It can be done!

STAYING UP . . . Mark Innes (left) and Andy Holt after Athletic beat Reading to stave off relegation in 1999.

JOHN Sheridan has cited a remarkable escape of 17 years ago as proof that little is ever truly impossible for Athletic.

Cut adrift in mid-April 1999, Sheridan was player of the season as his side had a terrific run of four wins in the final six games to hit a 51-point total, ensuring survival in the third tier, where Athletic have remained since.

To maintain that sequence of longevity in third-tier football, a victory at Shrewsbury tonight is regarded by most observers as virtually essential.

But casting back to a campaign in which a last-day 2-0 home win over Reading secured Athletic’s safety in front of 7,724 fans, Sheridan isn’t giving up hope.

“It’s not impossible,” said the manager. “I remember years ago as a player under Andy Ritchie, needing to win five out of the last six or four out of five. We did it.

“There is still time. It is going to be difficult, but I believe we can do it.”

New assistant Peter Shirtliff will take his place in the dug-out alongside Sheridan for the first time, for a fixture the manager accepts will be difficult.

“It is a six-pointer: Shrewsbury are a team near us and if they win, they gain a bigger advantage,” added Sheridan. “If we win, it will be a big step to getting the victories we need. We have to start winning quickly.

“I am going to put out a team that will try to win every game we play. We’ll have a real go at it.”

Sheridan doesn’t believe his squad lacks appetite for the battle, but accepts he needs the attacking subtlety shown by new signing Matt Palmer.

“There is something we’re not doing, and that’s why we’re second from bottom,” he added. “We’ve got to roll up our sleeves.”