Bembo back in the fold

DJENY Bembo-Leta . . . suffered a serious leg injury in September.

Striker in reserves run-out
DJENY Bembo-Leta is back in action for Athletic tonight.

The 19-year-old forward, who showed great promise earlier this season and netted against npower Championship side Scunthorpe United in the Carling Cup, had been expected to miss the entire campaign after suffering a fractured fibula and knee ligament damage in September.

But the former trainee returns on the substitutes’ bench for tonight’s home totesport.com League reserves clash with Wrexham at Stalybridge (7pm kick-off).

Also among the replacements is his friend Phil McGrath. The Northern Irish winger, who like Bembo-Leta signed professional forms last summer, has experienced a horrific run of injuries while with Athletic. The latest of those came last August, when the 19-year-old badly damaged knee ligaments in a reserves outing against Leicester City.

Unlike Bembo-Leta, who has another year to run on his contract, McGrath’s current deal runs out at the end of this season.

Reserves boss Lee Duxbury selects from a squad also including senior men Neal Trotman, Kirk Millar and Ritchie Jones — the player who was sent home on the train prior to the game against Yeovil at the weekend.

Meanwhile, physio Marc Czuczman is to leave the club at the end of the season.

Milnrow-based Czuczman departs Boundary Park after three years at the helm to begin a new role with the Ministry of Defence and the club’s management will convene to discuss his replacement.

“Marc has been very progressive and innovative in his treatments and always wants to embrace new techniques in injury prevention,” said Athletic chief executive Alan Hardy.


ATHLETIC’S youth team take on Preston in the final of the Lancashire FA Youth Cup on Monday, May 9, at Boundary Park (7pm kick-off).
Admission for the game is £4 adults and £2 concessions. There are also 50 places up for grabs in the sponsors’ suite as a result of a link-up with Trust Oldham.

Pay bar facilities are on offer and there is also a free potato pie supper. Places are available on a first-come, first-served basis and the cost is £6 adults and £4 juniors.