Injuries tarnish positive Easter

Photo: Vincent Brown

YOU BEAUTY: defender Anthony Gerrard grabs hold of Mike Jones after the midfielder’s match-winner against Chesterfield.

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BOOSTED by four points across a crucial period, the only dark cloud on Athletic's horizon surrounds injuries to two strikers.

Aaron Amadi-Holloway hurt his ankle during the second half of the 1-0 home win over Chesterfield and fellow loan front man Timmy Thiele dislocated a shoulder later on. Both men could be missing for some time for Athletic - next in action at home to Swindon on April 5.

“I am not sure what Aaron has done, but it’s his ankle,” said manager John Sheridan, who added three points against the side he used to manage to one picked up in a draw at Burton on Saturday.

“Timmy’s shoulder popped out, so that is a sore one. Fortunately for those lads we aren’t playing this weekend, so it gives us a bit more time. But I don’t know how serious they are.”

Both players will be assessed today, but for now Sheridan is able to reflect on a battling display and a victory against Chesterfield thanks to substitute Mike Jones’s 78th-minute strike.

“It was a good, battling performance. It is about getting what you are after and we got the three points we fully deserved. We ground it out and I was very pleased.

“In the first half we were the better team; we kept going and pushing on up to the goal. There was panic in the last 10 minutes when they were throwing balls into our box and we were edgy about clearing things. But it’s a massive win for us.”

Jones played at Burton, but was relegated to the substitutes’ bench yesterday as Sheridan opted for a change of approach.

“I said to him when he was going on, prove I’ve made the wrong decision to leave you out,” the manager added. “He did okay at Burton, but I had Chesterfield watched on Saturday and felt the side I started with would cause problems.”

Athletic are now 21st in Sky Bet League One, level on points with Fleetwood a place above and one behind Blackpool but with two games in hand.