Heffernan snubs Athletic again

Paul Heffernan: Has chosen to join Bristol Rovers.

IN-DEMAND striker Paul Heffernan has turned Athletic down for a second time, snubbing the club in favour of a loan switch to Coca-Cola League One rivals Bristol Rovers.

Athletic manager Dave Penney was keen to bring the 28-year-old Doncaster forward back to Boundary Park after a successful loan period earlier this season in which he scored in a home win against Exeter and made a total of four appearances.

Doncaster had refused a request to extend the Irish player’s one-month spell with Athletic due to the South Yorkshire club suffering from injuries.

This time, though, with the transfer window open and an offer of a return to Athletic, Heffernan himself has chosen instead to move to the Memorial Stadium on a one-month deal on the day the emergency loan window reopened.

The move has left Athletic officials stunned, having been told by Doncaster when they tried to extend his existing loan in January to wait until this point in time to try again.

And it echoes the goings-on in 2005, when Athletic had a deal signed and sealed with Heffernan only for the player to instead join Doncaster.

“I think I have plenty to offer Bristol Rovers,” Heffernan told the official Rovers website.

“I have been sitting on the bench up at Doncaster for most of the season, so I want to get out and prove that I can still score goals at whatever level because you are soon forgotten about in this game.”

Dave Penney will now turn his attentions to other striking options but in the meantime, is set to partner Jason Price up front with Pawel Abbott once again in tonight’s League One clash at Swindon Town.

Athletic are set to field an unchanged line-up following on from the 1-0 victory at Tranmere which lifted the team out of the relegation zone.

Former Boundary Park loan star Alan Sheehan, now plying his trade with the Robins, won’t take part in the game at the County Ground. The left-back remains another two weeks away from full fitness with a hamstring problem.

French striker Vincent Pericard should be fit to take his place on the bench after recovering from a similar problem.

Athletic (probable): Brill; Goodwin, Hazell, Gregan, Jacobson; Smalley, Furman, Stephens, Whitaker; Abbott, Price. Subs (from): Flahavan, Aljofree, Marrow, Taylor, Parker, Colbeck, Brooke.

Swindon (probable): Lucas; Amankwaah, Cuthbert, Greer, Jean-Francois; McGovern, Douglas, Ferry, Ward; Paynter, Austin. Subs (from): O’Brien, Timlin, Easton, Morrison, Pericard, Marshall, Smith, Macklin.