The League One club looked in serious trouble but shrewd business in signing hungry talents hints at a brighter futureA week after being sacked by West Brom in 2019, Darren Moore arrived at Kenya’s Giotto rubbish mountain. His dismissal had been both hurtful and highly controversial but it also created an opportunity for the suddenly unemployed football manager to visit the giant tip in Nakuru, meet the children who call it home and help the charity, Inspire Afrika, with a school building scheme.“It flipped me round and put everything in context,” said Moore. “Any worries about your life are quickly extinguished when you meet 50 or 60 children living in a rubbish heap with a school in the middle of...
Fernandinho a cause for concern, Chris Wilder’s tough love for Dean Henderson and Brendan Rodgers ready for LiverpoolThe Dozen: our pick of the weekend’s best picturesOn current form there are, at a rough count, at least three teams from the established “top six” that could benefit from the services of John McGinn. With the exception of Kevin De Bruyne it is hard to find a midfielder in better form and he certainly deserved to be on the winning side here, when Aston Villa were eventually pegged back by Burnley. “He’s been consistently good in all our performances and consistently looks like he’s going to score goals,” said McGinn’s manager, Dean Smith, after he volleyed in Villa’s second having earlier had...
Ole Gunnar Solskjær is proving his tactical ability every week but Accrington’s manager could not see the magic of his Cup tieIt was a pity John Coleman saw fit to savage Jon Moss, stealing the headlines when his players’ tremendous performance against Derby deserved more attention. The referee did not get everything right but the Accrington manager was wrong to describe his decisions as horrendous, particularly as his supposedly worst call only led to the corner that resulted in the goal. Frank Lampard was on safer ground talking of the magic of the FA Cup. “We had 2,500 fans here and I thought it was great, it felt like a proper game,” the Derby manager said. “I’ve played in Cup...
Connor Goldson and Ethan Ampadu showed their worth, Mauricio Pellegrino’s taxigate sympathy and Coventry must not be forgottenThe Dozen: the weekend’s best FA Cup photosAmid the focus on Brighton’s first quarter-final appearance for 32 years and an impressive first outing for Jürgen Locadia, Chis Hughton was keen to hail one of his team’s more unsung heroes. Connor Goldson scored a well-directed header in the first half and it was the centre-back’s first goal since returning from surgery on a heart defect, which ruled him out of the closing months of their promotion season. This was Goldson’s sixth appearance of this campaign; Hughton hoped to loan him to Ipswich in August but could not source appropriate cover and the 25-year-old, far...
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...