Latics boss ponders forward line options

DENIED . . . Athletic forward Lee Erwin hit the crossbar at Coventry

MANAGER Stephen Robinson believes his Athletic squad is happy and healthy now, eight games into the Sky Bet League One season ­- he would just be more content once his forward players start scoring a few more goals.

Athletic, who currently sit in 19th place in the table, have opened the 2016-17 campaign reasonably encouragingly, having secured eight points from eight games so far.

They have only scored four goals in those eight games ­- a statistic that clearly needs improvement ­- though Robinson's men have suffered some tough luck, highlighted when Lee Erwin's sweetly-struck volley thumped the crossbar during last Saturday's goalless draw at Coventry.

PRIORITY

The major positive has been the five clean sheets secured thus far ­- the most of any club in the top four divisions ­- but now goals are a priority and Robinson looks like a man content to maybe try to switch the forward options around.

The Athletic boss said: "Your defensive positions are something that needs to be settled, and thankfully we've seen that borne out by the five clean sheets so far.

"The consistency is showing in those positions I think, but you do have do be a bit more flexible going forward.

"You can maybe have 20-minute spells in games where you can change things around a bit, but overall we've got a squad of players now who we believe we can rotate around.

"We could do with a few more goals of course, and if someone came in and started doing that they'd be at the head of the queue if you like, but we have got a lot of good players to pick from now.

"It's just about picking the right ones at the right time."

The English Football League has been an interesting eye-opener for Robinson, who joined Athletic in July having been part of Northern Ireland's successful coaching staff and having spent 18 months as assistant manager at Motherwell in the Scottish Premier League.

BELIEVES

The ex-Bournemouth, Preston and Luton midfielder believes there isn't much to choose ­- in terms of standard of football ­- between the Scottish top flight and England's current third tier.

Robinson added: "They are very similar, the levels really are.

"There are maybe three or four teams at the top of the SPL who might stand out ­- like your Celtic and Rangers ­- while if you're being honest, Hearts and Aberdeen are probably Championship clubs.

"I think the rest of the SPL is very much like League One, maybe even a mixture of League One and League Two."

Match report in Monday's Chronicle.