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No heroic talk

Gavin Browne
15/ 9/2008

MARK Crossley played down any talk of heroics after Latics stayed top of Coca-Cola League One with a 2-0 win over MK Dons.

With Athletic leading 1-0 after Lee Hughes' eighth minute goal, Crossley saved Mark Wright's first-half penalty soon afterwards. The veteran also denied Aaron Wilbraham on more than one occasion as  John Sheridan's side maintained their unbeaten start to the season.

More pleasing for Crossley was the clean sheet with Millwall and Colchester United the only teams to beat him in six league games.

He said: "That's what I get paid for, I'm there to do a job. Fortunately, the lad (Wright) didn't strike the penalty brilliantly but I've still got to save it and keep it out of the net.

"I'm delighted to keep a clean sheet more than anything, that's four in six games. I like clean sheets as much as strikers like scoring goals.

"Fair play to us, we're looking solid at the back, we're keeping clean sheets, and the strikers have to do their job and finish the game off."

Hughes' early goal could have been the platform for Latics to establish a more comfortable margin of victory. However, MK Dons fought back well with Wilbraham forcing Crossley into
an acrobatic save to keep his header out, while Sam Baldock headed off target from six yards before Mark Allott settled matters in stoppage time.

Crossley said: "I thought the header was going wide at first and I saw it late. It was a good job it didn't have much power on it.

"The lad (Baldock) had a great chance six yards out which he headed wide. The lads at the back were fuming at that because we should have wrapped it up but we missed chances.

"That's one thing we have to do; when we go 1-0 up, we need to know how to kill the game off which we didn't do today.

"Mark's goal was right at the end, so if the header had gone in, it would have been 1-1 and I think it would have stayed that way."

With Leicester City losing against Millwall, Athletic are the only unbeaten club in League One and are currently three points ahead of Carlisle United at the top.

Although Sheridan is eager to keep his players' feet on the ground, Crossley believes they deserve all the praise they are receiving.

He said: "We're doing well. I keep hearing the manager saying we have to keep our feet on the ground and we will do, but you can't take away the fact we're playing well, looking solid as a unit and the players are staying fit.

"It showed our fitness levels are high because we finished the game strongly, so it's very pleasing at the moment."