Up and running

Up and running, not that we’d know judging by the reaction of some on Saturday.

After two straight defeats and a cup exit on penalties to Barnsley a win, and a win by any means was all that was needed on Saturday and Latics did it.

Numerous stats were pulled out post match on Saturday, essentially showing how Crawley had dominated the second half.

Which they did, but the only stat that mattered was the 3 points and Latics got it.

If we’d have somehow had the lions share of possession and chances yet still managed to lose on Saturday I guarantee those saying we didn’t deserve to win 1-0 would be losing their mind over us losing 1-0.

This is a new side, a young side with a number of experienced players who were mainstays of last season gone. It’s going to take time for them to bed in.

In the first half you could already see the improvement of Dion Rankine and Sliko Thomas compared to the previous week.

These players will get better but more than ever before they will need time.

Speaking of young players getting better one of the impressive bits of the season so far has been defence and the emergence of James Carragher.

I wondered whether Carragher’s time had passed after the injuries had curtailed his progress in the last couple of seasons.

But he showed his class and indeed his determination this pre-season, to be in and around the first team squad and now seemingly stepping up to be part of the starting eleven.

The next 24 hours are going to make and break this season. We clearly need more bodies and of that experienced ones.

If we manage to make those moves who knows but it was disappointing to see Max Power seemingly head to Denmark for his next adventure.

Fair play to Max, after the abuse he suffered towards the end of that awful 22/23 season you wouldn’t begrudge him his experience abroad but part of me hoped he would be making a move back to Lancashire once his Saudi Arabia adventure had finished as he’s exactly the sort of player we need right now.

So it’s on to big spending Birmingham on Saturday. It’s a daunting away day, make no bounds about it but there was an infamous away win at St Andrews the last time we faced Birmingham.

That fell on the same weekend, two years ago but in the championship.

What I’d give for the same result this time.

Sean Livesey

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