Sandro Tonali paid off the first instalment of his £52million transfer fee as he marked a fine debut with his first goal and inspired Newcastle to a 5-1 drubbing of Aston Villa.The 23-year-old Italy international opened the scoring just six minutes into his first competitive appearance for the Magpies and had a hand in two more of their goals as Alexander Isak helped himself to a double an...Full Story »

Cambridge manager Mark Bonner singled out the “outstanding” performance of Gassan Ahadme following their 2-0 victory over Fleetwood.The U’s, who only avoided the drop on the final day last season, made it two wins from two with goals from new signing Ahadme and stalwart Paul Digby the difference.“Gassan Ahadme has started brilliantly, two in two and his performances have ...Full Story »

Valerien Ismael shrugged off Watford’s wastefulness in front of goal in the goalless draw against Plymouth at Vicarage Road and accentuated the positives from their performance.His side managed just three efforts on target from 20 attempts on goals, with striker Vakoun Bayo especially profligate.Bayo struck shots wide in both halves as Watford dominated a Plymouth side that were always dan...Full Story »

QPR boss Gareth Ainsworth revealed that he told Sinclair Armstrong he would score his first goal for the club before the young Irish striker came up trumps in a 2-1 win at Cardiff.The 20-year-old Armstrong opened his Rangers account before charging clear to set up Kenneth Paal’s second-half clincher, with Ike Ugbo’s open-goal finish nothing more than a consolation for Cardiff.“...Full Story »

Southampton manager Russell Martin admitted his side were too nervous after being bailed out by a 97th-minute equaliser to draw 4-4 against Norwich.Adam Armstrong smashed in the last-gasp penalty to end a thriller at St Mary’s – which had seen the Canaries lead three times.But Martin, in his first appearance in the home dugout on the south coast, was frustrated with the hangover from...Full Story »

Forest Green boss David Horseman admitted the club’s first League Two away win for more than a year represented a “massive day” for the club.A second-half Matt Stevens goal – his first since February – sealed a 1-0 triumph at Harrogate for the club that last won on the road on the opening day of last season at Bristol Rovers.Forest Green ended that campaign comprehe...Full Story »

Millwall manager Gary Rowett was especially disappointed with his side’s 1-0 defeat at home to Bristol City as it came on the day the club paid tribute to late chairman John Berylson.This was the Lions’ first home league match of the season and those in attendance paid their respects to American Berylson, who died in July aged 70 having taken over the club in 2007.The home side proud...Full Story »

St Johnstone manager Steven MacLean told his players to start looking over their shoulders as he claimed a 2-0 defeat at Ross County left them in a “dogfight” already.Saints have followed their Viaplay Cup exit with successive defeats in their opening two cinch Premiership matches.Goals from substitute Kyle Turner and defender Connor Randall either side of half-time put County in con...Full Story »

Port Vale manager Andy Crosby believes his team learnt a lot from last weekend’s hammering against Barnsley after they bounced back to claim a 1-0 win over Reading.Ben Garrity’s hugely-deflected shot settled the contest in the 72nd minute, earning Vale a morale-boosting victory after losing 7-0 on the opening day of the League One season.It comes on the back of a 3-2 win over Fleetwo...Full Story »

Peterborough boss Darren Ferguson hailed the character of his squad after bouncing back from play-off agony with a successful start to the new season.Ferguson was also full of praise for midfield ace Hector Kyprianou after he hit the only goal in first-half stoppage time as Posh eased past Charlton 1-0 to follow up an opening day triumph at relegated Reading by the same scoreline.Keeper Nicholas...Full Story »

Seething Stockport boss Dave Challinor criticised both the officials and his side’s defending in their 2-1 defeat at Walsall.Referee Jacob Miles waved away loud penalty claims for an apparent trip by Saddlers goalkeeper Owen Evans on Nick Powell when the game was goalless.Ethan Pye’s error then led to Danny Johnson slotting Walsall ahead and more poor defending allowed Aramide Oteh t...Full Story »

Bradford boss Mark Hughes was delighted to see his side fight back from a goal down to claim all three points – something he admits might not have been the case last season.Goals from Clarke Oduor and Alex Pattison sealed a 2-1 victory at Valley Parade after a mistake by keeper Harry Lewis had gifted Colchester a ninth-minute lead through Joe Taylor.Lewis was caught dawdling on the ball fr...Full Story »

Notts County boss Luke Williams said he had “got my team back” after claiming their first victory of the League Two campaign over Grimsby.The Magpies came from behind twice to win 3-2 at Meadow Lane, with John Bostock, a Luke Waterfall own goal, and Dan Crowley securing their first three points of the season.“We did not want to go behind once, we definitely did not want to go b...Full Story »

Salford boss Neil Wood said his side need to be “miles better” following their 1-1 draw at home to Crawley.The hosts trailed at the break due to Luke Garbutt’s own goal, but Conor McAleny’s early second-half strike earned them a point.Salford, who averaged the most possession in League Two last season, had only 39 percent of the ball in the first half and Wood was less th...Full Story »

David Moyes is considering converting Jarrod Bowen into an out-and-out striker following his latest goal for West Ham.Bowen had fired the Hammers into the lead early in the second half at Bournemouth with a spectacular curler from the edge of the box.But Moyes’ side were denied an opening-day win when Dominic Solanke rounded Alphonse Areola to snatch a 1-1 draw with eight minutes remaining...Full Story »

Birmingham received an inspirational pep talk from NFL great Tom Brady before a last-gasp victory against Leeds that boss John Eustace dedicated to the late Trevor Francis.A sold-out St Andrew’s celebrated the club’s greatest ever player and an exciting future under new ownership as Daniel Farke’s relegated side came to the second city.It is a month since American businessman T...Full Story »

Matt Gray admitted he felt ‘absolutely gutted’ for his Sutton side after seeing them battle for the majority of the game with 10 men only to suffer a 2-1 defeat at Barrow.U’s striker Harry Smith was sent off for stamping on Tom White off the ball just 13 minutes in but the depleted visitors took the lead through Lee Angol’s 33rd-minute goal and looked like holding out to ...Full Story »

Graham Coughlan felt his Newport side could easily have been leading by “five or six goals” at half-time of their 4-0 win against Doncaster.County raced out of the blocks and effectively put the game to bed inside 21 minutes with three unanswered goals.Seb Palmer-Houlden got the opener in the sixth minute when he outmuscled Joseph Olowu and fired past goalkeeper Ian Lawlor.Will Evans...Full Story »

Nigel Clough urged Mansfield to be more ruthless following Saturday’s 3-0 League Two win over Morecambe.A Lucas Akins brace and a Davis Keillor-Dunn goal wrapped up a win in a game Mansfield controlled throughout.“It was pleasing to win our first home game and keep a clean sheet,” he said. “I wasn’t happy that it was only 1-0 at half-time.“We created lots of c...Full Story »

Everton manager Sean Dyche was frustrated by his side’s inability to convert their chances and disappointed by the lack of VAR intervention on Michael Keane’s disallowed goal in the 1-0 defeat to Fulham.Despite an encouraging performance in which they created twice as many chances as the visitors, they were undone by a sucker-punch goal as two Cottagers substitutes Aleksandar Mitrovi...Full Story »

Lincoln boss Mark Kennedy has challenged his side to attack their home games after a 3-0 victory over Wycombe.Second-half goals from Reeco Hackett-Fairchild, Teddy Bishop and Daniel Mandroiu did the damage as the impressive Imps claimed maximum points against the Chairboys at the LNER Stadium.Forward Hackett-Fairchild rifled the hosts ahead with a sweet 68th-minute strike, before substitute midf...Full Story »

Bristol Rovers’ rustiness in front of goal will soon change, according to first-team coach Andy Mangan, as the Gas drew a second Sky Bet League One game in succession.With Rovers boss Joey Barton completing a three-match ban, a pulsating game against Barnsley somehow ended in a 1-1 draw.Both sides squandered plenty of chances, with John Marquis and Aaron Collins passing up gilt-edged oppor...Full Story »

Crystal Palace boss Roy Hodgson was surprised at himself after getting involved in a touchline spat with Sheffield United’s Max Lowe as his side enjoyed a winning start to the Premier League season.Hodgson clashed with the Blades defender, who appeared to shove the 76-year-old in the midriff, midway through the second half after he stopped the ball in the dugout.His side were winning 1-0 a...Full Story »

Ryan Lowe hailed the spirit of his injury-hit Preston squad after they battled to an entertaining 2-1 win against Sunderland.Lowe is missing six first-team players, including Ched Evans and Emil Riis, but revelled in an excellent win at a raucous Deepdale courtesy of Mads Frokjaer-Jensen’s second-half strike.Frokjaer-Jensen helped to set-up Preston’s opener, when his shot deflected i...Full Story »

Stephen Robinson believes there is more to come from his St Mirren side after they moved top of the cinch Premiership with a 2-1 victory over Dundee.The Buddies have won their opening two fixtures of the season and find themselves three points clear at the summit of the league table following a well-deserved success at the SMISA Stadium.Joe Shaughnessy’s own goal and Mikael Mandron’s...Full Story »

Michael Beale spoke of “a rough week behind the scenes” ending on a high after a late Rangers surge gave them a 4-0 cinch Premiership win over Livingston at Ibrox.The Govan outfit came in for heavy criticism after losing their league opener 1-0 at Kilmarnock last weekend and there were still some misgivings after the Gers beat Servette 2-1 in the first leg of their Champions League q...Full Story »

Shaun Maloney admits his Wigan Athletic side are “ahead of schedule” after starting their Sky Bet League One campaign with two successive wins following a 2-1 victory over Northampton at the DW Stadium.Having started the campaign with an eight-point deduction for financial issues last season, Wigan are now only two points from wiping out that deficit after a flying start.Two goals in...Full Story »

Liam Rosenior believes Ozan Tufan is reaping the rewards his efforts deserve after his hat-trick helped Hull to a 4-2 Championship comeback win at home to Sheffield Wednesday.The Turkey international was at times unplayable, with his performance – some could say – emblematic of the difference in quality between the two Yorkshire sides.Rosenior said: “It (the hat-trick) was bett...Full Story »

Stevenage boss Steve Evans is hoping to use doubters as motivation after seeing his side defeat Shrewsbury 2-0 at the Lamex.In Boro’s first home game in League One since 2014, new signing Aaron Pressley struck his first goal for the club with a sweeping finish before Jamie Reid secured the three points in the 87th minute when he poked home at the back post.But Evans did not let himself get...Full Story »

Crewe manager Lee Bell branded his side’s first-half performance at Swindon “totally unacceptable” as they came from two goal down to draw 2-2.Udoka Godwin-Malife put Swindon in front in the 21st minute and Jake Young made it two at the start of the second half.Michael Williams got Crewe back in it before Rio Adebisi’s equaliser salvaged a late point at the County Ground....Full Story »

Rob Edwards admits Luton must quickly improve after their Premier League debut ended in a thumping 4-1 defeat at Brighton.Just nine years on from being a non-league side, the newly-promoted Hatters were taught a punishing lesson on their first return to top-flight action since relegation from the old First Division in 1992.Carlton Morris’ 81st-minute penalty gave Town hope of snatching som...Full Story »

West Brom head coach Carlos Corberan accepted his side had to suffer as they held on to beat Swansea 3-2 at The Hawthorns.The Baggies appeared to be cruising towards a first three points of the new Sky Bet Championship season after Semi Ajayi, a Carl Rushworth own goal and a John Swift penalty put them 3-0 up just after the hour.However, Swansea fought back with late goals from Harry Darling and...Full Story »

Southend made it two wins from two matches at the start of the Vanarama National League as Harry Cardwell and substitute Oli Coker helped the Shrimpers beat Dagenham 2-0.It was a spirited start from the visiting Southend as they took the lead in the 19th minute when Jack Bridge’s low cross was turned in by Cardwell, who also scored in last week’s 4-0 win over Oldham.Cardwell might ha...Full Story »

Chesterfield continued their early-season goal spree by brushing aside Vanarama National League opponents AFC Fylde 4-2 at Mill Farm.A week after hitting four against Dorking, the Spireites had a second successive win wrapped up by half-time.Tyrone Williams set them on their way with a sixth-minute effort, then Liam Mandeville, who scored twice in the victory over Dorking, made it 2-0 before Wil...Full Story »

Ian Henderson netted a second-half winner as Rochdale picked up their first win of the season with a 1-0 National League victory at Oxford City.The game went into half-time goalless, but not without a few chances, when Henderson had an effort cleared off the line, midway through the half.Chances continued to come, but neither side were able to make a breakthrough as Kairo Mitchell headed a free-...Full Story »

Maidenhead inflicted a second straight defeat of the National League season on Dorking by winning 2-0 at Meadowbank.An indisciplined first-half performance by Dorking saw three players – Jason Prior, Tony Craig and Matt Briggs – booked in the space of four minutes.But after a scoreless opening half, Maidenhead took charge during the second period and went ahead through Shawn McCoulsk...Full Story »

Regan Linney was on target twice as Altrincham claimed their first win of the season after coming from behind to beat Woking 3-2.The forward opened the scoring for the visitors in the sixth minute with a low drive but Scott Cuthbert cancelled out the lead, converting a Nana Boateng free-kick 10 minutes later.Reece Grego-Cox’s header put the Cardinals into the lead just before the half-hour...Full Story »

Wigan Athletic moved up to minus two points in Sky Bet League One after securing their second league win from two against Northampton Town at the DW Stadium.Northampton started well and even hit the post with a minute gone through William Hondermarck.So it was no more than they deserved when Sam Hoskins curled a wonderful free-kick over the wall and into the top corner of the Wigan net.Wigan mad...Full Story »

Matty Warburton struck twice for Solihull as they secured their first National League win of the season, 2-1 at newly-promoted Ebbsfleet.Warburton struck in either half to put Solihull in control and after Ebbsflett’s Greg Cundle had pulled one back, the home side went close to a late equaliser through Shaq Coulthirst’s effort which hit the crossbar.Solihull went close in the first h...Full Story »

A late penalty from James Tilley secured AFC Wimbledon a hard-fought 1-1 draw with Wrexham in their Sky Bet League Two match at Plough Lane.Elliot Lee’s deflected strike had put the Welsh side ahead in the first half.Dons striker Ali Al-Hamadi saw his spot-kick saved just after the hour, but Tilley made no mistake with a second penalty with just nine minutes left to leave both sides still ...Full Story »

Ian Evatt warned the rest of League One there is much more to come from his Bolton Wanderers side after their impressive 3-0 win at Cheltenham Town.Dion Charles scored twice, along with an own goal from Liam Smith during a one-sided first half at the Completely-Suzuki Stadium.The result puts Bolton top of the table with two wins from two, along with a Carabao Cup first round victory, making it s...Full Story »

Exeter manager Gary Caldwell could not fault the effort of his players as they held much-fancied Blackpool to a goalless draw at St James Park.The Tangerines are tipped by many to make an immediate return to the Championship after relegation last season, but they were second best against a spirited and largely youthful Exeter side.In a game of few clear-cut chances, Exeter could have gone in fro...Full Story »

Notts County twice came from behind twice to record a first victory of the new Sky Bet League Two campaign with a 3-2 win over Grimsby Town at Meadow Lane.The visitors took the lead in the 17th minute when Danny Rose took advantage of Aaron Nemane’s poor back pass.But Luke Williams’ side – beaten 5-1 at Sutton last weekend – hauled themselves level as John Bostock was abl...Full Story »

Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna hailed a “top performance” from his side in the 2-0 victory over Stoke.Goals in either half from defender Luke Woolfenden and substitute Kayden Jackson maintained Town’s 100 percent start to the season on their return to the Championship.Woolfenden rose at the far post to head home in the 23rd minute from a Sam Morsy free-kick, while Jackson conve...Full Story »

Hamilton and Stirling both recorded second-successive victories to set the early pace in Scottish League One.The Accies won 2-0 at Kelty Hearts thanks to second-half goals in the space of nine minutes by Reghan Tumilty and Ryan One.Dale Carrick’s penalty nine minutes from time, meanwhile, edged out Stirling’s hosts Alloa 1-0, who had David McKay sent off following his foul that conce...Full Story »

Rotherham manager Matt Taylor was unhappy with the decision to dismiss Fred Onyedinma as his side let a two-goal advantage slip during their 2-2 draw against Blackburn.Onyedinma was sent off just minutes after putting Rotherham 2-0 up early in the second half and the decision to award two yellow cards in as many minutes from referee Bobby Madley angered the home crowd and baffled Taylor.The deci...Full Story »

Derby boss Paul Warne was happier with the result than his side’s performance against Burton as they won 3-0 for their first Sky Bet League One victory of the season.After two poor performances coming into the game, Warne felt that the Rams, who are expected to challenge for automatic promotion, are settling and looking to improve.“I didn’t think we were great,” he admitt...Full Story »

Neil Harris urged Gillingham to sharpen up in the final third despite a 1-0 win against Accrington.Summer signing Ashley Nadesan scored his first league goal for the Gills, who have won their first three games of the new campaign – including Tuesday’s shock Carabao Cup win against Southampton.However, they started slowly at Priestfield before Nadesan’s calm finish from Tom Nich...Full Story »

Portsmouth boss John Mousinho believes there is still room for improvement with his side despite a comprehensive 4-0 away win at League One newcomers Leyton Orient.The visitors bossed the show with Marlon Pack breaking the deadlock on 23 minutes before Colby Bishop doubled the advantage.Six minutes after the interval, Orient skipper Omar Beckles turned Gavin Whyte’s teasing cross past his ...Full Story »

Enzo Maresca praised his “improving” Leicester side after they edged out a narrow 1-0 victory at Huddersfield.Summer signing Stephy Mavididi opened his account for the club midway through the second half for what proved to be the winning goal.The £6.4million recruit from Montpellier unleashed a venomous strike from an acute angle which squeezed past Lee Nicholls at his near pos...Full Story »