Human touch vital - Holden

DEAN Holden says it’s vital for Athletic’s players and staff to remain in touch with supporters in difficult times.

The assistant boss described the difficulties involved in running a club on a shoestring - one resilt of which was late wages.

He also suggested how tough it is to work at a club that has had four different managers this year - including himself.

“The chairman is doing all he can, but money’s tight and I knew that when I took the job here,” he said. “It was like that when I played here a decade ago, when we were in administration and days from liquidation.

“The connection with the fans remains vital. We were at a Latics Christmas party with young supporters when we heard about the FA Cup draw. It was a happy occasion, in contrast to last week when we attended the funeral of a lifelong Oldham fan, Cath Keane, 46.

“It was the idea of the manager, David Dunn, that we should attend and show our support after he read about her.

“Fans like Cath are the lifeblood of any club and her husband Jeff, also a hardcore fan, thanked us after the service. He didn’t need to thank us for anything, it was an honour to be there.”