THE MATCH

SATURDAY 3RD NOVEMBER KO 12:30PM

v

LAST MATCH



Another ugly game v Shrewsbury but we finally managed a home league win against them. Windass & FDB had early chances but we had to wait until the 39th minute before McGuiness headed in Bannan's corner. Onto the 2nd half and Moore shot wide for the visitors while Bannan had a shot saved and Gregory put the rebound into the side-netting. The Shrews nearly equalized when Pennington fired just wide but we managed to hold on for 3 more valuable points.

THE MATCH



Next up and a trip to Derby. The Rams are in decent form, unbeaten in five although they have only won 2 of them 5. We haven't won at Derby for 16 years, that's 13 games ago! They currently lie in 8th place and are just 1 point off the playoffs. They are currently managed by Paul Warne who had been in charge at Rotherham for 6 years. They have a number of former Owls & Blades on the books, Wildsmith & NML (OWLS) and McGoldrick, Hourihane & Osula (BLADES), who will all want to put one over us for differing reasons.

ALL TIME H2H

OWLS 45
DERBY 53
DRAWS 41 

CURRENT FORM

OWLS              -                                                                 

DERBY            -                     

EFL STOOGES

DOES IT MATTER THERE ALL CORRUPT  

DEAN WHITESTONE
Daniel Leach and Matthew Smith
Fourth Official : Benjamin Speedie

THE TEAM

Stockdale
Palmer Ihikwe McGuiness Johnson
Bannan Byers FDB
Windass
Gregory Smith

SCORE & SCORER (HOME TEAM SCORE FIRST)

1-1 Smith

ATTENDANCE

N/A

WEDNESDAYS FIRT GOAL TIME

26

BML LEAGUE

Stateside 10
Imre 8
Wash 8
Pieowl 6
Owlskev 6
Maddix 4
SCO 4

OTHER GAMES OF MILD INTEREST

Sunderland v Millwall
Shrewsbury v Lincoln
Gillingham v Salford
Leyton Orient v Bradford City
Halifax v Chesterfield

HHHHA

THE MUPPETT LEAGUE

WEREHAM




KATE BECKINSALE TRIBUTE PIC

Wigan Athletic have appointed former Arsenal and Manchester City defender Kolo Toure as their new manager on a three-and-a-half-year deal.

The 41-year-old replaces Leam Richardson after he was sacked by the Championship club earlier this month.

The Ivorian has spent the past five years coaching at Celtic and Leicester City under Brendan Rodgers but this is his first role in management.

Toure's first game in charge will be the trip to Millwall on 10 December.

Wigan are 22nd in the table, but won their last game against Blackpool before the break for the World Cup.

"We are delighted that Kolo has become the new manager of Wigan Athletic Football Club, and the board are pleased that he is the man to take us forward," chief executive Malachy Brannigan told the club website.

"We received a high calibre of applicants for the manager's job in recent weeks, in a very thorough recruitment process as we looked to appoint the right person for the role.

"From the earliest of conversations we had with Kolo, it was evident to us that he had instantly bought into the values of the club - with his enthusiasm, knowledge and immense desire to work and be part of Wigan Athletic shining throughout the process."

Wigan sacked Richardson after a return of one point from seven Championship matches, having only given him a new three-year contract on 25 October following their League One title in his first full season in charge in 2021-22.

Toure's younger brother, Yaya, who is coaching at Tottenham, had ruled himself out of contention for the Latics role two weeks ago.

Toure was part of the Arsenal's 'Invincibles' side which won Premier League undefeated in 2003-04 and also won the title with Manchester City.

He ended his playing career with Scottish giants Celtic, helping them claim the Premiership title without losing a match in the 2016-17 season before retiring to join their coaching staff in September that year.

Rob Kelly, who had been in caretaker charge since Richardson's exit, will stay on as assistant and former Crawley boss Kevin Betsy and Foxes coach Ashvir Johal have also joined his coaching staff.

Exciting but a step into the unknown
Analysis - Mike Minay, BBC Radio Manchester sport

It's an exciting appointment for Wigan but perhaps one that creates an edge of nervousness due to the element of the unknown.

Kolo Toure clearly feels this is the right opportunity for him. After previously completing his coaching badges and spending the past five years as the right hand man for Brendan Rodgers he's now decided this is the right time and right job for him.

I believe his playing days under Arsene Wenger, Roberto Mancini and later working with Rodgers gives him a grounding for playing football in an attractive way - something that I also believe appealed to the Wigan board.

But, as stated, there's the unknown. Toure has never played or managed in the Championship and now needs to lift a group of players out of form and in the relegation zone of the division.

The freehold of Gillingham's Priestfield Stadium has been transferred to American businessman Brad Galinson.

The Florida-based property magnate has been linked with a takeover of the League Two strugglers.

A 'registration of charge' has been filed with Companies House which shows the Kent club handing over the freehold in exchange for investment.

It could spell the end of owner Paul Scally after 27 years at the club.

In August Scally said he was taking a step back from the day-to-day running of the club due to the abuse he had suffered from fans.

Paul Fisher returned to the club as chief executive.

It has been nearly a year since Scally mentioned talks with parties interested in investing in the club.

On the field Neil Harris' side have struggled for goals, scoring only six times and winning two of their 19 league games so far to leave them in the relegation zone.

Only Middlesbrough chairman Steve Gibson has spent more time in charge of an English Football League club than Scally, who took over in 1995.

In that time his side has has won four promotions and made three play-off finals and they spent five seasons in the Championship from 2000.

Scally out banner
A banner was flown over Priestfield on the final day of the 2021-22 campaign.
Gills were relegated from League One on the final day of last season, a day when some fans flew a banner over Priestfield bearing the slogan 'Win, Lose or Draw - Scally Out.'

'A significant step'

Analysis - BBC Radio Kent sports editor Matt Cole

This is a registration of charge - effectively the transfer of the freehold of the stadium to Brad Galinson. He is now to be the owner of Priestfield and he's been at the centre of rumours about a possible takeover of the club for the past few weeks.

There's no comment from the club, of course. It's not unusual with deals of this nature, taking over a football club is a big deal, there are a lot of Is to be dotted and Ts to be crossed. It's not generally a quick business. Quite often there are non-disclosure agreements as part of the financial negotiations.

It's hard to quantify the percentage of a club the ground or stadium is, very few investors these days look at a club and say 'we just want the business.'

Not being disrespectful to Gillingham, or what Paul Scally has built up over the years, but the club itself, just the business without a ground, does not give investors any scope for development or changes at the ground - it's very difficult for a club to operate like that, without the freehold of the ground.

This is a significant step. Without the ground you just own the business, and a League Two club without its home is a very different investment.

Gills fans have been doing their own due diligence on Galinson for the last few weeks, since his name emerged.

The search engines have been scoured. His business is real estate, he's head of a company in Florida which deals in multi-million pound properties.

Being head of a company like that leads some people to think there's an awful lot of money behind this man.

Also some cynics are saying 'he's in property, he's got the freehold of the stadium, should we be worried?' I don't think so, but we'll see that happens in the days and weeks to come.

It could still be some time. A fit and proper person's test has to be made - whether on him as an individual or on behalf of a trust. We could be looking at weeks rather than months, but I don't think we're looking at new owners being rolled out before the end of the week.

Fans are reading between the lines like we are and thinking this is good for the club, at the moment they are in a poor state in terms of league position and and this could make all the difference in January and the transfer window, if the takeover is happening.

Head coach Richie Wellens has signed a new contract with League Two leaders Leyton Orient until the end of the 2024-25 campaign.

The 42-year-old former Doncaster boss arrived on a two-and-a-half-year deal when he joined from Salford in March.

Having steered the O's to safety last season, Wellens has guided them to a five-point lead at the top of the table after 19 games this term.

"It feels like we could achieve something special together," he said.

"For me, it was an easy decision, we now need to kick on and achieve what is our ultimate aim."

Wellens was appointed with the club 20th in League Two - only four points above the relegation zone - but after only four defeats in the last 13 games Orient finished 13th, 20 points above the bottom two.

The momentum has continued this season with 14 wins and only two defeats from 19 league matches.

Orient director of football Martin Ling called the club's form under Wellens "unbelievable".

"The way that the football side of the club now functions is second to none and we're very pleased to have him commit to us and buy into our longer-term plan," he said.

The World Mixed Doubles Qualification Event is taking place at the Dumfries Ice Bowl in the South of Scotland from Friday 2 December until Wednesday 7 December. A total of 26 teams will be divided into four groups, where they will play a round-robin format. Round-robin play will begin at 5.15pm on Friday 2 December to 7.30pm on Monday 5 December, after which the qualification games for the 4 available places will take place on Tuesday 6 December at 10am and the final games will be at 10am on Wednesday 7 December.

After the round-robin stage, the top two teams in each group will progress to the play-offs. A series of games will then determine the four qualifiers. The format is far too complicated to summarise here, suffice to say that the winners will be determined by the end.

The 26 teams playing in Dumfries are: Austria, China, Chinese Taipei, Croatia, Finland, France, Guyana, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Türkiye, Ukraine and Wales.

Ireland open their qualification bid in Group B against New Zealand at 8.30pm on Friday, followed by Romania at 12.30pm and Mexico at 7.30pm, both on Saturday, and are represented by Alison Fyfe and John Wilson. The Wales duo play in Group A and are Laura Beever and Gary Coombs and they play Portugal at 8.30pm on Friday and also Lithuania at 12.30pm on Saturday afternoon and then France at 7.30pm that night.


No names required

Gary Coombs and Laura Beever

16 teams have already secured their spot in the World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship in Gangneung, Korea in April - Scotland, Switzerland, Germany, Norway, Canada, Sweden, Italy, United States, Japan, Hungary, Australia, Denmark, Czech Republic, Estonia, Korea and England.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/63784262

Hibs playing this Scot Cup tie at ER Stadium. A full house guaranteed and hopefully the home draw and a stirring performance will see us through to the next round. I wonder whether Lee Johnson will still be the Hibs manager by then? An interesting period coming up for Hibs after the Qatar WC tourney and a defining one in the case of Johnson's survival as the current manager of HFC. I notice his first match of the SPL restart is a challenging one - Rangers at Ibronx under an underwhelming new manager named Beale. So, they'll be "up for it" in Beale's intro event and lotsa their players "out to impress".

GGTTH

In the third round, Albion will play Chesterfield away.

Michael Beale has returned to Rangers as manager - leaving Queens Park Rangers after six months in charge of the English Championship club.

The 42-year-old Englishman, who has signed a deal until 2026, replaces the sacked Giovanni van Bronckhorst.

Londoner Beale had been Steven Gerrard's assistant when the Ibrox side won the Scottish title in 2020-21.

He followed Gerrard to Aston Villa in November 2021 before opting to become a manager in his own right.

"I am hugely proud, it is a wonderful, wonderful football club, it is an institution," Beale told the Rangers website.

"For everyone that works here it is a huge privilege, but to be the manager of this football club, that is extremely special. Some wonderful people have sat in this chair prior to me, and I am hugely proud to be the person sat here now."

Beale appointed Rangers manager - reaction
Recruitment key for new manager - Thompson
Beale turned down an approach from Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers when QPR were top of the table in October. They currently lie seventh in England's second tier after five games without a win.

He takes over a Rangers side who dispensed with Van Bronckhorst's services only five months after the Dutchman led them to Scottish Cup triumph and the Europa League final.

They have won just twice in seven outings and trail reigning champions Celtic by nine points.

Having had spells with Charlton Athletic, Twente in the Netherlands and in the United States, Beale's playing career ended when he was just 21.

After investing in a futsal facility in London, he was involved with the Chelsea and Liverpool academies and also had a spell as assistant at Brazilian club Sao Paulo.

"I am pleased to welcome Michael back to Rangers," said sporting director Ross Wilson. "I know how excited he is about everything that comes with the prestige of being Rangers manager.

"Equally our players and staff at both the training ground and at Ibrox are looking forward to working with Michael. He has a clear plan and will get to work with the group straight away along with the technical and support staff."

QPR director of football Les Ferdinand added: "Naturally we are hugely disappointed to lose Mick.

"Our extensive research when we were looking for a new head coach highlighted him as being very much aligned with the direction we are moving in as a football club.

"The start to the season we have made, coupled with very attractive football being played, gave us cause for optimism as we looked to build on the previous three seasons.

"That optimism remains but there is no doubt it is a blow to lose Mick so soon into his tenure."

League Two strugglers Crawley Town have appointed Matthew Etherington as their new manager.

The former Tottenham and West Ham winger has been under-21 manager at boyhood club Peterborough.

He has signed an 18-month contract and will be assisted by his former Posh and Spurs team-mate Simon Davies.

Etherington told the club website: "I am extremely excited. This is a great opportunity for both myself and Simon, and we are raring to go."

Earlier on Sunday evening, Town announced interim boss Lewis Young had left after guiding the Red Devils to 12 points from seven games in charge following the sacking of Kevin Betsy last month.

Former England Under-21 international Etherington began his coaching career with Peterborough Under-18s but stepped up to become then-boss Darren Ferguson's assistant last year before a stint in interim charge in February.

After his spell with the first team Etherington took charge of the under-21s, with Davies as his assistant.

Etherington said: "I have had really positive discussions with the owners. It is clear to see that this club is set up to be successful.

"I have known Simon since we were 11. He is a very important person to me and is an excellent coach, so I am delighted that he is joining me here.

"The biggest thing for me is attacking and scoring goals. If you can get that right, along with a lot of other things, you have always got a chance."

Crawley director of football Chris Galley said: "Matthew and Simon both impressed me during the recruitment process, and it was clear to see that their ambitions match those of the club.

"We are well into the season now and are naturally wanting to push our way up the table as much as possible. I am confident that Matthew and Simon are the right people to ensure that happens.

"I would also like to thank Peterborough for their help in this process and for allowing us to take two valuable members of their coaching staff. This is a great opportunity for the pair of them."

Posh chairman Darragh MacAnthony wished the "Posh legends" well and told the club website: "Crawley have got themselves two amazing coaches."

Lewis Young
Lewis Young, the younger brother of Aston Villa's Ashley Young, played more than 200 games for the Red Devils
The departing Young, 33, spent more than eight years with Crawley as a player, coach and two stints as caretaker manager.

He made over 200 appearances for the Red Devils before joining the coaching team at the Broadfield Stadium in 2021.

He served as assistant to Betsy, who was only recruited in the summer as a replacement for John Yems, who left following racism and discriminatory conduct allegations.

However, former Arsenal Under-23s boss Betsy won just one of his 12 league games in charge and was dismissed after four months, with the club bottom of the English Football League.

That time of the year again, what dubious 600 mile away round trip will we get this time