Kelly’s sights on ‘must-win’ clash

LIAM KELLY . . . “team is starting to settle now and everyone knows each other.”

ATHLETIC captain Liam Kelly says nothing but a win will suffice against his old mentor on Saturday.

Lee Johnson’s return to SportsDirect.com Park is sure to whet the appetite of those supporters still sore at the circumstances surrounding his departure to Sky Bet League One rivals Barnsley midway through last season.

Kelly would not be moved on the question of whether some players would see it as a chance to prove a point to their former boss — “it is not for me to say,” he replied when asked — but for the skipper, another three points and the chance to extend the gap between Athletic and the lowly South Yorkshire outfit is certainly key.

“For me personally, it is just about winning the game, the same as any other,” said Kelly, a former colleague of Johnson’s at Kilmarnock and a player he brought to the club from Bristol City.

“We go into it 100-per-cent wanting to win and making sure that we do everything we can to win.

“It is a big game for us. Barnsley are down there, but not far off us and we have to make sure we are on it and that we perform as we have been.

“We have got to win the game — and that is the mindset we will be taking into it.”

The 2-0 victory in the FA Cup replay against Mansfield in midweek made it two wins in a row for Athletic, following a 2-1 win at Chesterfield last week.

Kelly believes there is precious little to choose between any side in a tight division and sees a chance now to put together a string of positive results.

“We want to start building momentum,” added Kelly. “It is the first time this season we have won two straight games, though there have obviously been circumstances with managers coming in and players coming in and out.

“But the team is starting to settle now and everyone knows each other. Consistency is coming in our performances and that can only help us.”

Cameron Dummigan and Jay Fulton are back involved again on Saturday to add to the options available within manager David Dunn’s squad.

“They are two very good players who have helped us massively, though they are only loan players. Hopefully, we can extend those loans,” said Kelly.

“We have seen the difference since they came into the side. We look dangerous and a side that can compete and it can only help, too, with increased competition for places.”

Burnley full-back Dummigan, who has missed the last two fixtures due to his involvement with Northern Ireland’s under-21s squad, is currently with Athletic until the first week in December.

Fulton, on loan from Swansea, is thought to have been reluctant to become cup-tied at this stage of the campaign, with his loan running until after the game at Coventry on Saturday, December 19.

Dunn will be keen to extend the stay of both players at the club.

Kelly sustained a swollen lip in a clash of heads against Mansfield, a game played out in poor conditions with a swirling wind and heavy rain.

GRIT

With a winter snap due to hit soon, though, he believes Athletic have enough grit about them to get results even when the going is tough.

“It was always going to be a battle against Mansfield, especially in the heavy rain,” he added.

“But we have the qualities as a side to deal with that as we showed.

“We battled when we had to and played when we had to. We matched them for that and our quality showed through in the end.

“It was pleasing to get the back-to-back wins and being honest, it was a game we expected to win and we had to go out there and do the job.”