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Kick on and score more

20/ 8/2008

LATICS’ assistant boss Tommy Wright believes Chris Taylor could take his tally of goals into double figures by the end of the season – provided he learns to stay calm.

Taylor bagged both goals as Athletic stunned Leeds United 2-0 at Elland Road last weekend, giving him three goals from the opening two games of the season.

His best return for a whole campaign came last season when he managed five goals, a total the Latics coaching staff feel is way too low for someone of Taylor’s calibre.

Nevertheless, he showed a striker’s instinct for the first of his two goals, waiting in the six-yard box for a rebound that came his way, before cutting inside and firing a shot into the far corner for his second.

Wright said: "He has a lot of ability and we’ve been working with him on how to show the quality he has because sometimes he gets a bit too excited.  We’ve told him to get in a position at the back post when the ball’s coming in from the other side. We know he’s capable of getting into double figures for the season, but he needs to relax when he gets into certain areas."

Unsurprisingly, the Sunday papers were full of stories about how badly Leeds had fared rather than how well Oldham had played.

However, Wright was phlegmatic enough to appreciate that will always be the case when a so-called ‘bigger team’ fails to get three points.

He said: "I think you get that when the big clubs are beaten, it’s always about how badly they play and not about how the other team’s done well. You have to accept that but we still went there with a plan and although we looked nervous for the first 20 minutes, I thought we settled down and played some good stuff after that."

Victory at Elland Road has set a benchmark ahead of Saturday’s home game against Cheltenham Town. Wary that some supporters may be turning up, expecting champagne football and three easy points, Wright maintains the Leeds result now counts for nothing.

He said: "I’d tell people that it’s a good start but that it’s a long season. OK, we’ve beaten the favourites on their own patch but Cheltenham will be a different game. Everyone will be expecting us to turn up and win, but we have to go out there, relax and get the job done."