Fear factor is thing of past

JOHN SHERIDAN

LIGHTNING doesn't usually strike twice and this time, Athletic's fate appeared sealed.

By the time John Sheridan came back for 'The Shezurrection Part Two', he was placed in charge of a squad that had managed 12 goals in 24 matches.

A "fear factor" at home described by previous manager Stephen Robinson was said to be partly responsible for a record of nine blanks in front of goal at SportsDirect.com Park before Sheridan stepped back in.

Even the usual beacons of hope around the place were sceptical that Athletic could save themselves this time.

One long-standing fan had a wager of £150 with chairman Simon Corney that the club would be relegated. He was delighted to pay up when proven wrong.

TIME

Robinson knew his time was up after the Mansfield defeat in the Checkatrade Trophy. Coming just over a month after the humiliating defeat at Lincoln City in the FA Cup, Athletic's board felt they had to take action.

It was an impressively pragmatic swoop for Sheridan, given the fact he left in favour of a lucrative deal at Notts County the previous summer.

Athletic had been chasing their tails since then, for too long without a coherent idea as to how to plug the gap of their previous saviour.

If letting virtually all of the playing squad go in the summer of 2016 along with Sheridan was a bold strategy, it looked foolhardy.

Robinson had only five players when he came in. A cobbled-together bunch looked just that in pre-season games and in the disastrous opening match at Millwall.

To his credit, he did acquire Connor Ripley, having already worked with him at Motherwell, as well as veteran duo Paul Green and Peter Clarke.

Sheridan's master-stroke was to allow his players to concentrate on what they are good at.

Ollie Banks was left to get on the ball and the odd poor raking pass was allowed; Lee Erwin was told not to chase down opposing full-backs but stay as a striker.

Supporters got behind Sheridan's approach and results rolled in at home: seven wins, four draws and one defeat. Fear was no more.

There were perhaps two major turning points in the road to recovery.

RAMMED

One was the 10-man win at Chesterfield, when Clarke rammed home a magnificent header after losing the services of his centre-back partner Anthony Gerrard for a half-time tussle in the tunnel.

The other was Ripley's two penalty saves in a single game against Millwall.

But the real reason for Athletic's recovery is down to one man - a failure at Notts County yet proof that sometimes, club and manager are a perfect fit.

Alternative Athletic awards, 2016-17 -

Pastime of the season: Bought out of funds received from player fines, the table tennis table that spends its time on non-matchdays in the lounge at SportsDirect.com Park has proved to be a big hit. Kit man Steve Cross takes some beating, but it's debatable whether there is more spin employed overall with the well-used bats than in a typical Athletic press release.

Nearly the goal of the season: Ollie Banks channelled the spirit of Zinedine Zidane by using some wonderfully nimble footwork to evade two players at Southend, before delivering a brilliant flighted pass in front of Lee Erwin. The volleyed finish from inside the area wasn't quite up to scratch, which was a great shame.

Paul Scholes story of the season: Every year brings with it a Scholes tale and this time, it had a Chinese flavour. The former Manchester United man was by coincidence in the office when a pair of potential investors came around from the Far East and left the duo starstruck.

Video call-out of the season: Chesterfield skipper Ian Evatt's pint-in-hand addressing of 'Anthony' (presumably Mr Gerrard) as a 'wasteman', recorded at a safe distance at Sheffield's Pointing Dog bar. The duo had clashed at the Proact Stadium, but probably won't next season what with Chesterfield being in League Two and everything.

Hope for next season: That Athletic can start once again to work alongside Trust Oldham to build bridges following this season's fall-out. It's in everyone's interests.