Dickov bemoans Furman blow

Oldham boss Paul Dickov has voiced his dismay at being unable to secure Dean Furman's release from international duty.

Cape Town-born midfielder Furman made his maiden appearances for South Africa in last month's games with Brazil and Mozambique. The Latics skipper is back in the Bafana Bafana squad for friendlies against Poland and Kenya over the coming days, although Dickov hoped the 24-year-old would be turning out in Yorkshire rather than Warsaw this weekend. "On a personal note, I'm delighted for Dean," he said. "He's a model pro. He's somebody who, whether it's on the training ground, a Saturday afternoon, a Tuesday night or just around the football club has a fantastic attitude and he deserves all the success he can get. "From a footballing point of view, we want him here and playing in the team. When I first spoke to the South African FA about Dean they had hinted that, with Dean being our captain and us having a small squad, there would be a little bit of leeway if it was for friendlies. "So it's slightly disappointing because we'd asked if Dean could miss their game against Poland and play for us, and then travel out for the second game. But they wanted him there for both games and that's their prerogative - they want all their better players and the way Dean has played for them they count him as one of them."