A MIDFIELDER is top of Oldham Athletic's shopping list once the transfer window reopens in January according to assistant manager John Breckin.
With Richie Wellens, Mark Hughes and Richard Butcher as their only recognised central midfielders, Latics are making efforts to strengthen that area.

Premiership and Championship clubs were reluctant to loan out experienced players earlier in the season, while Athletic saw one-time target Gary Harkins temporarily swap Blackburn Rovers for Blackpool.

Breckin explained: "We'd like to bring a midfielder in purely to strengthen us in there because we haven't got an awful lot. We've got people who can do a job for one game but we haven't got the real strength in there, so we'd like a new player. We aren't short of strikers or defenders - touch wood, the defenders are coming back and that allows us to shuffle the pack a bit."

With four games in seven days, starting with Boxing Day's home game against Bradford City (1pm) and Wednesday's trip to Blackpool, the Athletic rota could be used to its fullest.

Chris Killen, who netted twice in the reserves' 2-1 win over Stockport County on Wednesday, will be in the squad as may Chris Swailes who is still waiting to kick a ball for the club.

Latics' 2-1 win against Bradford kept them in League One on the final day of last season, while Blackpool sees Richie Wellens, Paul Edwards and David Eyres face a former club which includes ex-Latics Les Pogliacomi and Scott Vernon.

Breckin said: "It's a very busy period and there's a lot of points to play for. People do say it's too much but it's the same for everybody - this is
where your squad comes in. Swailes is the type of player that doesn't need a lot of games, he's a very fit lad who doesn't carry a lot of weight and has experience on his side.

"We've got a big squad and we were allowed to have that - let's hope we aren't calling on them all."

As far as injuries go, officials are keeping an eye on Danny Hall who ended training early on Tuesday with a hamstring problem, while Wellens (knee) has been rested during the week.

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