James Maddison struck the only goal as Norwich City won 1-0 at Ipswich Town to stretch their unbeaten sequence against their East Anglian rivals to nine matchesMick McCarthy walked into the Ipswich press room an hour after full-time, cup of tea in hand, and offered to avoid wasting anyone’s time. “If someone asks me, ‘Am I disappointed with that result?’ then I’m out of here, right?” he threatened. “I’ve just done interviews and been asked the most senseless questions.”He was generous enough to hang around but in any case Norwich City had already provided the afternoon’s most pertinent answers. Their hold over the East Anglian derby in the last decade might have come from nowhere but it is total: this...
It is absurd that the Football League plans marathon midweek trips deliberately and it means loyal fans often face the most inconvenient journeysSuddenly, everything became that little bit clearer when Shaun Harvey, chief executive of the Football League, started talking about “conscious scheduling decisions” and it transpired there was a reason why the people who still like to see their teams in person, the old-fashioned way, often face the most inconvenient journeys at the most inconvenient times.Until now you, like me, might have thought it was simply bad luck when the relevant teams were assigned to those long-distance trips on Tuesday and Wednesday nights and their travelling fans were left trying to work out how to get home before birdsong....
Shropshire’s only league club are the Football League’s only unbeaten side, beating Scunthorpe 2-0 to stay top of League One by four pointsTen years ago, as Shrewsbury moved out of town after 97 years at Gay Meadow, they changed their crest too, losing two of its three loggerheads as well as the inscription “Floreat Salopia”. This season they restored them. Evidently three dunces are better than one. The crest is of a wave and Shrewsbury are flourishing, the Football League’s only unbeaten club and top of League One by four points after beating Scunthorpe United 2-0 at home on Saturday.“It was a big win,” said Paul Hurst, their manager, not because it was their first by more than a goal...
As good as Sheffield United were in trouncing their Steel City neighbours 4-2, Sheffield Wednesday’s tendency to disappear in big games is a concernWith a few minutes remaining of the first Sheffield derby in five years, Chris Wilder congratulated and high-fived everyone on the United bench. By that point the job was done, the scoreline at 4-2 and Wednesday’s spirit crushed: this was United’s most comprehensive derby win in 25 years and the first time they have scored four at Hillsborough.Unsurprisingly Wilder, a Blades fan who watched his first derby from the terraces 37 years ago, described it as the proudest moment of his career. Related: Football League: Alfred N’Diaye winner sees Wolves keep pace at summit There's a delay...
From John Terry at Villa to vegan pies and Harry Kewell the manager there are fresh stories aplenty when the English Football League kicks off on FridayHaving brought down the curtain on 22 glorious years at Chelsea with that 26th-minute substitution, John Terry decided to prolong his career by dropping down a level. The former England captain was not short of offers but eventually he was lured to Aston Villa by a series of flattering texts from Steve Bruce, who hopes the centre-back’s class will allow him to deal with nippy Championship forwards. Related: Sunderland continue to pay the price for more than 10 years of mismanagement | Louise Taylor Related: Championship, League One and League Two: how will your club...