Richie eyes another winning return to his former club

MEET THE PRESS . . . Richie Wellens reveals his thoughts.

RICHIE Wellens will complete a second visit in six weeks to his former Blackpool home, hoping for a similar result.

Approaching Athletic’s double header against clubs the 35-year-old midfield ace has been associated with, the man chosen by manager David Dunn as a key figure sees the Tangerines’ plight as a puzzle.

Having spent five successful years at Bloomfield Road before his first move to Athletic a decade ago, Wellens knows the club inside and out.

What he sees is a famous old club that missed its chance to go straight back to the top flight following relegation from the Premier League. Instead, a play-off final loss to West Ham 12 months later has been followed by a downward spiral into League One, with a lot of acrimony between the club’s fans and chairman Karl Oyston.

Wellens was an unused substitute as Doncaster won 2-0 at Blackpool on November 14. He said: “You don’t expect relegation after relegation, especially not with 15,000-16,000 fans. I was there when we played them and there were more people outside the ground protesting than there were in it.

“The team wasn’t good on the day and hopefully they will be the same against us.”

Ex-Athletic midfielder Neil McDonald has enjoyed recent success, though. Three wins against Fleetwood, Wigan and Peterborough have taken the club to 17th in the table.

But from what Wellens saw last time, Athletic will have a great chance if they can score first.

Doncaster went ahead in the fifth minute through Andy Williams, and Wellens remarked: “All of a sudden, every square pass and back pass was booed and the whole atmosphere changed in the ground.”

Wellens is not eligible for Athletic’s game against Doncaster on Monday as part of the loan arrangement with his parent club. That deal runs out after the home game against Colchester on January 2.

Wellens hopes he can come back to Athletic until the season’s end, but that decision may come down to finances: “I’ve made no secret of the fact I would like to stay,” he added.