Darius getting on with the job

ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS . . . young Athletic forward Darius Osei.

ATHLETIC'S quiet assassin is living out his dream.

Manager Stephen Robinson has revealed that Darius Osei (21) is relishing every moment of his fledgling career as a professional - not that he would ever let that slip to his boss.

"It is a massive step up for Darius and that can't be under-estimated, but his desire is really infectious," said Robinson, who bought the young talent for an undisclosed fee from Stalybridge Celtic three weeks ago.

'TRAINING'
"He never says a single word in training. He just gets on with it, which is perfect for a manager.

"He is clearly very hungry and feels that he has a point to prove.

"Darius is living the dream at the moment and I am really pleased for him."

Osei has so far played for a combined 45 minutes for Athletic's first-team, comprising three substitute roles.

He has had an impact in that time, too. At Millwall on debut, some neat footwork in the box saw him shape a shot wide of the far post and when called on against Northampton, he sped away at such pace down the left that Zander Diamond had little option to haul him back to earn a yellow card.

The temptation must have been there to the youngster from Moston on earlier than the 82 minute against the Cobblers, as Athletic looked to break the deadlock.

Robinson felt, though, that with little room to get in behind a well-organised defence it was wise to persist with a team shape that had Rob Page's side consistently on the back foot.

"We had so much of the play, we didn't want to make changes too early," the manager said. "There wasn't too much room for Darius to work in to use the injection of pace he has got."

Osei could in theory get more time on the field tomorrow, against a Bury outfit likely to play a higher line.

There are a few selection conundrums for the manager tomorrow as he seeks a first three-point haul of the season.

Jamie Reckord is in line to come back after suffering a tight hip flexor, but his stand-in Charles Dunne attracted praise for filling in despite not having much game-time under his belt.

"Charles is a good defender," Robinson said. "It was a big ask for him to play having only trained for three days and had 90 minutes in the reserves in three months.

"He will get better when his fitness improves and will provide competition for Jamie Reckord. That is what we want, competition for every position in the team."

POSITIVE

Athletic's manager says the mood around the club is a positive one and that nobody is unaware of what is riding on the first local derby of the 2016-17 campaign.

"It is an important one for the fans and the players are well aware of that," he said.

"We will be going there to have a right go. We have built a solid foundation and we are creating chances.

"We go there with no fear whatsoever."