Another blank night at Latics

CHALLENGE . . . Aaron Amadi-Holloway

ATHLETIC didn't lose, goalkeeper Ben Wilson had not one save to make up to the penalty shoot-out that rounded off the night's entertainment, and new boy Jack Byrne took the plaudits with an energising show in central midfield.

What crisis?

Well, that's the spin-doctored version. The alternative facts are that Athletic didn't beat a League Two team, failed to test their goalkeeper Ryan Boot and also contrived to lose the new-fangled penalty shoot-out.

And there still exists widespread uncertainty within the club concerning the possible investment into the club by Dubai agent Abdallah Lemsagam.

That leaves plenty to be getting on with this week, with new players clearly needed before tomorrow's 11pm deadline to give manager John Sheridan a shake at turning round fortunes in the league.

Here, in what was a promising showing in two-thirds of the pitch against a Vale outfit struggling after relegation last season, Sheridan made two changes from the side beaten 2-1 at Blackpool.

New signing Byrne came into midfield in place of Ousmane Fane, while Cameron Dummigan's departure to link up with Northern Ireland's under-21s meant another start for Mason Fawns.

On the (this time full) substitutes' bench, youth team players filled the gaps. There was a reserve goalkeeper in Joe Boyling and places for Jay Sheridan, Tom Hamer and Francois Antoine. Only Kallum Mantack of the seven potential replacements was used.

From the off, playing in central midfield in a 4-4-2, Byrne was lively and heavily involved, his team-mates keen to link up with his working of angles with short passes as the hosts played some neat one-touch football.

Vale - themselves entering the game on the back of four straight losses - were also bright but fairly toothless. Former Athletic men David Worrall and Cristian Montano were stationed on the flanks and before he went off injured prior to half-time, on-loan Huddersfield striker Rekeil Pyke gave Michael Brown's side a focal point up front.

Montano fired an early effort into the depopulated Jimmy Frizzell Stand and Dan Turner hit one that cleared the bar first-time from a Pyke cut-back before Athletic enjoyed their first chance of note.

Fawns benefited from a ball that bounced fortuitously off the legs of Brian Wilson but opted to try to step round his marker eight yards out rather than strike early and was dispossessed. It was a misjudgement from the forward but one that can be forgiven for his youth.

Pyke pulled an awkward shot wide from a half-cleared corner and Aaron Amadi-Holloway shaped a first-time shot with his left foot narrowly off-target, with Ryan Boot in the Valiants goal grateful to stand and watch the attempt from the edge of the 18-yard box flash wide of his left-hand post.

Fawns went close to opening the scoring three minutes after the interval. Again the build-up from Athletic was neat and when he was fed in space just inside the area, the teenager cut in onto his left foot before shooting only a foot wide. It was as good an opportunity as either side had enjoyed to that stage.

Shortly before the hour, Montano lashed another effort off-target when he may have done better with more composure in getting on the end of a far-post retrieval from substitute Marcus Harness.

Athletic had most of the territory in the second half without creating much. Amadi-Holloway, yet to score since signing in January, was the next player to dally when faced with a presentable shooting chance no more than 10 yards out on the right, ending up seeing a cross blocked behind when shepherded away from the target.

Ten minutes from full-time, Athletic's liveliest player Byrne lined up a shot after being fed from the left flank that passed narrowly wide of Boot's goal.

It was left to the shoot-out to decide which club would take the bonus point in Checkatrade Trophy Group 'D'. In the new 'ABBA' format, Ollie Banks saw his spot-kick well saved low to his right by Boot, with Fawns failing with a weaker attempt that was pushed out closer to the centre of goal. Anthony Gerrard and Dan Gardner didn't miss for Athletic, but Vale won after finding the net through Michael Tonge, former Athletic trialist Gavin Gunning, Tom Pope and Tyler Denton.