Michael Duff admits Jerry Yates’ ruthless nature in front of goal on his debut against Birmingham typified why Swansea were so keen to sign the striker in the summer.Blues took the lead on the brink of half-time in the Sky Bet Championship opener between the sides in south Wales as Siriki Dembele fired beyond Brighton loanee Carl Rushworth after a defensive lapse from the hosts.But Swansea...Full Story »

Plymouth boss Steven Schumacher praised returning duo Bali Mumba and Morgan Whittaker as his side marked their return to the Championship with a 3-1 home win over Neil Warnock’s Huddersfield at windswept Home Park.Whittaker’s sixth-minute opener was cancelled out by Terriers skipper Michal Helik’s leveller in first-half stoppage time.But two solo goals in as many second-half mi...Full Story »

Reading manager Ruben Selles defended a section of the club’s fans for staging a sit-in protest after the 1-0 League One defeat at home to Peterborough.About 200 supporters protested loudly yet peacefully, calling for the removal of club owner Dai Yongge for 40 minutes after a losing start to life in the third tier.The Royals, who are under another transfer embargo, were beaten by a 43rd-m...Full Story »

Notts County boss Luke Williams branded his 10-man side’s performance “weak” and “pathetic” after their humbling League Two return ended 5-1 at Sutton.Goalkeeper Aidan Stone was sent off after just 15 minutes at Gander Green Lane.But Williams insisted that was no excuse for his team’s disappointing display.Joe Kizzi opened the scoring for the hosts inside two ...Full Story »

Watford boss Valerien Ismael hailed his players as they got his Vicarage Road reign off to a rip-roaring start with a 4-0 win against a hapless QPR side.All of the goals came in a scintillating first-half display that saw the Hornets take the lead after just 33 seconds through Tom Dele-Bashiru.The impressive Imran Louza, Matthias Martins and Vakoun Bayo also profited from some dismal defending f...Full Story »

Wigan manager Shaun Maloney described Charlie Wyke as “special” after his double clinched a 2-1 League One win at Derby.Wyke suffered a cardiac arrest during training in November 2021 and now plays with a defibrillator fitted in his chest.Maloney was delighted with his team but acknowledged the significance of Wyke’s contribution.“Charlie Wyke is a special case,” he...Full Story »

Hollywood star Ryan Reynolds had “first day of school vibes” ahead of an emotional, long-awaited English Football League return that proved promoted Wrexham still have a lot to learn after a 5-3 defeat to MK Dons.The Welsh club have become one of the most talked about teams in the world over the last 30 months thanks to their famous owners and the acclaimed docuseries charting their ...Full Story »

Salford boss Neil Wood hailed his side’s defensive strength after his side opened their League Two account with a 2-0 win over recently relegated Forest Green.Goals from Conor McAleny and Matt Smith were enough for all three points for Wood’s side at a damp Bolt New Lawn.“I was really pleased with the result and to be able to start with a win. I didn’t think we looked lik...Full Story »

Carlisle manager Paul Simpson believes his side could have come away with more after they started life back in Sky Bet League One with a 1-1 draw against Fleetwood.Owen Moxon opened the scoring for the Cumbrians with a 30-yard free-kick, but it was cancelled out by Brendan Wiredu’s strike just before half-time.Both teams had chances to score the winner and Simpson was left to rue missed op...Full Story »

Bradford boss Mark Hughes admitted his game plan went out of the window following “naive” Dan Oyegoke’s first-half red card but backed the on-loan defender to learn from the experience.City slumped to a 1-0 defeat at Crawley after failing to recover from Will Wright’s 14th-minute opener and 20-year-old Oyegoke’s dismissal before the break.Oyegoke, on a season-long l...Full Story »

Aberdeen manager Barry Robson lamented his team’s wasteful finishing after they began the cinch Premiership season with a hard-fought goalless draw at Livingston.There was a distinct dearth of goalmouth action in both boxes, with the Dons unable to register a single shot on target.Duk lacked composure in both halves as he failed to test Lions goalkeeper Shamal George from promising positio...Full Story »

New boss Matty Taylor heaped praise on Shrewsbury captain Ryan Bowman after his second-half goal secured a 1-0 win over Cheltenham.Bowman pounced in the 50th minute after Luke Southwood had to dive at full stretch to parry Ben Williams’ header towards his own goal following Jordan Shipley’s cross, ensuring it was the perfect start to Taylor’s reign at the Croud Meadow.“I ...Full Story »

Burton boss Dino Maamria rued a sloppy first-half passage of play as his side fell to a 2-0 defeat to Blackpool in the opening weekend of League One action.Shayne Lavery struck in the 19th and 25th minutes to hand the Tangerines an opening victory on Saturday afternoon, a strong response for Neil Critchley’s side after their relegation from the Championship last season.And, despite an enco...Full Story »

Tony Docherty insisted Dundee deserved to take all three points from a 1-1 cinch Premiership draw against Motherwell at Dens Park.The newly-promoted Dark Blues had to settle for a share of the spoils against the Steelmen on their return to the Scottish top flight.Motherwell debutant Theo Bair opened the scoring with a fine finish on the stroke of half-time with Lyall Cameron securing a draw for ...Full Story »

Mark Bonner felt Cambridge hit a high standard as they opened their Sky Bet League One campaign with a win.Cambridge, who produced a great escape to survive in the third tier at the end of last season, made a perfect start to the new campaign with a 2-0 victory over Oxford.Jack Lankester fired them ahead before a goal on debut from the impressive Gassan Ahadme saw them in control at the break an...Full Story »

Stevenage manager Steve Evans felt his side were good value for all three points after they started the new Sky Bet League One season by beating Northampton 1-0.Boro’s first ever win at Sixfields came courtesy of Carl Piergianni’s 81st-minute close-range finish as Stevenage edged a tight game between two teams who are newly promoted into the division.A total of 22 minutes of stoppage...Full Story »

Ryan Lowe expects his Preston team to have more goal power this season following impressive starts by summer signings Will Keane and Mads Frokjaer in a 1-1 draw against Bristol City.Keane marked the beginning of his second spell as a North End player with an opportunist late equaliser at Ashton Gate, while Frokjaer also played a key role in a determined fightback afterSam Bell’s 47th-minut...Full Story »

Cove Rangers started life in Scottish League One on a losing note as Hamilton put their disappointment at missing out on promotion last season behind them with a 1-0 victory at the ZLX Stadium.Hamilton’s shootout defeat to Airdrie in May condemned the Accies to at least one more campaign in the third tier, with the Toonsers dropping down after finishing last in the Championship last term.I...Full Story »

Hearts head coach Frankie McAvoy praised his players after they overcame first-half rustiness to secure an impressive 2-0 win over St Johnstone at McDiarmid Park on the cinch Premiership’s opening day.In a close game that began after a short delay with a VAR power failure, Yutaro Oda eventually gave Hearts the lead with 15 minutes to go with a superb low strike and Lawrence Shankland ...Full Story »

Alex Neil praised his “exciting” Stoke side as they demolished 10-man Rotherham with a 4-1 Championship win.Maritimo recruit Andre Vidigal was the highlight of the Potters’ six debutants as he capped an impressive display with a brace.“I thought we looked like an exciting team,” Neil said. “We wanted to start the season well because there’s been a lot of...Full Story »