Penney vows to turn it around

food for thought: Dave Penney’s Athletic side play host to Carlisle United tomorrow, looking for only their second win in 10 league and cup games since he took over as manager.

‘Every day, every week, every game is a challenge whether I have been a bricklayer, player, coach or manager and I have always met those challenges head on’

DAVE PENNEY is convinced he will get things right at Boundary Park.

The Athletic chief is 90 minutes away from his worst-ever sequence of results in his six years as a Football League manager.

If his side fail to beat away-day specialists Carlisle United tomorrow, it will be just one win in 10 league and cup games since he succeeded Joe Royle.

Athletic’s last-gasp defeat at Bristol Rovers equalled a similar run when he was in charge at Darlington in the 2007/08 season.

But Penney remains defiant, and he said: “You get bad runs and, when they come along, it is important you stick to your beliefs and eventually results will come.

“Every day, every week, every game is a challenge whether I have been a bricklayer, player, coach or manager and I have always met those challenges head on.”

Penney reckons there is a fine line between winning and losing, and he believes Athletic are close to clicking into top gear.

But they won’t find it easy against Carlisle, tomorrow’s visitors to Boundary Park, as they are unbeaten in five matches on the road.

Carlisle have tasted success at Stockport in Coca-Cola League One as well as achieving draws against Millwall and Orient. They have also recorded victories at Championship outfit Bristol City in the Carling Cup and at Morecambe in a penalty shoot-out in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy.

Carlisle, who will head south brimming with confidence, use two defensive battlers in midfield.

They are likely to be captain Paul Thirlwell and the fit-again Tom Taiwo, who is on loan from Chelsea, while the pace of Matty Robson is a threat down the left flank.

While Carlisle have been happy travellers, they, like at Athletic, have found it tough going at home.

They have only only one of their four league matches at Brunton Park — that was against lowly Tranmere Rovers — while they have lost to Brentford, Exeter and Brighton.

’Keeper Lennie Pidgeley described the defeat by Brighton last weekend as “smash and grab” as Carlisle did enough to at least pick up a point.

The only other home victory, ironically, was against Athletic in the Carling Cup when striker Scott Dobie scored a last-gasp winner.

Pidgeley believes it is easier for Carlisle to play away.

He explained: “Because we are at home, we are always trying to take the game to them, but teams have made it difficult for us and it is a blow when they nick a goal.

“In away games, teams come at us, so there is less pressure to get that first goal, and we seem to thrive on that.”

Carlisle’s record on their own patch is still better than Athletic’s at Boundary Park.

The last time Athletic fans celebrated a home win was way back on February 14. That is a sequence of 11 league and cup matches, the worst in the club’s history.

Athletic’s lack of cutting edge is a big worry, with only six goals in nine matches this season.

Carlisle are more potent in front of goal, with 13 efforts in 10 matches although, rather like Athletic, their strikers have yet to set League One alight.

And the fact that left-back Ian Harte, the former Leeds United player, is their top scorer in the league with two goals underlines the frailties of the forwards.

Strikers Dobie and Joe Anyinsah have only managed two goals apiece in all competitions.

Manager Greg Abbott has hinted he could be ready to give a first start up front to recent signing Richard Offiong.

The former Newcastle United player made the breakthrough in Scotland at Hamilton before joining Carlisle in a £90,000 deal.

Athletic are also looking for a better return from their strikers.

Pawel Abbott’s two goals, one a penalty, earned the only win so far at Leyton Orient, while Nick Blackman has found the net only once and Keigan Parker has yet to open his scoring account since his move from Huddersfield Town.


Coca-Cola League One fixtures
TOMORROW: Brentford v Bristol Rovers, Brighton v Southend, Colchester v Hartlepool, Exeter v Tranmere, Leeds v Gillingham, Millwall v Huddersfield, Norwich v Charlton, Athletic v Carlisle, Southampton v Yeovil, Stockport v Leyton Orient, Walsall v Swindon, Wycombe v MK Dons.