to Walsall that sent the Saddlers on the way to a 2-0 victory.

"I don't think the referee had his best afternoon," Clarke said. "Everything 50-50 seemed to go their way.

'GOAL KICK'

"As he took his touch across, I got my toe on it. It was actually a goal kick as it came off him in the end, but unfortunately he gave it.

"Having seen it back there were four bodies between the challenge and the referee's viewpoint, so I find it really difficult to see how he got a clear view.

"That's gone now and it's onto the next one, though we do feel hard done by."

Athletic skipper Clarke (35) has been nominated for the Sky Bet League One player of the month prize for February, with John Sheridan shortlisted for the managerial gong.

The centre-back scored twice in the month, grabbing a late winner for 10-man Athletic at Chesterfield and netting in a 3-2 home victory over Coventry, while also clearing off the line in the goalless draw against Millwall.

Twice nominated for a monthly prize last season, Sheridan's record of four wins, two draws and a defeat helped lift the club out of the relegation zone. Oxford's Michael Appleton, Bury's Lee Clark and Neil Harris of Millwall are also in the running.

REVEALED

The winners of the awards will be revealed on Friday - Clarke is up against Tony Craig (Millwall), John-Joe O'Toole (Northampton) and Billy Sharp (Sheffield United) - but Athletic's collective focus is on the home clash with Bury.

The Shakers have won three out of four under new boss Clark, who had Clarke as a player at Huddersfield and Blackpool.

"They have had three good results and I'm sure that was the effect their chairman was looking for in bringing Lee in," said Athletic's captain.

"We are under no illusions. It is going to be a tough game.

"But we go into it in a positive frame of mind, confident we can take three points.

"We have shown through the course of the season a togetherness and how hard we are to beat. That won't change between now and the rest of the season.

"Collectively, it gives us a real chance to get results.

"There are two home games on the spin and we have been good at home since the turn of the year."

Clarke has an option in his current Athletic contract for a further season but in keeping with Sheridan's comments previously, is not looking any further at present than keeping Athletic up.

"There is an option but we shall see," he added. "The main concern at the moment is getting the points on the board to retain our status in the division."

In last night's three games in Sky Bet League One, Chesterfield's woes continued as they lost 1-0 at Walsall, Charlton eased relegation fears with a late winner in a 2-1 victory against Scunthorpe and leaders Sheffield United won 3-2 at Oxford.