1 all going into ET both goals came from keepers having mares, no idea what drugs Slocombe was on in the first five minutes, County have not been great
Chesterfield 2-1 just into ET

Goalkeeper Aynsley Pears has signed a new four-year contract with Blackburn Rovers.

The 25-year-old established himself as first choice after Thomas Kaminski sustained a knee injury in February.

Pears retained his place after Kaminski returned to training, playing in the last 20 games of the season.

He had been set for a loan move to Portsmouth in January but the deal collapsed, and Pears seized his chance with Kaminski sidelined.

Pears made 26 appearances for the Championship club this season - including impressive displays in the Carabao Cup win over West Ham and FA Cup triumphs against Norwich and Birmingham - after clocking up just eight in the previous three campaigns.

He told the club website: "I've got some game time and that's all I've wanted since I joined the club. My future here is hopefully playing many more games and getting the club to where it wants to be.

"I didn't get the games during my first couple of years - I was on the bench a lot but still worked hard and felt I was getting a lot better as a goalkeeper.

"You can only prove that with games and I think I have done over the last part of the season. I'm looking forward to what the future could bring.

"You improve with confidence when you're playing regularly at the level and I've always felt that I am good enough. When you don't play for a couple of years, you need to test yourself and you need to confirm in your head that you can do it.

"The proof's in the pudding. I've felt I've performed well, I feel I need to keep getting better and I hope I will."

Experienced midfielders Michael Jacobs and Ryan Tunnicliffe are among eight players being released by Portsmouth.

First-team defenders Clark Robertson, Kieron Freeman, midfielder Louis Thompson and forward Jayden Reid are also due to leave when their contracts end.

Alfie Bridgman and Dan Gifford will also depart the League One club.

Connor Ogilvie, Josh Oluwayemi and Harry Jewitt-White have had their deals extended.

Contract negotiations are ongoing to keep Ronan Curtis and Jay Mingi at Fratton Park.

Curtis made 36 appearances and scored seven goals for Pompey this season before sustaining a knee injury in February.

Mingi became a regular in the first team in the run-up to Christmas and played in 26 games before injury made him miss most of the second half of the season, but he made his return to the squad in March.

Loanees Di'Shon Bernard, Owen Dale, Matt Macey, Joe Pigott and Dane Scarlett have all returned to their parent clubs.

"We would like to thank all those players who are leaving for the contribution they have made," head coach John Mousinho said.

"All of them have conducted themselves brilliantly ever since I arrived and we would like to wish them well for the future."

Pompey have offered teenage defender Josh Dockerill his first professional deal after graduating from their academy.

Second-year scholars Jamie Howell, Gabriel Kamavuako, Adam Payce and Elliott Simpson have not been offered new deals and are set to leave the club.

"These players have all contributed to a strong team performance across the season," academy manager Greg Miller said.

"Many have been part of the academy for several years, so I would like to thank them and their families.

"I am delighted that Josh Dockerill will progress to train with the first team.

"By getting another academy graduate through to John Mousinho's squad, it gives all staff and players confidence that we are making good levels of progress to support player development."

Just been reminded that I haven't posted the thread for summer transfers yet. So here it is.

I think this will be a challenge for Hibs v a rejuvenated Dons' team proving what a difference a competent incoming replacement coach can have on a group of players. Hibs previously inflicted a record 6-0 thrashing on them resulting in their coach, Jim Goodwin, finally "throwing in the towel" and leaving the club almost immediately after the game had ended. Hence there's no doubt they will be well up for this game. Hibs will need to match that commitment if they are gonna gain anything from this encounter. The fight for 3rd place will certainly open up if Hibs win the game and I'd hope that Johnson plays near enough the same Hibs line-up that "hit them for six" at Easter Road Stadium, the premise being they know how to beat them. The serious commitment really must prevail all the same. C'mon Hibs.

GGTTH

Birmingham City have been given a suspended two-point deduction by the English Football League for rule breaches during an unsuccessful takeover bid.

The Championship club, who announced this week that American Tom Wagner is to buy a 45.6% stake, admitted to breaching EFL regulations.

The deduction is suspended until the end of the 2023-24 season.

Blues were initially charged following "a thorough investigation" in February.

The EFL said the owners' and directors' test was breached when the club "allowed a number of individuals to bring themselves within the definition of a relevant person and to acquire control of the club without the prior approval of the EFL".

It continued: "Those individuals received sanctions last month and the club has now entered into an agreed decision with the EFL which includes the suspended sporting sanction and liability for the associated costs of the investigation.

"In addition, Birmingham City's owner, Mr Vong Pech, has entered an agreed decision with the EFL after admitting to a breach of EFL regulations when he permitted those individuals to acquire control of the club without the prior approval of the EFL.

"Mr Vong Pech was issued with a warning and reprimand, and is liable to pay the costs of the investigation."

There was an approach to acquire ownership of the club by Paul Richardson and Maxi Lopez, which came to an end in December, and separate negotiations with unnamed potential investors, but the EFL has not confirmed the identities of anyone involved in the case.

Blues have been owned by China-based Birmingham Sports Holdings Limited since 2016.

They bought the club as Trillion Trophy Asia following the tenure of Carson Yeung to become Blues second successive ownership from Asia.

The new prospective part-owners - hedge-fund managers - are to purchase 24% of shares from Blues' parent company Birmingham Sports Holdings Limited, plus 21.64% of shares which will be transferred from Oriental Rainbow Investments and Achiever Global Group.

Wagner's company Shelby Companies Limited will also take ownership of St Andrew's, the club's home since 1906.

City, the Championship's longest survivors, finished 17th last season in their 12th consecutive campaign in the second tier - their first under head coach John Eustace - nine points clear of the drop.

Brentford B coach Allan Steele has been appointed as Forest Green Rovers' new director of football.

Steele has been with Brentford for nine years and has been the technical lead for their B side since 2019.

The former teacher has gained coaching qualifications in Spain, Ireland and the United States of America.

He joins a Forest Green Rovers side who finished bottom of League One with just six wins from 46 games, a year after they won the League Two title.

"He has a wealth of knowledge and experience which will be key in our next steps," said Forest Green chairman Dale Vince.

"He has been at Brentford during their rapid rise from League One to an established Premier League side."

Steele said: "This is an amazing opportunity and it's a project I'm hugely excited to be a part of.

"It's a chance for a fresh start and everybody at the club has been so warm and welcoming - they've really looked after me. I want to work as hard as I can for everyone associated with the club.

"I had a long period of time speaking with Dale and I was really inspired and intrigued by what he had to say. I'm hugely impressed by his values, his personality and what he's done with the club over a short period of time."

League One side Port Vale have announced the appointment of Andy Crosby as their new manager.

Crosby has been given the job after serving as interim manager following the sacking of Darrell Clarke.

The 50-year-old has been at Vale Park since 2021, when he was appointed to the staff by Clarke.

He previously coached Northern Ireland Under-21s and was assistant to Nigel Adkins at Scunthorpe, Southampton, Reading, Sheffield United and Hull.

Taking charge at the Valiants will hand Crosby his first senior management role, but he impressed when he stepped up to take charge in 2022 when Clarke took a three-month break after a family bereavement.

Crosby had a 52.9% win ratio in a season that ended with Port Vale being promoted through the League Two play-offs.

Clarke was sacked after a seven-match winless run that threatened to drop Vale into the League One relegation fight. Under Crosby, they won one and lost three of their last four games to finish four points above the drop zone.

Director of football David Flitcroft said of Crosby: "He has shown and proved in his time as assistant manager, acting manager, and in support of the manager that he has the qualities required to lead the football plan as we move forward in our next chapter of progression on and off the pitch.

"He is highly regarded and respected by the staff and players and we feel he is ready for this opportunity.

"With his work and commitment to the club, he has continually shown all the qualities required to be successful as a manager.

"We have built a football plan that will continue to see the club grow, progress and drive us forward in League One and beyond.

"Andy can deliver the short, medium and long-term objectives that we have set out. We have backroom coaching and medical teams in place that can instil the culture and standards of the club whilst we continue developing and improving results and players."

Defender Charlie Raglan is among seven players released by Cheltenham Town following the end of the season.

The 30-year-old has mutually agreed to leave on a free transfer after joining the club in 2019.

Forwards Charlie Brown, Callum Ebanks and Christian Norton, goalkeeper Shaun MacDonald and midfielders Dylan Barkers and Zac Guinan have also been released.

Liam Sercombe, Ryan Broom, Adulai Sambu, Max Harris and Ryan Jackson have all been offered new contracts.

Discussions remain ongoing with Grant Horton and Reece Hutchinson, who are both on loan at clubs in Ireland where the league is ongoing, regarding their contracts.

Centre-back Raglan made more than 160 appearances for the Robins after joining from Oxford United, including 30 in all competitions this season.

Rochdale have appointed interim boss Jim McNulty as their new head coach on a two-year contract following their relegation from League Two.

The 38-year-old took over temporarily after Jim Bentley was sacked by the club in March.

McNulty, who spent eight seasons with the club as a player, could not steer them to safety as their 102-year stay in the EFL came to an end this term.

"Our fans have supported me and the team, which I appreciate," he said.

"The opportunity to lead our team and represent our club, which the fans cherish, has always been a dream of mine.

"To be given the opportunity at a club so close to mine and my family's hearts, is really special to me.

"As a boy, first and foremost I dreamt of becoming a footballer, then when I did, I very quickly knew I wanted to become a manager thereafter.

"Within a couple of years of being a Dale player, I knew that this would be the club where I hoped to fulfil that ambition."

After joining Dale in the summer of 2015, he went on to make 237 appearances for the club before transitioning into a player-coach role in the past two seasons.

His most recent spell in charge was his second as caretaker at the club and he will now lead their debut campaign in the National League next season.