Time for Latics to stand up to scrutiny

BEN WILSON . . . The on-loan Cardiff man is Athletic's only goalkeeper

ONLY four months have passed since Athletic disposed of Bolton.

Lee Erwin got the winner to the delight of a crowd just short of 9,000, to all-but guarantee safety from relegation.

Eight of the starting XI that day that defeated a side who went on to be promoted are still at the club ahead of a test of similar difficulty against Wigan.

And yet with three straight defeats in league and cup - a run to kick off the season that's worse than any since 1999 - the landscape appears far less favourable in the build-up to this particular derby.

Defeats to Oxford, Burton and Walsall have chipped at fans' optimism. Solid and determined against Bolton, after the summer recess regular self-inflicted mishaps have blighted 2017-18 so far.

It has left manager John Sheridan tearing his hair out watching from the dug-out. And when back in his manager's office, the failure to land his intended player targets can't have lifted the mood.

IMAGINE

Budgets are not lavish at SportsDirect.com Park yet in truth, it is difficult to imagine that contracts handed out to bigger players in recent months cast Athletic as true paupers.

Yet the as-yet fruitless pursuit of a goalkeeper to challenge Ben Wilson (the number one shirt remains un-taken on the squad list) and the non-arrival of a midfield organiser has left the manager frustrated.

His talk of "circumstances" implies that the budget is now extremely tight and Sheridan confirmed this week that players must go before new ones can come in.

CHARACTERS

It's also the case, though, that key players must start taking more responsibility for improving their own performances.

A manager of Sheridan's commendable (and unusual) honesty can't and won't paper over the cracks.

"I have watched the game again and I was right in what I said," he said in this week's pre-match press conference, reflecting on a Walsall game that was followed by an angry a post-game reaction in which he stated his desire for "five or six" new players.

"It's not being hard on the players I have got. It's just my thoughts on what I need in the team."

Athletic will certainly do some business before the transfer window shuts at the end of the month.

For now, it's down to the men contracted to do their jobs to provide some cheer. A Bolton-like effort tomorrow would go a long way to improving moods in the dressing room and out in the stands.