Town host Waterford as season hots up

ATHLONE Town return from the short mid-season break this weekend when they host fellow promotion candidates Waterford Utd at Lissywollen (Friday, 7.45pm). With fourth placed Athlone currently trailing Waterford by a point in the Airtricity First Division table, and with third place earning a promotion play-off spot, the stakes are high for both sides. When the sides met earlier in the season, a 1-1 draw was the outcome, with Noel McGee scoring Athlone's goal. On the night, McGee was then sent off for protesting vehemently against the non-award of what seemed a clear-cut penalty for the Town. Since then, Waterford's form has improved significantly with five wins from six, including a memorable away win over title favourites Limerick (the second time they beat Limerick this season). Athlone's pre-break form was good too though, with the Town's last outing ending in a 2-1 away win at Wexford Youths. Now, experienced midfielder Damien Rushe is looking for Athlone to push on and have a genuine attempt at winning promotion. The cause was boosted this week when former winger Eric Molloy signed with the club until the end of the season. Rushe said: "The Waterford game is a very big one for us, especially after the win against Wexford. The manner of the win against Wexford was encouraging. We were down a lot of bodies and conceded first, but battled back in the game in the second half and got the three points. We're only a point behind Waterford and the season will be at its halfway point after Friday's game, so we've got ourselves in a decent position. "Nobody would've probably given us any chance of been in this type of position at this stage in the season, and with only 14 games remaining after Friday, a positive result against Waterford would give us a great chance of staying in the chasing pack. "We took ten points from the first round of seven fixtures, and have 12 already from the second phase, so there was a bit of improvement as we went along. It's time for us to push on now, and give this division a real shot. The players believe we can finish in the top-three. Last season we took a few hidings, against the likes of Cork City and Monaghan Utd, but it's not happening this time, and we actually should've beaten Limerick away, and also drew with Longford (the top two), so we've shown that no team will steamroll us, and that we can compete. We've got to keep battling and working hard, and you never know where it will get us in the end," said Rushe. The 30 year-old midfielder admitted Athlone's squad looked "threadbare" before the break, with Garvan Broughall, Darren Coleman and Stephen Relihan moving abroad (Broughall and Relihan only temporarily), and injuries to players like Paul Danaher, Mark Walshe and Kevin Williamson. However, the Baylin native was full of praise at the way the club's younger players have reacted in the face of adversity. "To be honest, the young lads have been absolutely brilliant," said Rushe. "They've livened the whole thing up, and give the more experienced lads a bit of a boost. In fairness, Athlone have some very talented young lads at the moment, and hopefully the club can keep hold of them. Brian Gill has been excellent of late and he's only 19. Joe Woods is almost an established Athlone player now and he's only 19. Mark Walshe and Sean Guerins are very young, and Val Feeney and Ian Sweeney are very talented lads with great attitudes. They're all getting chances to play League of Ireland football and are working hard to make a success of it," he added. Unfortunately, Brian Gill must serve a one-game suspension this weekend, after starting the last seven matches. Gill's tenacious attitude and heavy work-rate have won him many admirers this season, and his loss to Athlone is likely to be felt this weekend. Centre-back Paul Danaher is out for the rest of the season through a knee injury, while youngster Roy King is unlikely to be involved despite recently returning to light training. Injury doubts also continue to hang over left-back Ross Kenny and utility man Mark Walshe. At time of print, Athlone could only confirm one new signing before the Waterford game (Eric Molloy), and it appeared (upon going to press) that they would be relying on pretty much the same group of players that featured in Wexford before the break.