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...
Reading, Sheffield Wednesday and (almost certainly) Fulham sealed play-off places, Wigan went down and it’s still tight all round in League Two• Blackburn Rovers took the fight for Championship survival to the final day of the season with a 1-0 win over Aston Villa at Ewood Park, courtesy of Danny Graham steering home after 54 minutes. The win brought Rovers level with Nottingham Forest, who lost 2-0 at QPR, confirming Rangers’ safety in the process. Both sides have 48 points; Forest host Ipswich in their final game, and Blackburn head to Brentford. Related: Harry Redknapp’s 10-man Birmingham City sink Huddersfield Related: League One finale: what’s at stake in the promotion and relegation battles #EFL media advisory - @leytonorientfc v @ColU_Official...
The harsh truth is that factors far beyond the Sky presenter or Dave Jones are behind the club’s decline and a survival-boosting win at Cheltenham is a mustIf the howls of anguish coming from the Soccer Saturday presenter’s chair are a little louder than normal this weekend there may be a justifiable reason for it. Hartlepool United’s 96-year grip on a Football League place is in grave peril and a defeat at Cheltenham Town, two places and four points above them in League Two, may be enough to apply the final wound with a game to spare. The club’s plight should be familiar to anybody who has regularly seen Jeff Stelling, their most visible fan, in action this season and...
Romelu Lukaku has a big chance to make an impact against Chelsea, Hull City battle against history and Rangers seek to end Old Firm derby drought Related: Tottenham clash with Arsenal takes Pochettino back to another demolition derby | David Hytner Related: Joey Barton’s ban for gambling on football was ‘shortest possible’, says FA Continue reading...
The podders look back on two excellent Wembley FA Cup semi-finals. Plus: Crystal Palace win at Liverpool, Leo Messi’s 500th goal wins the clásico, and Leyton Orient fall out of the Football LeagueSubscribe and review: iTunes, Soundcloud, Audioboom, Mixcloud, Acast & Stitcher. And join the discussion on Facebook and TwitterOn the latest Football Weekly, AC Jimbo is joined by Barry Glendenning, Simon Burnton and Nick Miller to reflect on a weekend with, if anything, too much football. Continue reading...