Johnnie Jackson believes Wimbledon let Morecambe ‘off the hook’ in draw
Posted Sunday, February 18, 2024 by PA
AFC Wimbledon boss Johnnie Jackson felt his side let Morecambe “off the hook” in their 1-1 draw at Plough Lane.The Dons took the lead early in the second half through Omar Bugiel but Chris Stokes’ 74th-minute leveller earned a share of the spoils.Both sides remain a point outside the play-off places in League Two, with Wimbledon in eighth and Morecambe 10th.Jackson said: &ldquo...Full Story »
Ange Postecoglou: Hard work and not tricks will seal Spurs top-four spot
Posted Sunday, February 18, 2024 by PA
Ange Postecoglou warned no magic wand will get Tottenham’s top-four tilt back on track after they suffered a 2-1 home defeat to Wolves.Spurs had returned to fourth position with a last-gasp victory over Brighton last weekend but were leapfrogged on Saturday by Aston Villa, who won at Fulham.Joao Gomes headed Wolves into a deserved lead after 42 minutes and, while Dejan Kulusevski levelled ...Full Story »
Mixed feelings for John Mousinho after win over Reading
Posted Sunday, February 18, 2024 by PA
Portsmouth boss John Mousinho had mixed emotions after his side beat Reading 4-1 at Fratton Park.Colby Bishop scored his 16th goal of the season to help Pompey maintain their six-point lead at the top of League One.Mousinho said: “I am very pleased with the win, but obviously disappointed to concede as well.“I thought Reading were excellent in the early stages and were causing us pro...Full Story »
Shaun Maloney hails Wigan character in hard-fought win at Shrewsbury
Posted Sunday, February 18, 2024 by PA
Wigan boss Shaun Maloney praised his side’s mentality after securing a 1-0 win at Shrewsbury to pull eight points clear of the relegation zone.After a dull first half with limited opportunities for both sides, the Latics found the decisive goal just minutes before the hour mark from a corner.Matt Smith, with his first goal for Wigan, swept home from inside the box and sent the travelling f...Full Story »
Graham Alexander: Braford had to work hard but win over Sutton fully deserved
Posted Sunday, February 18, 2024 by PA
Bradford manager Graham Alexander admits his side were made to work hard to beat rock-bottom Sutton but felt they fully deserved the three points.Calum Kavanagh’s second-half strike proved enough for League Two play-off hopefuls Braford to claim a third successive win in testing conditions at Valley Parade.Alexander said: “It was a difficult match against a difficult opponent. We&rsq...Full Story »
Mikel Arteta hails Arsenal drive for more goals and wins after thumping Burnley
Posted Sunday, February 18, 2024 by PA
Mikel Arteta was delighted by his players’ unquenchable drive for more goals and wins after Arsenal racked up their fifth Premier League win in a row at relegation-threatened Burnley.The north Londoners are in the middle of a tough title tussle and kept the pressure on both Liverpool and Manchester City by running amok at Turf Moor.Martin Odegaard opening the scoring inside four minutes at...Full Story »
David Moyes defends his record as West Ham boss after fans turn on him
Posted Sunday, February 18, 2024 by PA
Under-pressure West Ham boss David Moyes said he “wins more” than more exciting managers who could replace him as he defended his position.Angry fans displayed a banner asking for him to be sacked after they lost 2-0 at Nottingham Forest to stretch their winless run to eight games in all competitions.Six days after a home humiliation to Arsenal, they went down to goals from Taiwo Awo...Full Story »
Joe Edwards braced for relegation fight as Millwall’s losing run continues
Posted Sunday, February 18, 2024 by PA
Joe Edwards admitted Millwall are in the Championship relegation battle after a 2-0 defeat to Sheffield Wednesday at The Den.The Owls were two goals ahead at half-time after a delightful display from Dutch winger Anthony Musaba, who set up Canada international Ike Ugbo before finding the back of the net himself with a composed finish past Matija Sarkic.The hosts were on the front foot for much o...Full Story »
Brendan Rodgers tells Celtic ‘it is about mentality’ after slip-up in title race
Posted Sunday, February 18, 2024 by PA
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers called on his players to improve their mentality after Kilmarnock’s late equaliser handed Rangers the initiative in the Premiership title race.Rodgers thought they had got away with a poor performance as Celtic led through Kyogo Furuhashi’s 32nd-minute header when the clock struck 90 minutes.But Killie had created several chances and caused problems for...Full Story »
Darren Moore wants more resilience after Port Vale reign starts with defeat
Posted Sunday, February 18, 2024 by PA
Darren Moore wants to improve his new side’s mentality after his Port Vale reign started with a 3-2 loss at League One relegation rivals Cheltenham.Vale led twice through Nathan Smith’s header and an own goal from Curtis Davies, but Matt Taylor and Jack Shepherd cancelled each out before Will Ferry struck a 73rd-minute winner.Former Sheffield Wednesday and Huddersfield boss Moore, wh...Full Story »
Grant McCann praises Doncaster’s fast start after win at Grimsby
Posted Sunday, February 18, 2024 by PA
Grant McCann lauded his Doncaster side for their outstanding second-half display in a resounding 5-1 demolition of Grimsby at Blundell Park.Goals from Luke Molyneux and Joe Ironside put Doncaster in control before an own goal from Niall Maher and strikes from Matthew Craig and Kyle Hurst rubber-stamped victory.Grimsby captain Danny Rose was on target from the penalty spot.Defeat leaves David Art...Full Story »
We made it hard for ourselves – Mike Williamson critical of MK Dons despite win
Posted Sunday, February 18, 2024 by PA
MK Dons manager Mike Williamson said his side made it hard for themselves despite a 2-1 victory at Swindon which helped lift them up to fifth place in the table.Stephen Wearne marked his full league debut with two goals in the space of the first eight minutes and the Dons held that lead until Charlie Austin’s 89th-minute strike threatened a late comeback.Williamson said: “It was a fa...Full Story »
Kieran McKenna says Ipswich pay no attention to results of promotion rivals
Posted Sunday, February 18, 2024 by PA
Kieran McKenna insisted weekend wins for Leeds and Southampton had “zero impact” on Ipswich after a 2-1 success at Swansea maintained their push for an automatic promotion place in the Sky Bet Championship.First-half goals from Nathan Broadhead and Conor Chaplin – his 50th for Ipswich – proved enough to beat hosts Swansea, who are now only four points above the relegation...Full Story »
Neil Harris happy Cambridge frontline answered his call for goals at Carlisle
Posted Sunday, February 18, 2024 by PA
Cambridge boss Neil Harris was delighted his frontline answered his call for more goals after a 4-0 win at basement boys Carlisle.The U’s secured their biggest league win of the season as Sullay Kaikai, Sam Levelle’s own goal, Elias Kachunga’s header and Ryan Bennett’s late fourth did the damage at Brunton Park.Victory saw Harris’ side go eight points clear of the d...Full Story »
Unai Emery hails impact of ‘fantastic’ two-goal Ollie Watkins
Posted Sunday, February 18, 2024 by PA
Unai Emery lauded Ollie Watkins’ “fantastic” performance after the Aston Villa forward scored twice during their 2-1 victory over Fulham at Craven Cottage.Watkins’ brace took his Premier League tally to 12 and Rodrigo Muniz scored his fourth in three games as the spirited Cottagers failed to find a late equaliser.Villa boss Emery lauded the striker’s commitment as h...Full Story »
Scott Lindsey used Southampton footage to inspire Crawley and end winless run
Posted Sunday, February 18, 2024 by PA
Crawley boss Scott Lindsey revealed he used a video clip of Southampton manager Russell Martin to help inspire his players ahead of their 2-0 home victory over Forest Green Rovers.In the footage, Martin spoke of the importance of trying to be the most hard working of teams, and Lindsey used it to help get a similar message across as the Red Devils pulled off their first league win in five games....Full Story »
Simon Weaver hails Harrogate resilience after responding well to 9-2 mauling
Posted Sunday, February 18, 2024 by PA
Simon Weaver said his Harrogate players came through a “test of their nerve” after they bounced back from a chastening midweek defeat by holding promotion-chasing Crewe.Weaver demonstrated his faith in his players by naming an unchanged side after Tuesday night’s 9-2 thumping at Mansfield.And they responded with a determined showing which nullified Crewe in the first half.Then,...Full Story »
Steven Naismith hails ‘mentality shift’ at Hearts as team continues red-hot run
Posted Sunday, February 18, 2024 by PA
Hearts manager Steven Naismith hailed the improvements his players have made to their mentality after watching them beat Motherwell 2-0 to collect an eighth successive win.Second-half goals from Lawrence Shankland and Kenneth Vargas sent the Gorgie side 14 points clear in third place in the Premiership.Hearts have won 11 of their last 12 games in a fruitful spell stretching back to December and ...Full Story »
David Martindale ‘delighted’ with Livingston after ending long wait for victory
Posted Sunday, February 18, 2024 by PA
David Martindale insists he will not get carried away despite Livingston finally ending their long wait for a cinch Premiership victory against St Mirren.Tete Yengi’s goal in added time of the first half was enough for the Lions to claim their first win in 18 league matches.Livi have now cut the gap between themselves and Ross County to just three points, with the teams set to face each ot...Full Story »
Real boss Carlo Ancelotti not ‘affected or worried’ by Kylian Mbappe speculation
Posted Sunday, February 18, 2024 by PA
Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti insisted he has no intention of letting speculation over Kylian Mbappe’s arrival at the club take his focus away from the job at hand.Real are seen as the most likely destination for the French striker, who has informed Paris St Germain he intends to leave in the summer, but Ancelotti was careful not to fan the flames of those rumours.With his side leading ...Full Story »
Gateshead boost play-off push as early strikes help down Wealdstone
Posted Sunday, February 18, 2024 by PA
Gateshead boosted their bid for a National League play-off place with a 4-2 victory at Wealdstone.Three goals inside the opening 17 minutes blew the home side away as Gateshead extended their unbeaten league run to four games.Mamadou Jobe headed in Callum Whelan’s cross in the fifth minute, Kieron Evans slotted in a second seven minutes later before top scorer Marcus Dinanga notched his 14...Full Story »
Watford manager Valerien Ismael says win at Rotherham ‘all about the result’
Posted Sunday, February 18, 2024 by PA
Watford head coach Valerien Ismael admitted feeling some relief after his side ended their losing streak with a 1-0 win at Rotherham.Neither side entered the contest with much confidence following three straight defeats apiece but it was Watford who snatched the points thanks to Yaser Asprilla’s second-half strike.Ismael said: “We were ready for the battle. We spoke about it before t...Full Story »
Graham Coughlan says Newport’s win over Gillingham a ‘huge’ result
Posted Sunday, February 18, 2024 by PA
Newport manager Graham Coughlan hailed a “huge” three points for his side as they bounced back from defeat in midweek to beat Gillingham 1-0 at Rodney Parade.Notts County ended the Exiles’ seven-match unbeaten run last Tuesday with a 3-1 win in Newport and Coughlan was delighted with his players’ reaction.After a forgettable first half, Will Evans produced a stunning voll...Full Story »
Falkirk go 11 points clear at top of Scottish League One after beating Hamilton
Posted Sunday, February 18, 2024 by PA
Falkirk moved 11 points clear at the top of Scottish League One after beating their nearest rivals Hamilton 3-2.The battle between the top two looked to be done and dusted after Falkirk scored three times during 12 first-half minutes.Callumn Morrison, Ross MacIver and Calvin Miller all found the target, but Ahkeem Rose’s double either side of half-time kept Hamilton in touch.Alloa maintain...Full Story »
We weren’t brave enough: Danny Cowley blames Colchester players for draw
Posted Sunday, February 18, 2024 by PA
Danny Cowley felt his Colchester side lacked bravery after they conceded late to draw 1-1 with 10-man Accrington Stanley.The U’s had led from the 40th minute thanks to Noah Chilvers’ fine 25-yard low strike after Riley Harbottle had initially brought the ball forward into his path.Accrington were then reduced to 10 men in the first minute of the second half when Brad Hills was sent o...Full Story »
Michael Skubala urges Lincoln to show a ruthless streak
Posted Sunday, February 18, 2024 by PA
Lincoln manager Michael Skubala wants his side to be more ruthless after the 1-0 sky Bet League One victory over Exeter at LNER Stadium.Joe Taylor clipped in the winner with his first goal for the club since joining on loan from Luton. He calmly dinked the ball over Viljami Sinisalo midway through the second half.In a game short of real clear-cut opportunities, Ben House was denied by a solid do...Full Story »
He’s been immense – Phil Parkinson hails Wrexham match-winner Steven Fletcher
Posted Sunday, February 18, 2024 by PA
Wrexham boss Phil Parkinson paid tribute to Steven Fletcher for the “immense” impact he has had after the veteran striker’s goal earned a 1-0 win over Notts County.Former Scotland international Fletcher’s first-half finish proved decisive at the Racecourse Ground as the Dragons moved back into the top three, with David McGoldrick’s second-half strike for the Magpies...Full Story »
Nigel Adkins struggles to contain his delight after Tranmere stun Stockport
Posted Sunday, February 18, 2024 by PA
Tranmere manager Nigel Adkins could barely contain his delight after seeing his side beat top-of-the-table Stockport 4-0 at Prenton Park.A brace from Jordan Turnbull and strikes from Tom Davies and Connor Jennings were the difference as Rovers inflicted back-to back defeats on Sky Bet League Two leaders County.The home side opened the scoring on the half-hour mark when Davies found himself in th...Full Story »
Darren Ferguson admits Peterborough must ‘ride out the storm’
Posted Sunday, February 18, 2024 by PA
Darren Ferguson challenged his Peterborough side to show more conviction as they need to “ride out the storm” having fallen to another damaging defeat.Blackpool grabbed all three points thanks to a second-half comeback started by a Shayne Lavery penalty and completed in stoppage time by a deflected Karamoko Dembele strike.Hector Kyprianou had given Posh the lead after 38 minutes with...Full Story »
Neil Warnock: Aberdeen must cut out sloppy defensive errors after Hibernian draw
Posted Sunday, February 18, 2024 by PA
Aberdeen’s interim manager Neil Warnock insisted his side must cut out the sloppy defensive errors that see him still on the hunt for a first cinch Premiership win following a 2-2 draw with Hibernian.The Dons fell behind after Martin Boyle rounded Kelle Roos after just 12 minutes, but were quickly level through Nicky Devlin.Jamie McGrath put the home side in front just after the break, but...Full Story »
Partick Thistle come from behind twice to snatch point at Inverness
Posted Sunday, February 18, 2024 by PA
Partick Thistle came from behind twice to draw 3-3 with Inverness in a thrilling cinch Championship clash at Caledonian Stadium.Inverness opened the scoring when Cammy Kerr hit the target from long-range and, with the pressure continuing to build on the visitors, they cracked for a second time when Remi Savage was on target from a corner in the 53rd minute.Partick Thistle hit back with 26 minute...Full Story »
Emmanuel Adegboyega scores Walsall winner on debut to defeat Mansfield
Posted Sunday, February 18, 2024 by PA
Mansfield missed the chance to go top of Sky Bet League Two as Emmanuel Adegboyega scored on his Football League debut to earn Walsall a 2-1 win.The Stags should have been out of sight by half-time with Will Swan the chief culprit.He steered Lucas Akins’ pass wide when clean through, was foiled by a fine Jackson Smith save as he tried to sweep home Stephen Quinn’s low cross and curle...Full Story »
Matt Smith earns Wigan win at struggling Shrewsbury
Posted Sunday, February 18, 2024 by PA
A Matt Smith goal secured Wigan a 1-0 away win and completed a season double over relegation-threatened Shrewsbury.The first opportunity of the afternoon went Wigan’s way when Luke Chambers played a drilled pass into Martial Godo, who was just inside the area, but Marko Marosi pushed his goalward effort clear.Shrewsbury started the second half brightly and went close to breaking the deadlo...Full Story »