Mid-Season Report Card - Athlone Town

Club: Athlone Town.

Manager: Alan Mathews.

Stadium: Athlone Town Stadium, Lissywollen.

Highest attendance this season: 292 versus Limerick (March 25^th, 2016).

Highest league goalscorer: Marco Chindea.

How we thought they would do

Athlone Town finished fifth in 2015, a distant 12 points behind Shelbourne just above them in the table. Though Shels were in touching distance of reaching the play-offs, Athlone never looked to be in the reckoning. Alan Mathews managed to get Shels promoted from the First Division in 2011 with current Town player David Cassidy captain of that Reds side. Reaching the play-offs with Athlone this season would have been seen as an over-achievement for a young squad.

How they really have done

Athlone would have at least expected to hover midtable, but at present they languish in seventh, just one point above bottom placed Cabinteely, with just one win in 13 league games. The sad part for Athlone fans is that onfield matters aren't the most worrying aspect of the club at the moment.

There were early warning signs when the Midlanders' first home league game of the current campaign against Shels was called off shortly before kick-off. The floodlights at Athlone Town Stadium failed and it has been reported since that this outage was the consequence of an unpaid ESB bill, forcing those at the club to turn to a generator to power the ground which ultimately failed.

Then, there was the ignominy of seeing just 57 fans come through the gate for their FAI Cup home clash against Letterkenny Rovers, with a protest against the current board taking place outside the ground. To add insult to injury, that match ended 0-0, forcing Athlone into a replay at Lechview Park, Donegal, which they managed to win 1-0 after extra-time.

And if that wasn't enough, the worst was to come just before the midseason break as Athlone were forced to withdraw from an away fixture against Waterford United when they were unable to field a team. Mathews told Midlands 103 FM:

“The players felt that they were left with no alternative other than to say that they couldn't commit to the game because they weren't in a position to leave work and take time off at their own expense without being compensated.

“I think when you look at the bigger picture, it tarnishes the good name of the league and the club. But more importantly, we need to look at the reasons behind why it happened.”

Pulling out of that game has hit the club hard, with the FAI opting to fine them €1,000 with a further €4,000 suspended, payable if they fail to fulfil another competitive fixture this month. Seeing as Athlone only have one more match in June, against Cobh Ramblers, they should be able to avoid the suspended fine.

Waterford were also awarded a 3-0 win as Athlone were deemed to have forfeited the game, while the next meeting between the sides on August 5^th, which had been set to take place in Lissywollen, has been switched to the Blues' RSC ground, with Waterford to retain all the gate receipts.

So things could definitely be better for fans of Athlone Town right now.

Moment of the season so far

While Waterford United were part of their lowest moment, they were perhaps also part of the Midlanders' highest in a game the Blues would rather forget. Trailing 3-0 at home after 37 minutes, Athlone managed to dig deep to pull three goals back and earn a 3-3 draw. Their solitary win of the season – a 3-1 win over Cabo courtesy of a Marco Chindea hat-trick – is also worth mentioning.

Star Player: Marco Chindea

Chindea was a key player for Athlone in the first-half of the season, starting in all 12 league games they played, netting five times in the process (though four of the five came over two games with Cabinteely). The Romanian's goals contributed directly to four of Athlone's seven points – he scored the 91^st minute equaliser in the 2-2 draw with Drogheda United in March.

In what will come as a further blow to Athlone, Chindea announced on Twitter that he would be departing Lissywollen during the midseason break.

Surprise star player: Ian Fletcher

A product of Athlone's u19s side, Fletcher broke into the first-team squad in June 2014 but didn't make a single appearance that season before going on to feature seven times in 2015. So far in this campaign, the 20 year old has been an ever-present with Mathews opting to utilise the midfielder mainly as a full-back.

It's also worth noting that he once scored this incredible goal versus Barcelona (in FIFA 15).

Young player: Jack Tuite

The third of Athlone's three ever-presents this season, Tuite has been a regular in the Midlanders' defence since signing in February. The 20 year old, who left Derby County in November 2015, has represented the Republic of Ireland at underage level and will be one to watch in seasons to come.

Star signing: Conor Barry

Barry signed from Galway United having been a bit-part player at Eamonn Deacy Park, making just five appearances in the last two seasons. The 21 year old netted two goals from his first two substitute appearances for Athlone, in the 2-2 draw with Drogheda and in the 3-3 draw with Waterford.

Then he netted just 11 minutes into his first league start of the campaign, in the 2-1 defeat to Drogs at the beginning of May. He has started just two of his nine league appearances but seems to have established himself as Mathews' go-to-guy from the bench.

What they need to do in the transfer market

Given their recent travails, it would be a huge surprise to see Athlone sign any players during the transfer window. They could do with strengthening in certain areas, not least up front where Emeka Onwubiko, Alan O'Sullivan and Adam Kelly have managed just one goal apiece so far. Athlone's return of 16 goals is the second lowest in the First Division. Don't expect them to pinch Zlatan Ibrahimovic from under the noses of Manchester United, though.

Where we see them finishing

The more prudent question to the transfer market one above is: what do Athlone Town need to do in general? Getting their own house in order is the clear answer, but how they go about doing it is anyone's guess – or, to be precise, the guess of Peter McLoone.

A former general secretary of IMPACT trade union and the ex-chairman of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions' Public Services Committee, McLoone has been appointed by the FAI to “conduct an independent interim review into the situation at Athlone Town.” According to a statement released by the FAI, McLoone will meet with all the relevant parties involved with Athlone, including the players, to “discuss recent issues and the long term future of the club.”

One can only hope that any issues with players can be resolved during the mid-season break so that Athlone can get back to focusing on football matters. A major upturn in form is required if they are to genuinely think about attacking the play-off spots, but matching last season's fifth place finish would be an achievement in itself.