Football League: Roofe strike secures Leeds win, Middlesbrough stay top
8 HRS AGO - Soudani saves Forest, Sharp’s late strike takes points for BladesPeterborough and Portsmouth Expand
8 HRS AGO - Soudani saves Forest, Sharp’s late strike takes points for BladesPeterborough and Portsmouth cruise, Morecambe still goallessLeeds completely dominated possession against Rotherham but were made to wait until four minutes after half-time to take the lead through a scrambled goal from Luke Ayling. Kemar Roofe’s curling, dipping shot in the 71st minute secured a third Leeds win of the season to maintain a 100% record for Marcelo Bielsa’s team. Related: Matt Phillips at the double in West Brom’s 7-1 dismantling of QPR Bristol City 0-2 Middlesbrough, Hull 0-1 Blackburn, Ipswich 1-1 Aston Villa, Leeds 2-0 Rotherham, Millwall 2-1 Derby, Reading 0-1 Bolton, Sheffield United 2-1 Norwich, West Brom 7-1 QPR, Wigan 2-2 Nottingham Forest Related: Aston Villa held by 10-man Ipswich after keeper Orjan Nyland makes a howler Accrington 1-1 Charlton, Barnsley 0-0 Wimbledon, Burton 1-0 Doncaster, Coventry 1-0 Plymouth, Fleetwood 2-2 Rochdale, Peterborough 3-1 Luton, Portsmouth 4-1 Oxford, Shrewsbury Collapse
Football League: Wildschut sinks West Brom and Barton's Fleetwood lose
04/08/2018 - Boro deny Millwall, Brentford crush RotherhamMacclesfield lose to Swindon’s injury-time penalties Expand
04/08/2018 - Boro deny Millwall, Brentford crush RotherhamMacclesfield lose to Swindon’s injury-time penalties West Brom suffered a disastrous start to life in the second tier by losing 2-1 to Bolton at the Hawthorns. Josh Magennis put the visitors ahead before Harvey Barnes equalised in style on the stroke of half-time for Darren Moore’s team. With both teams pushing for a winner, Bolton substitute Yanic Wildschut tapped in from close range. Related: Daryl Murphy strikes to earn Nottingham Forest point at Bristol City Birmingham 2-2 NorwichBrentford 5-1 RotherhamBristol City 1-1 Nottingham ForestIpswich 2-2 BlackburnMillwall 2-2 MiddlesbroughPreston 1-0 QPRWest Brom 1-2 BoltonWigan 3-2 Sheffield WednesdaySheffield United v Swansea (5.30pm)Reading 1-2 Derby County FridayAccrington Stanley 0-2 GillinghamBarnsley 4-0 Oxford UnitedBurton Albion 1-2 RochdaleCoventry 1-2 ScunthorpeFleetwood 0-1 WimbledonPeterborough 2-1 Bristol RoversPortsmouth 1-0 LutonShrewsbury 0-1 Bradford CitySouthend 2-3 Collapse
League Two 2018-19 season preview | Ben Fisher
30/07/2018 - MK Dons will be hoping their stay in the fourth tier is a brief one but the promotion race will be Expand
30/07/2018 - MK Dons will be hoping their stay in the fourth tier is a brief one but the promotion race will be fierce with Notts County and Exeter hoping to improve on last season’s play-off defeatsThe MK Dons chairman, Pete Winkelman, may have held his hands up at what he described as two poor managerial appointments following two relegations in three seasons but the club dropping into the bottom rung of the Football League has at least provided an opportunity to reset and go back to basics. Related: Football League 2018-19: 20 things to watch out for this season | Jacob Steinberg Related: Forest Green Rovers named world's first UN certified carbon-neutral football club Continue reading... Collapse
Football League fixtures: Lampard's Derby kick off season at Reading
21/06/2018 - Marcelo Bielsa and Leeds host Stoke City in openerVilla start at Steve Bruce’s former side Hull Expand
21/06/2018 - Marcelo Bielsa and Leeds host Stoke City in openerVilla start at Steve Bruce’s former side Hull CityFrank Lampard’s first competitive game as Derby manager will kick-off the Championship campaign. The former England midfielder, who took over at the Rams three weeks ago, takes his team to Reading on Friday 3 August. Derby also figured in the opening game of the 2017-18 campaign, drawing 1-1 at Sunderland. They went on to finish sixth but lost out to promoted Fulham in the play-offs, with Gary Rowett since leaving to join Stoke following their relegation from the Premier League. Related: Leeds United confirm appointment of Marcelo Bielsa as head coach Continue reading... Collapse
Bouncebackability: a word coined for the play-offs that fits them perfectly
25/05/2018 - The best preparation a team can have for a play-off final is the experience of losing one the year Expand
25/05/2018 - The best preparation a team can have for a play-off final is the experience of losing one the year beforeBy Richard Foster, author of The Agony and the EcstasyIain Dowie coined the word bouncebackability in the 2003-04 season when describing how his Crystal Palace team had gone from the fringes of relegation in December to winning promotion through the play-offs in May. Not many managers have been responsible for adding words to the English lexicon but Dowie shared the honour with Sir Alex Ferguson in 2005 when both “squeaky bum time” and “bouncebackability” entered the Oxford English Dictionary.It is fitting that Dowie came up with the word while discussing a side promoted in the play-offs, as bouncebackability has been remarkably common in so many sides who have won promotion in these showpiece finals. Of the 10 beaten finalists who have returned to the same fixture the next season, nine have succeeded second time around – and the only exception made amends a year later. Related: Collapse
Exeter sink Lincoln to book Wembley final spot after stunning Boateng goal
17/05/2018 - Exeter City booked their place in the League Two play-off final with a 3-1 victory over Lincoln Expand
17/05/2018 - Exeter City booked their place in the League Two play-off final with a 3-1 victory over Lincoln City at St James Park.After a goalless draw in the first leg, Exeter held a narrow lead at the break thanks to Jayden Stockley’s neat finish. Lincoln thought they had levelled in the 40th minute when Elliott Whitehouse lashed the ball in from close range, but the goal was disallowed for an apparent handball by Matt Rhead, much to the anger of the visiting players. Continue reading... Collapse
QPR part company with Ian Holloway after underwhelming campaign
10/05/2018 - • ‘We are now looking to take the next step’ says QPR chief executive• Martin Allen leaves Barnet Expand
10/05/2018 - • ‘We are now looking to take the next step’ says QPR chief executive• Martin Allen leaves Barnet for a fifth time after relegationIan Holloway has left QPR with immediate effect, the Championship club have announced.The 55-year-old joined Rangers for a second spell as manager in November 2016, signing a two-and-a-half year deal. But Holloway has departed with 12 months remaining on his contract after QPR finished 16th in the Championship this season. Related: Carlos Carvalhal set to lose Swansea job after season ends Continue reading... Collapse
‘It is an absolute travesty’: Chesterfield's fall from Football League | David Conn
02/05/2018 - A saga of budget overruns on the stadium, a boardroom walkout and a run of unsuccessful managerial Expand
02/05/2018 - A saga of budget overruns on the stadium, a boardroom walkout and a run of unsuccessful managerial appointments has seen the Spireites relegatedIn the rain at Chesterfield’s Proact Stadium on Saturday, home supporters still stunned by the club’s first relegation from the Football League sat mostly in glum resignation, watching Wycombe win 2-1 and deliriously celebrate promotion all over the pitch.Wycombe’s manager, Gareth Ainsworth, broke for a moment from his players’ jubilation, their gleeful calls for the board to “send us to Vegas”, and expressed sympathy for the Spireites: “It’s very sad,” he said. “You stand in this stadium and the thought that this club is going to be in the National League next year is frightening. It’s got to be a real wake-up call for all clubs; it can happen to anyone. This is a huge club with a huge history.” Related: Burton put reality check on hold in bid for Championship miracle Related: Blackburn’s Mowbray out to crack Venky’s puzzle with passage to Collapse
Football League: Norwich savour Wes Hoolahan’s ‘perfect finish’
28/04/2018 - • Coventry score six as goal-laden recent run continues• Wycombe return to League One while Barnet Expand
28/04/2018 - • Coventry score six as goal-laden recent run continues• Wycombe return to League One while Barnet keep survival bid alive• Wes Hoolahan bade an emotional farewell to Carrow Road with Norwich’s first goal in a 2-1 win over Leeds. It was his 380th league appearance for Norwich, and his manager, Daniel Farke, declared it “a perfect finish”. “If I had to a paint a picture of how Wes’s career for Norwich would finish that would have been it,” Farke said. “He scored a goal, got an assist and put in an excellent performance, and of course we won the game.” Related: Sean Morrison’s double sees off Hull as Cardiff close in on promotion Premier League Related: Aleksandar Mitrovic heads Fulham past Sunderland to boost promotion hopes Continue reading... Collapse
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Football League: Rodriguez fires West Brom to victory while Aston Villa leave it late
7 DAYS AGO - Boro top of Championship after outclassing BirminghamBarnsley defeat Bradford in derby, goose at Expand
7 DAYS AGO - Boro top of Championship after outclassing BirminghamBarnsley defeat Bradford in derby, goose at MacclesfieldJay Rodriguez got West Brom’s season up and running with a double in a thrilling 4-3 victory at Norwich. Rodriguez scored twice after Jordan Rhodes claimed his first goal for the hosts having earlier missed a penalty. The on-loan Leicester midfielder Harvey Barnes’s second goal in as many games put the Baggies 3-1 up and although Teemu Pukki’s goal threatened a Norwich comeback, Hal Robson-Kanu made sure of the points before Grant Hanley’s consolation. Related: Brentford happy to do it their own way in quest for promotion Aston Villa 3-2 Wigan Athletic Related: Wolves, Fulham and Cardiff: the best-prepared trio of promoted clubs ever? Continue reading... Collapse
Championship, Scottish Premiership and more: football clockwatch – as it happened
04/08/2018 - West Brom suffered defeat on their first game after relegation, Middlesbrough grabbed a late, late Expand
04/08/2018 - West Brom suffered defeat on their first game after relegation, Middlesbrough grabbed a late, late winner but Brentford hammered Rotherham 5-1 5.30pm BST And with that, we shall leave you. Goodnight, and thanks for reading. Hopefully you have a better evening than the officials at Millwall...Match officials have requested a police escort out of the ground at Millwall after the late 97th minute Middlesbrough equaliser. Only five minutes went up on the board #boro #millwall 5.27pm BST And here’s another match report: it’s Ben Fisher’s account of Bristol City 1-1 Nottingham Forest. Get it down you. Related: Daryl Murphy strikes to earn Nottingham Forest point at Bristol City 5.23pm BST More football! Swansea start life under Graham Potter at Sheffield United, and Scott Murray has the minute-by-minute ready for you. Lovely. Related: Sheffield United v Swansea City: Championship – live! 5.16pm BST A match report: from Celtic 3-1 Livingston. Related: Rogic steadies Hoops with early goal Collapse
Forest Green Rovers named world's first UN certified carbon neutral football club
30/07/2018 - Gloucestershire-based League Two club powered by renewable energy and endorsed by Vegan SocietyA Expand
30/07/2018 - Gloucestershire-based League Two club powered by renewable energy and endorsed by Vegan SocietyA British professional football club that is powered by renewable energy and serves vegan food to players, staff and fans has received a prestigious United Nations certification.Forest Green Rovers, which plays in League Two, announced on Monday that it has become the world’s first UN certified carbon neutral football club. Continue reading... Collapse
Coventry promoted to League One after 3-1 play-off win over Exeter – as it happened
28/05/2018 - Coventry roar to promotion from the third tier with fine second-half goals from Jordan Willis, Expand
28/05/2018 - Coventry roar to promotion from the third tier with fine second-half goals from Jordan Willis, Jordan Shipley and Jack Grimmer defeating a flat Exeter 5.20pm BST A heartwarming way to finish. You have to feel for Exeter, a great club that have done wonders, but it’s a very good news story for Coventry – they deserved it with a fine second-half performance on the day, and their long-suffering fans have more than earned a moment like this. The celebrations will go on a long time.Here’s our match report, courtesy of Ben Fisher. Enjoy, and go and rest yourselves for a few days before the World Cup buildup begins in earnest! Related: Jordan Willis sends Coventry City into play-off final rapture against Exeter City 5.16pm BST McNulty, the correctly-appointed man of the match, has a word: “You go through a lot more bad days than good days and it’s worth it, these days are worth all the bad days. We’ve been up and down all season and it’s been frustrating but days like today ... I took Collapse
Exeter can give Steve Perryman a fitting Wembley send-off | Ben Fisher
23/05/2018 - Exeter’s director of football grew up in the stadium’s shadow and retires after the League Two Expand
23/05/2018 - Exeter’s director of football grew up in the stadium’s shadow and retires after the League Two play-off final against Coventry“A40, Hanger Lane, turn left on to the North Circular, past Stonebridge Park and over on my left was Wembley,” says Steve Perryman, recounting his journey from Northolt to training at Tottenham Hotspur as a teenager, a drive he could do with his eyes closed these days. “I would go past it twice a day, there and back, usually sat in traffic, and you conjure up images and think: ‘I hope I play here again.’ And now we are back there with Exeter.”The League Two play-off final against Coventry City on Monday will be particularly pertinent given it is Perryman’s final match before retiring – after 51 years in the game. He grew up in the shadow of Wembley, going to the dogs on a Friday night with his older brothers and playing on Ealing Common. “It is extraordinary and, if I could have written it, I guess this is how it would have finished,” he says. Related: Paul Collapse
Scunthorpe scramble late 2-2 draw with Rotherham in League One play-off
12/05/2018 - • Iron twice come from behind during semi-final first leg• Lincoln held 0-0 at home by Exeter in Expand
12/05/2018 - • Iron twice come from behind during semi-final first leg• Lincoln held 0-0 at home by Exeter in League Two tieCameron McGeehan picked a good time to score his first Scunthorpe goal as his late leveller forced a 2-2 draw with Rotherham in their League One play-off semi-final first leg at Glanford Park.Substitute Joe Newell’s goal 58 seconds after coming on looked like giving the Millers the advantage but McGeehan, on loan from Barnsley, bundled home from close range in the 88th minute. Related: Cameron Jerome header gives Derby slender advantage over Fulham Continue reading... Collapse
Football League: Barnet relegated as Coventry and Morecambe play out draw
05/05/2018 - Barnet beat Chesterfield but go down on goal differenceCoventry and Lincoln seal League Two Expand
05/05/2018 - Barnet beat Chesterfield but go down on goal differenceCoventry and Lincoln seal League Two play-off placesBarnet have been relegated from the Football League for the third time in their history despite a last-day 3-0 victory over Chesterfield at the Hive.John Akinde’s goal just before half-time set Martin Allen’s side up for the win they needed, with Richard Brindley and Alex Nicholls adding late goals against already-relegated opponents. Related: AFC Wimbledon and MK Dons head in different directions once more | Simon Burnton Continue reading... Collapse
Match Report - Crawley Town vs Crewe Alexandra
29/04/2018 - Match Report - Crawley Town vs Crewe AlexandraVitalfootball: Crewe: 29/04/2018 10:16:19A Expand
29/04/2018 - Match Report - Crawley Town vs Crewe AlexandraVitalfootball: Crewe: 29/04/2018 10:16:19A look at yesterday's game. Collapse
Officials Announced For Crawley vs Crewe Tomorrow
27/04/2018 - Officials Announced For Crawley vs Crewe TomorrowVitalfootball: Crewe: 27/04/2018 Expand
27/04/2018 - Officials Announced For Crawley vs Crewe TomorrowVitalfootball: Crewe: 27/04/2018 16:14:20Tom Nield will be the man in the middle and will be assisted by Christopher Kidd, Ian Rathbone and Paul Kelly. Collapse
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Huddersfield v Chelsea, Fulham v Palace and more: Saturday clockwatch – as it happened
7 DAYS AGO - Chelsea stroll to win at Huddersfield, Crystal Palace pick off Fulham, Watford beat disappointing Expand
7 DAYS AGO - Chelsea stroll to win at Huddersfield, Crystal Palace pick off Fulham, Watford beat disappointing Brighton and Bournemouth hold off Cardiff 5.31pm BST And that concludes Saturday’s clockwatch. Thank you for reading. 5.30pm BST Neil Warnock speaks after Cardiff’s 2-0 loss at BournemouthI thought we could have punished them a bit more. [Sean] Morrison will be disappointed with the scramble. Once that nervousness went out I thought we enjoyed it. I know I did. There’s a lot to look forward to, I think. We are doing it the right way. Look at Bournemouth, they have been up here four years now. I was quite pleased with them today. I thought we acquitted ourselves well. 5.23pm BST Dom Fifield was at Craven Cottage. Related: Wilfried Zaha seals Crystal Palace win and teaches Fulham harsh lesson 5.22pm BST Paul Doyle was at Huddersfield to see that Chelsea stroll. Related: N’Golo Kanté rare strike sparks Chelsea victory at Huddersfield 5.21pm BST Chelsea manager Mauricio Sarri speaks Collapse
Don't blame Salford City for spending. Blame the archaic promotion system
31/07/2018 - Salford City have made some big-money signings but, with just one automatic promotion slot Expand
31/07/2018 - Salford City have made some big-money signings but, with just one automatic promotion slot available, who can blame themBy James Kelly for These Football TimesIt’s 9:45pm on a Tuesday in April and a terrace in Kent is filled with Wrexham fans facing an arduous four-hour journey back to north Wales. Local children goad the departing visitors by holding aloft their fingers in reference to the 3-0 scoreline Ebbsfleet United have just inflicted. Further along the stand, a small scuffle breaks out among travelling supporters who are frustrated by their team’s inability to make the play-offs for a fifth straight year.As we wait to board the bus home, news filters through that the journey will be delayed because the driver has gone to help fix an engine problem with the team coach. Afforded time to contemplate, it dawns on me that, with the chance of promotion gone, the upcoming season will be Wrexham’s 11th in non-league. For a club with such an illustrious history, the prospect borders on Collapse
Football League 2018-19: 20 things to watch out for this season | Jacob Steinberg
28/07/2018 - Will Lampard, Bielsa and Potter light up the Championship, is Barton manager material and how low Expand
28/07/2018 - Will Lampard, Bielsa and Potter light up the Championship, is Barton manager material and how low can Sunderland go?After seeing Rúben Neves help Wolves tear the Championship apart last season, Nottingham Forest have also decided to tap into the Portuguese market as they attempt to end their long absence from the top division. They have broken their transfer record to buy João Carvalho from Benfica for £13.2m and have also signed Diogo Gonçalves on loan. The arrival of the Portugal Under-21 internationals are signs of big-spending Forest’s ambition. Related: Football League fixtures: Lampard's Derby kick off season at Reading Related: Aston Villa should stick with steady Steve Bruce after recent turmoil | Nick Miller Related: Marcelo Bielsa sets modest target for first season as Leeds manager Related: Club forums are a haven for football fans in an ever angrier online world Related: Shoot, Match and the glory days of football magazines for teenagers Continue reading... Collapse
Jordan Willis sends Coventry City into play-off final rapture against Exeter City
28/05/2018 - Coventry City sealed an immediate return to League One after a convincing League Two play-off Expand
28/05/2018 - Coventry City sealed an immediate return to League One after a convincing League Two play-off final victory over Exeter City. For the 35,000 baying Coventry supporters who made Wembley appear lopsided, the victory not only reversed an alarming slide down the divisions but brought a first promotion for 51 years in arguably their biggest game since the 1987 FA Cup final. The roar at full-time was nothing short of deafening.Fine goals by Jordan Willis, Jordan Shipley and Jack Grimmer, were enough for Coventry’s unpopular owner, Joy Seppala, the chief executive of the hedge fund Sisu, to nudge her sunglasses on to her forehead so she could witness the sea of sky blue – enhanced by smoke bombs – below. Related: Coventry promoted to League One after 3-1 play-off win over Exeter – live! Continue reading... Collapse
Notts County furious over key decisions as Coventry reach playoff final
18/05/2018 - Maxime Biamou was the hero as Coventry booked their place in the League Two playoff final Expand
18/05/2018 - Maxime Biamou was the hero as Coventry booked their place in the League Two playoff final following a 4-1 win at Notts County that left the home side’s manager, Kevin Nolan, raging over key decisions.Biamou scored once in each half - the first goal from a spectacular overhead kick after six minutes - to confirm Coventry will face Exeter at Wembley following their 5-2 aggregate win. Continue reading... Collapse
Paul Tisdale takes over as the longest-serving manager in England – for now
11/05/2018 - Arsène Wenger’s departure from Arsenal means Exeter City boss Paul Tisdale will become the Expand
11/05/2018 - Arsène Wenger’s departure from Arsenal means Exeter City boss Paul Tisdale will become the longest-serving manager in English football – although he might be on his way tooBy Richard Foster for The Agony and the EcstasyAs Arsène Wenger prepares to say goodbye to Arsenal, the man who will take his place as the longest-serving manager in English football is focused on securing a third promotion in his 12 seasons at Exeter City. Tisdale has led his team into the play-offs four times – including their disappointing defeat to Blackpool in the League Two final last season – so they will know what to expect when they take on Lincoln City in the play-offs semi-finals this week.Tisdale took over at St James Park in June 2006, a month after Wenger had taken his team to Paris for the Champions League final against Barcelona. Wenger had already spent a glorious decade at Arsenal, winning three Premier League titles and four FA Cups, including the Double in 1998 and the Invincibles season in Collapse
‘As nervous as you can possibly be’ – Barnet await more last-day drama
04/05/2018 - Seemingly doomed six weeks ago, Martin Allen has breathed life into Barnet again yet they do not Expand
04/05/2018 - Seemingly doomed six weeks ago, Martin Allen has breathed life into Barnet again yet they do not control their own destiny in the desperate battle to stay in the Football LeagueBarnet entertain Chesterfield at the Hive in their final game of a turbulent season knowing victory alone will not be enough to keep them in the Football League. Martin Allen’s side have to beat the already doomed Spireites and hope Morecambe lose at Coventry if they are stay in League Two for a third successive season. Two points clear of Barnet, Morecambe’s superior goal difference means a draw will almost certainly be good enough to keep them up. For Barnet’s owner, Tony Kleanthous, it is an unsurprisingly stressful time.“It’s as nervous as you can possibly be,” he says. “We really live it. For us as club chairmen, our livelihoods and our whole reputation is on the line. However, we’re not the ones crossing the white line to play the match, so as much as it matters, the bit that really counts is the one Collapse
Bees Buzz On
28/04/2018 - Bees Buzz OnVitalfootball: Morecambe: 28/04/2018 19:35:50I personally love Barnet FC. Expand
28/04/2018 - Bees Buzz OnVitalfootball: Morecambe: 28/04/2018 19:35:50I personally love Barnet FC. Any club that played at a venue called Underhill - with all its connotations of Lord of the Rings and all the other stuff which mesmerised me (and plenty of others, now as Collapse
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