THE MATCH

FRIDAY 7TH APRIL KO 3:00PM

v

LAST MATCH



Another lack-lustre performance saw our winless run stretch to five as we drew with Lincoln. We got off to the start we needed Smith heading in Vaulks cross. We were on top but Lincoln equalized against the run of play, Stockdale at fault, parrying straight to there forward who finished from close range. Onto the 2nd half and we were having chances but we weren't testing there keeper until injury time. We had a header cleared off the line then there goalie saved the rebound. We did go top of the league but with the 3 teams behind us all having a game in hand, it didn't mean anything.

THE MATCH



Next up Oxford in the first of the Easter fixtures. Oxford have had a poor season and are just 3 points above the relegation zone with just 8 games to go, they also haven't won for 12 games so they will be delighted that we are visiting the Kassam Stadium There leading scorer is Cameron Brannagan with 10 goals, who is a midfielder. They are now managed by Liam Manning, who managed MK Donuts last season, took over on the 11 March, but is still waiting for his first victory

ALL TIME H2H

OWLS 9
OXFORD 12
DRAWS 12

CURRENT FORM

OWLS              -                                                                              

OXFORD          -                                                          

EFL STOOGES

DOES IT MATTER THERE ALL CORRUPT  

THIS MIGHT BE A FIRST FOR US, A FEMALE REFEREE

REBECCA WELCH
Abbas Khan and Ryan Whitaker
Fourth Official : David Harrison

THE TEAM

Dawson
Palmer Famewo Flint
Hunt Bannan Adeniran Vaulks Johnson
Gregory Smith

SCORE & SCORER (HOME TEAM SCORE FIRST)

1-2 Gregory

WEDNESDAYS FIRT GOAL TIME

26

BML LEAGUE

Owlskev 25
Stateside 23
SCO 21
Imre 20
Wash 20
Maddix 17
Peiowl 14

OTHER GAMES OF MILD INTEREST

Blackburn v Norwich
Middlesboro v Burnley
Ipswich v Wycombe
Sutton v Stockport
Barnet v Bromley

HAHDH

THE MUPPETT LEAGUE

WEREHAM




KATE BECKINSALE TRIBUTE PIC

Gamball:
Wolves - Chelsea

Others
Brentford - Newcastle
Spurs - Brighton
Leeds - Crystal Palace
Liverpool - Arsenal
Huddersfield - Blackburn
Coventry - Watford
Hull - Millwall
Cardiff - Sunderland
Birmingham - Stoke

Reading have been deducted six points by the English Football League for breaching the terms of an agreed business plan for a previous profit and sustainability rule breach.

It marks the first decision handed down by the independent club financial reporting unit (CFRU).

The deduction leaves Reading 20th in the Championship, with 40 points, one above the relegation zone.

Manager Paul Ince said last week he thought the punishment was coming.

In addition, Reading have agreed a new budget with the CFRU, which will be finalised once the club's full profit and sustainability review has been completed for the current season.

The club accepted they had not "sufficiently satisfied" elements of the planned budget.

"Despite radical changes implemented at first team level and right across the structure of the business to its very core - and a rigid adherence to a strict league-monitored wage structure and transfer embargo, the club accepts that it has not sufficiently satisfied certain elements of the planned budget," their statement said.

"As a result, the independent club financial review panel has been unable to ratify that the club has met its forecast for compliance."

The club's transfer embargo, which has been in place since the summer of 2021, will "effectively end" this summer, they added.

Reading were also given a six-point deduction in 2021, for losing £57.8m between 2017 and 2021 - the EFL's limit for that period was £39m. A further deduction was suspended until the end of this season, on the basis of targets in the EFL's business plan being hit.

The Championship club said it had made "every reasonable effort" to build a squad without falling to further punishment.

"Every single professional contract proposed has been scrutinised and ratified by the EFL before it has been offered and we have operated under a mutually-agreed capped wage bill," Reading added.

However, they accepted that despite "substantial progress" the situation was not going to be easily fixed.

Director of the CFRU, John Potterill-Tilney, said: "I would like to thank the club for its transparency and cooperation during this process and the club financial review panel for helping us deliver an agreed sanction in just over one month since submissions were provided.

"This decision and sanction, as confirmed by the club financial review panel in a short time frame, within the relevant season, will now give the club clarity to plan for the period ahead, on and off the pitch.

"The EFL's regulations establish the CFRP as an independent panel with the responsibility of reviewing the financial performance of EFL clubs."

Aldershot 0-0 Yeovil
Barnet 2-1 Bromley
Chesterfield 3-0 York
Dorking 1-1 Woking
Halifax 0-5 Wrexham
Gateshead 2-0 Scunthorpe
Notts County 3-1 Wealdstone
Oldham 1-2 Altrincham
Solihull Moors 2-2 Maidenhead United
Southend 2-1 Maidstone United
Torquay 1-0 Eastleigh
Boreham Wood 2-2 Dag & Red

League Table After Matchday 53
SaltergateBorn - 938
Devon - 925
St Charles Owl - 896
Spireitematt - 825
Dancing - 784
Lord Snoots - 772
Amelia - 712

National League strugglers Aldershot Town have replaced interim boss Ross McNeilly with former King's Lynn Town manager Tommy Widdrington.

Widdrington, 51, resigned from the Linnets on Saturday after 15 months in charge at The Walks.

McNeilly took over on a temporary basis until the end of the season after Mark Molesley was sacked last October.

But Shots chairman Shahid Azeem said they "needed to make a change" with the club five points clear of relegation.

McNeilly will return to his former role running the club's academy, with Azeem thanking him for his "huge effort and hard work since stepping up from academy manager back in October."

Widdrington leaves King's Lynn second in National League North, five points behind AFC Fylde in the only automatic promotion place.

With six games to go in the Shots' National League campaign, Widdrington's immediate task is to secure their status in the division, with the two teams immediately below them - Gateshead and Yeovil - having three games and one game in hand on them, respectively.

The Shots play Yeovil at home in Widdrington's first match in charge on Friday.

"When notified of Tommy's resignation, [we] wanted to act quickly to secure the man that we believe can help us with the final push towards mathematical safety," Azeem said.

Fires-team coach Mark Hughes has been appointed interim manager for the rest of the season by King's Lynn.

Chelsea have sacked manager Graham Potter after less than seven months in charge following Saturday's 2-0 home defeat by Aston Villa.

It was the Englishman's 11th defeat in 31 games since replacing Thomas Tuchel at Stamford Bridge on 8 September.

Chelsea have dropped to 11th in the Premier League - 12 points outside the top four - having spent more than £550m on new players this season.

The club's owners said they were "disappointed" to sack Potter.

Chelsea say Potter "has agreed to collaborate with the club to facilitate a smooth transition" and that Bruno Saltor, who worked with Potter at Brighton, will take charge of the team as interim head coach.

In a statement, co-controlling owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali said: "We have the highest degree of respect for Graham as a coach and as a person.

"He has always conducted himself with professionalism and integrity and we are all disappointed in this outcome."


Watch Potter's final Match of the Day interview
Chelsea host Liverpool in the Premier League on Tuesday and face Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final on 12 April.

There have now been 13 managerial changes in the Premier League this season - three more than in any other previous campaign - with Leicester also sacking Brendan Rodgers earlier on Sunday.

'Along with our incredible fans, we will all be getting behind Bruno and the team as we focus on the rest of the season," the Chelsea owners added.

"We have 10 Premier League games remaining and a Champions League quarter-final ahead. We will put every effort and commitment into every one of those games so that we can end the season on a high."

He won 12 of his 31 games in charge in all competitions and managed 1.27 points per game in the Premier League - the joint-lowest of any manager to take charge of 20 or more games for Chelsea in the Premier League, alongside Glen Hoddle.

Former Spanish right-back Bruno, 42, spent seven years as a player at Brighton before retiring in 2019 and moving into coaching.

Potter was Boehly's first managerial appointment since taking over the club in May 2022, with the Englishman impressing in his three years at Brighton.

Speaking to Sky Sports after her Chelsea side's Women's Super League win over Aston Villa on Sunday, boss Emma Hayes said: "Obviously I'm upset for Graham and the club. I know everybody wanted to make it work.

"If the owners feel like they have to go in another direction then of course, as always, I support the decisions and wish Graham the best.

"With 10 games left to play in the Premier League, I'm sure the boys will do everything to get us back on track. I'm a manager and I'm always gutted when managers lose their job."

Potter replaced Tuchel, who won three trophies in 20 months at Stamford Bridge, in September when the Blues were sixth in the top flight, following a summer during which they spent £255m on transfers.

Owner Boehly went on another remarkable spending spree in January, shelling out £288m.

Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez and Ukraine forward Mykhailo Mudryk were among eight mid-season signings - but the new additions have struggled to click on the pitch.

Analysis - Lack of progress was Potter's downfall
BBC Sport's Alex Howell

Things have moved quickly at Stamford Bridge. On Sunday morning, the media plan was sent out for the press conference that Potter was set to be holding on Monday afternoon before the match against Liverpool, but by 8pm that evening he was no longer in charge.

The feeling at Stamford Bridge is that it was not solely the poor results that have led to his dismissal but a lack of progress from the team overall.

The decision to relieve him from his post was led by Paul Winstanley and Lawrence Stewart the co-sporting directors, with backing from chairman Boehly and co-owner Eghbali.

It is understood that Potter will not receive the full five years payment for his contract that he signed in 2022.

It is felt that having Bruno in charge will give the team the best chance of salvaging the season.

The search for a new manager begins now but it is not expected that a replacement will be named in the next few days.

'Some managers are better suited to underdogs'
Graham Potter
Graham Potter had three successful years at Brighton before he was appointed Chelsea manager
Former England striker Alan Shearer told Match of the Day 2 the demand for success at Premier League clubs has led to a "crazy" football environment, where they "press the panic button".

"You know the rules when you go into a job these days," said Shearer.

"But who on earth pays £20m for their services - Potter and his staff- puts them a on a five- to six-year contract, pays them £10m a year, gives them a ridiculous amount of players for a stupid amount of money and then seven months later sacks him?

"It can only happen in football. Anyone with a football brain will tell you signing that amount of players is not going to work."

Ex-England midfielder Danny Murphy believes Potter's record at Brighton showed he was effective managing a team "punching above their weight" as opposed to Chelsea.

"Most people thought it would be better than it has been," said Murphy. "Potter made a lot of changes and that didn't help.

"From a toxic stadium where they were booing - I don't see how you come back from that. Chelsea's owners thought 'let's do it now.'

"Some managers are better suited to managing the underdogs who have to punch above their weight and I think Potter could be that."

Chelsea abandon 'long-term approach' with Potter
Potter's dismissal is Chelsea's 17th managerial change this century and, of the full-time incumbents of the role, his reign was by far the shortest.

Only Luis Felipe Scolari (36), Andre-Villas Boas (40) and Roberto Di Matteo (42) failed to reach the 50-game mark and even interim manager Rafael Benitez (48) lasted longer than Potter.

Chelsea paid Brighton in excess of £21m in compensation for Potter to bring him to Stamford Bridge. Boehly said at the time that he fitted "our vision" and had "skills and capabilities that extend beyond the pitch which will make Chelsea a more successful club".

That indicated Chelsea were looking to pursue a long-term approach in the dugout after sacking Tuchel.

After a promising start of nine games unbeaten, including five successive victories and comfortable qualification for the knockout stages of the Champions League, things began to unravel just before the break for the World Cup.

The slide began with a 4-1 humbling at his former club Brighton, followed by defeats against Arsenal and Newcastle and a Carabao Cup exit at Manchester City.

They returned from the World Cup break with a 2-0 victory over Bournemouth, but won just three of their next 13 league matches.

Potter's side were also thumped 4-0 at Manchester City in the FA Cup third round in January, but overturned a first-leg deficit against Borussia Dortmund last month to reach the Champions League quarter-finals.

In February, Potter says his mental health suffered after he and his family received anonymous abuse following the club's poor run of form.

First sacking for manager with previous record of success
Until his brief reign at Chelsea, Potter had enjoyed managerial success at each of the three clubs he had served.

He led Swedish side Ostersunds from the fourth tier into the top flight with three promotions in five seasons and won the 2017 Swedish Cup, earning a spot in the Europa League and reaching the knockout stages of that competition.

In his one subsequent season with Swansea City in 2018-19, they finished 10th in the Championship following relegation from the top flight and reached the FA Cup quarter-finals where they led Manchester City 2-0 before losing 3-2.

Potter was then recruited by Brighton and, after three seasons of steady progress, led them to their highest-ever Premier League finish of ninth last term as well as collecting plenty of praise for their style of play.

They sat fourth in this season's table when he left for Chelsea in September.

Since his departure, Brighton have continued to thrive under new manager Roberto de Zerbi and are pushing for a European place.

The departure of Brendan Rodgers from Leicester City is the culmination of a dramatic fall from grace for both club and manager - with the fear of falling even further the catalyst behind the move.

Rodgers arrived at the Foxes in February 2019 after winning all seven domestic trophies available to him during a successful tenure at Celtic, leaving the adoration he enjoyed at Parkhead to succeed Claude Puel at the King Power Stadium.

For a time, 50-year-old Rodgers enhanced a reputation as one of the most progressive coaches in the game as Leicester produced the attacking football that was his trademark - the high point being the club's first FA Cup victory when Thomas Tuchel's Chelsea were beaten 1-0 at Wembley in May 2021.

It assured Rodgers of his place in Leicester history, but Saturday's last-minute defeat at Crystal Palace - now under the guidance of returning veteran Roy Hodgson - was the final straw for owners who saw the spectre of relegation come into even sharper view and could not wait any longer for Rodgers to show signs of inspiring a revival.

Latest Leicester City news, analysis and fan views
Leicester are in the bottom three after six league games without a win, that fear of the drop forcing the board to act in the manner of fellow strugglers Everton, Leeds United and Southampton by wielding the axe.

Rodgers deserves credit for his FA Cup success but his time at Leicester will also be defined by two devastating final days of Premier League seasons that shaped his and the club's ability to enjoy further success.

On the surface, finishing fifth in both 2019-20 and 2020-21 represented fine achievements but the fact Leicester missed out on Champions League football on the final day both times as they lost 2-0 to Manchester United then 4-2 to Tottenham meant bitter disappointment.

The FA Cup win rightly allowed the 2021 season to be painted in a glorious light - was the club's first FA Cup not better as tangible success than finishing fourth in the league?

However, it could also be suggested with some justification the loss to Spurs the following week was the beginning of the end for Rodgers and Leicester City as operators in the upper echelons, a time which also saw that magnificent against-the-odds title win in 2015-16.

These were savage blows because Leicester not only lost out on the profile of Champions League football but also the riches that came with it, the club's owners and chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha subsequently pulling in the purse strings to ensure they did not fall foul of Financial Fair Play rules.

Leicester City former manager Brendan Rodgers
Leicester's defeat by Crystal Palace on Saturday proved the final straw as Brendan Rodgers was sacked
Leicester reached the semi-finals of the inaugural Europa Conference League last season but they faded amid inconsistency in the league, finishing eighth.

The decline has continued this season, with Rodgers unable to revamp his squad, influential title-winning keeper Kasper Schmeichel leaving for Nice and time finally catching up with talismanic 36-year-old striker Jamie Vardy.

There were question marks over the club's recruitment under Rodgers, although they suffered a blow in the summer when one his biggest successes - Wesley Fofana, signed from St. Etienne for £36.5m in October 2020 - moved to Chelsea for an initial £70m fee on the final day of the transfer window after missing much of the previous season with a broken leg.

Leicester's squad was clearly in need of hefty renewal but they did not sign an outfield player until the final day of the summer transfer window.

Harry Souttar, Victor Kristiansen and Tete came in at a cost of £30m in January but Rodgers could not fashion a consistent upturn and the graph has only been heading in one direction lately.

There was also a belief that Rodgers should have been getting more out of a squad still laced with quality in the shape of players such as James Maddison, Youri Tielemans and Harvey Barnes. He was also unable to solve long-running defensive flaws that saw cheap goals conceded on an infuriatingly regular basis.

Impressive wins at Aston Villa and at home to Spurs, 4-2 and 4-1 respectively, hinted at improvement but they were false dawns and the FA Cup fifth-round loss at home to Championship side Blackburn Rovers was damaging for Rodgers and Leicester.

Now, with 10 league games to go, he has paid the price and the club hierarchy must decide their next move.

It will be a desperate personal setback for Rodgers, who rebuilt his reputation at Celtic after his sacking by Liverpool in October 2015, obtaining hero status with one half of Glasgow before angering many fans by leaving to move back to the Premier League.

For a time he regained his previous status as a sought-after manager, linked with a variety of jobs from Arsenal to Spurs and even - unlikely admittedly given his previous links with Liverpool - Manchester United. He was touted in some quarters as having the credentials to manage at international level, with England mentioned.

Rodgers was exuding positivity even in defeat at Selhurst Park. Instead, this was the end of his time at Leicester.

The personable Rodgers will certainly be an attraction for clubs in the future, including those in the Premier League, but the high-end posts will be out of reach for now after the manner of his end at Leicester.

Rodgers, a Spanish speaker, has talked in the past about being open to working abroad and it easy to see his undoubted coaching skills transitioning into that environment.

He has also seen contemporary Roberto Martinez, who managed across Stanley Park at Everton when Rodgers was at Liverpool and was one of his predecessors at Swansea City, land plum international jobs with Belgium then Portugal

Rodgers will rightly feel he is at least the equal of the Spaniard in terms of stature, ability and successes.

For now, though, Leicester City will attempt to secure their short-term future after taking this emergency action while Rodgers will take stock and ponder his long-term prospects.

2 points for each correct scorer
Correct joker doubles your score      
Wrong joker result gives you minus 2
Correct Random Badger gives you 2 points

The random badger is used for any random prediction used once in each matchday sequence. For instance, a scorer at a particular match, the number of red cards in the matches or yellow cards or own goals or owt you want really within reason, I do need to be able to check whether it's correct or not. Please don't put stuff like....."Commentator says...."  
The joker   is played for one match in each sequence and if correct you get double points. So if you've predicted 1-0 and it finishes 2-0, you get 4 pts, but if you've predicted 2-0, that's 8 pts. But if you get it wrong, it's minus 2.
Jokers and badgers are optional. You don't have to play one if you don't want.

The prize for winning the league is one rep point.

Cup games: In the event of a draw, it's half the points if you've predicted a draw when it gets to 90 mins and the full points if it's still a draw after extra time. Half the points will be awarded for correctly predicting the winner of the match if it goes to penalties. Similarly with the badger, if your random prediction is affected by this, it'll be half the points.

Random score generator: I will be using the random score generator again for those who miss predicting, so we shouldn't get some people too far behind that after missing a couple of weeks they lose all interest, because I know it's not easy getting on here every week.
To be fair to everybody, this is going to be like, say if three people in one week miss their predictions, the first one in the table will be given all 0-0, the second one down the line will get 1-0 and the third will get 0-1 and so on, like if there's four missing the 4th will get 1-1, then 5th 2-1, 6th 1-2. and if there are so many missing, might as well pack in.
And if you miss two weeks on the trot, I'll stop until you come back on again. Not doing it for half a season like I did t'other year.  

End of season Play Offs: The one who finishes top of the league will still be champion, but after the season finishes there will be Play Offs between the top 4, with 1st v 4th and 2nd v 3rd. This will take in stuff like the EFL Play Offs, FA Cup Final, final day of Prima Donna League, European Finals etc. It will be one matchday for the semis and one for the Final. It will be the individual scores for each matchday against the allotted opponent, with some kind of tie breaker for a drawn match.

The prize for winning will be enormous. Another rep point.

Friday April 7:
Watford v Town
Town scorers:
Watford scorers:

Millwall v Luton Town (12:30)
Rotherham United v West Bromwich Albion (13:00)
Blackburn Rovers v Norwich City
Blackpool v Cardiff City
Queens Park Rangers v Preston North End
Reading v Birmingham City
Sheffield United v Wigan Athletic
Stoke City v Bristol City
Swansea City v Coventry City
Sunderland v Hull City (17:30)
Middlesbrough v Burnley (20:00)

Monday 10th April:
Town v Blackburn (12:30)
Town scorers:
Blackburn scorers:

Birmingham City v Stoke City
Cardiff City v Sunderland
Coventry City v Watford
Hull City v Millwall
Luton Town v Blackpool
Norwich City v Rotherham United
Preston North End v Reading
West Bromwich Albion v Queens Park Rangers
Wigan Athletic v Swansea City
Bristol City v Middlesbrough (17:30)
Burnley v Sheffield United (20:00)


Table after Matchday 33:

1. jjamez = 778 pts
   
2. themaclad = 742 pts
   
3. Baggiebob(BBB) = 741 pts
   
4. theo_luddite = 724 pts
   
5. St Charles Owl = 704 pts
   
6. neonfoxinthebox = 702 pts
   
7. Lord Snooty = 673 pts
   
8. ritchiebaby = 653 pts
   
9. SHEP_HTAFC = 624 pts
   
10. Amelia Chaffinch = 616 pts
    
11. Devongone = 586 pts
    
12. WakeyTerrier = 171 pts

https://www.bbc.com/sport/boxing/65149207.amp

Ken was one of the past great Scottish boxing champions, well remembered and inducted in the boxing hall of fame. A great lightweight boxer of his generation during the 1970s and early 80s,he was an accomplished participant and a worthy world champion. Sadly taken by dementia, RIP.

Well this match is a case of no "slip-ups" please. All the players have had a nice rest during the international break. More players improving their fitness after returning from injury. Aberdeen FC now above us in fourth place - time to target that position in the Scot Prem and take it from there! We are well capable of attaining that spot and possibly 3rd place after that. However, everybody must embrace the challenge all the way through to season end. C'mon Hibs!

GGTTH