https://www.hibernianfc.co.uk/article/jo...-encounter

Lee Johnson expecting an exciting match. However, he said the same thing re our last away fixture v Celtic albeit a different proposition v the Scot Prem Champions. The Dons were absolutely rank rotten in their last match at Ibronx, an absolute disgrace v a team that had a good "going over" in Naples a few days before their match. They have a decent home record though. Therefore, Hibs need to be defensively strong from start to finish. Boyly out injured! Where is McGeady after months of waiting for his return? I really hope we get a positive result tonight and start pushing to grab that 3rd top spot - GOTTA EARN IT THOUGH!! IMO this is gonna be a tough match v opposition that we can definitely beat. I think we need to "battle" for it all the same and effectively fight to keep up the momentum until the World Cup temp closure of fixtures. C'mon Hibs! Keep it going!!

GGTTH

Premier League

Derby 13pts 1CS 6CR -3GB 3BB 1SB
Stairs 11pts 3CS 4CR 0GB -3BB 0SB
Zinman 11pts 2CS 4CR -3GB 3BB 1SB
Minizin 9pts 1CS 4CR -3GB 3BB 1SB
Blue Baggie 8pts 1CS 6CR -3GB -3BB 0SB
SCO 8pts 0CS 5CR -3GB 3BB 0SB
Snooty 7pts 0CS 4CR -3GB 3BB 1SB
Sanjay 6pts 1CS 3CR -3GB 3BB 0SB

A close week with just 7 points between top and bottom of the table. Not a single point scored from the gamball with only Stairs policy of not playing it preventing a maximum loss of points. Bonuses proved slightly easier with only 2 failures.

Derby sits on top with his 4th double figure score in a row as he continues the defence of his title. He scored from 6 games, the best performance this week, though, like everyone was denied a higher score due to his gamball. Stairs and Zinman share 2nd place with 11 points, Stairs converting 3 of his 4 correct results into maximums while Zinman was the only other player to get more than 1 score correct. Minizin chose a bad week to be brave with his gamball but at least gained some respectability with points from both of his other balls.

Blue Baggie had a mixed week - he joins Derby in scoring from 6 games but failed to gain anything from his 3 balls to keep him in mid-table just ahead of SCO, one of just 2 players to fail to get a correct score. 1 point further back is Snooty whose lack of faith in Huddersfield cost him points but he did enough to stay off the foot of the table where we find Sanjay, his recent run of form coming to a shuddering halt.

Derby 108
Snooty 91
Minizin 90
Zinman 83
Sanjay 81
SCO 81
Stairs 74
Blue 45

Congrats to Derby, the first player in the Premiership to cross the 100 point mark and he's beginning to open up a gap to the chasing pack. Snooty and Minizin stay 2nd and 3rd separated by just a single point while the usual shuffling goes on in mid-table with Zinman climbing 2 places but just 2 points now separating 4th to 6th place. Stairs isn't far behind leaving Blue Baggie alone at the foot of the table.

Zin


Championship

BaggieOne 15pts 0CS 5CR 5GB 3BB 1SB
Twerton 13pts 1CS 5CR -3GB 3BB 1SB
Amelia 11pts 0CS 5CR 5GB -3BB 1SB
BBB 10pts 2CS 2CR NPGB -3BB 1SB
AAA 10pts 1CS 4CR NPGB -3BB 1SB
Dingle 9pts 1CS 2CR -3GB 3BB 1SB
Lady Jane 6pts 0CS 3CR 5GB -3BB 0SB
Themaclad 4pts 0CS 5CR -3GB -3BB 0SB

BaggieOne returns to the top of the weekly scores for the first time in a while with 15 points. He scored on half the games and crucially scored on all his balls!! Twerton was in 2nd spot with 13 points, a season high for him and a week that must give him some hope of climbing the table. Amelia kept up her steady form with 11 points, closely followed by the alphabet boys, BBB and AAA, who each scored 10 points.

Dingle slipped a bit this week and finished on 9 points with Lady Jane on 6 and Themaclad on 4 bringing up the rear.

138 Dingle
114 BaggieOne
102 Lady Jane
92 Themaclad
89 BBB
84 AAA
65 Amelia
51 Twerton

No positional changes in the table this week but BaggieOne closed the gap on Dingle a bit. There are now three players over the 100 point mark now with Dingle being joined by BaggieOne and Lady Jane. Only 8 points separate Themaclad, BBB and AAA, so those positions could change soon. Amelia and Twerton are still somewhat adrift despite their good performances this week.

Cheers
SCO

Bradford 2-0 Harrogate
Barrow 2-1 Mansfield
Buxton 3-1 Merthyr Town
Charlton 3-1 Coalville Town
Chesterfield 1-0 Northampton
Crawley 0-2 Accrington
MK Dons 0-1 Taunton Town
Shrewsbury 0-1 York
Stockport 2-1 Swindon
Sutton United 2-0 Farnborough
Weymouth 2-1 Wimbledon
Wycombe 2-1 Walsall

League Table After Matchday 18
Devon - 397
Lord Snoots - 369
Amelia - 345
SaltergateBorn - 328
Dancing - 322
St Charles Owl - 310
Spireitematt - 271

Hull City have appointed Liam Rosenior as their new head coach on a two-and-a-half-year deal.

The 38-year-old spent five seasons with the Tigers as a player between 2010 and 2015.

Rosenior started the season in interim charge of League One side Derby County and replaces Shota Arveladze after the Georgian was sacked in September.

He was at Tuesday's home defeat by Middlesbrough and his first game in charge will be at Millwall on Saturday.

Rosenior made 144 league appearances in his time with the Tigers and was part of the side that won promotion to the Premier League in 2013 and reached the FA Cup final the following year.

He left for Brighton after Steve Bruce's side were relegated from the Premier League in 2015 and retired from playing after the Seagulls won promotion to the top flight in 2017.

Hull are one point and one place above the Championship relegation zone.

The club have announced that Andy Dawson, who won three of his seven matches in caretaker charge, will remain on the coaching staff.

Liam Rosenior
Rosenior played in the FA Cup final for Hull in 2014 as they lost 3-2 to Arsenal in extra time
Rosenior, whose father Leroy managed in the English Football League with Torquay and Brentford, initially joined Derby as a coach under Philip Cocu in July 2019 before stepping up to become Wayne Rooney's assistant in January 2021.

The Rams were deducted 21 points last season after entering administration and the duo were unable to keep them in the Championship.

Rooney decided to leave in June and new owner David Clowes placed Rosenior in interim charge for the start of the season.

He oversaw a huge rebuild of the squad, with 14 new players brought in, and lost just three of his 12 matches in charge, but left in September when Paul Warne was appointed.

The Tigers picked up 11 points in their first six games of the season under Arveladze.

However, owner Acun Ilicali sacked the former Rangers forward hours before a home match against Luton after a subsequent run of four successive defeats.

Talks were held with former Olympiakos boss Pedro Martins last month but they were unable to reach an agreement and have now turned to Rosenior instead.

LAST TIME OUT



FORM GUIDE

READING 5 PNE 11

Paul Ince

Swindon Town (player-coach)
Ince signed a one-year contract with Swindon Town as a player/coach on 31 August 2006. Swindon beat the likes of Birmingham City and West Bromwich Albion for his signature. A key factor in the transfer was Ince's long standing friendship with Town manager Dennis Wise, who had played alongside him in the England team during the 1990s.[53] He made his first start for Swindon in his second game, the 2–1 victory over MK Dons on 12 September, winning a penalty.[54] Having played one more game, he ended his contract by mutual consent on 6 October, citing long travel times from his home in Chester. He said he would remain for his coaching badges.[55]

Macclesfield Town
On 23 October 2006, Ince was confirmed as the new player-manager of Macclesfield Town in succession to Brian Horton. However, he was ineligible to play for the Silkmen until January when the transfer window opened, as Swindon Town still held his registration.[56] He joined Macclesfield with the club bottom of League Two, seven points off their nearest rivals. He then revived confidence and after a 3–0 win against Chester they managed to climb off the bottom of the table. They subsequently avoided relegation, albeit on the last day of the season. On 4 January 2007 Ince was named as League Two Manager of the Month for December. Ince retired as a player while at Macclesfield, where he only made one league appearance, as an 85th-minute substitute for Alan Navarro in a 1–1 home draw with Notts County on 5 May that saved the team from relegation.[57][58]

Milton Keynes Dons (2007–08)
Ince was unveiled as the new Milton Keynes Dons manager along with his assistant Ray Mathias and fitness coach Duncan Russell on 25 June 2007.[59] The Dons reached the top of their Division in September 2007[60] and other clubs began to take a serious interest. In October and November 2007, he denied rumours that he was being linked with managerless Premier League teams Wigan Athletic,[61] Derby County[62] and Championship team Norwich City.[63]

Ince was named as League Two Manager of the Month in October and December 2007, and again in April 2008.[64][65][66]

Ince's first silverware as manager came in the Football League Trophy final at Wembley on 30 March 2008, with MK Dons defeating Grimsby Town 2–0.[67] He then secured the Dons' return to League One on 19 April after they beat Stockport County 3–2.[68] A week later, the Dons became League Two champions after they beat Bradford City 2–1.[69]

Blackburn Rovers
In the close-season it was speculated that Ince had been contacted by Blackburn Rovers in their search to appoint a new manager, something that Ince himself denied.[70] However, the BBC reported that Ince would be named as Blackburn manager by the end of the week of 19 June.[71] He was appointed on 22 June and became the first black British manager in England's top division.[4] On the first day of the 2008–09 FA Premier League season, Blackburn won 3–2 against Everton at Goodison Park on 16 August.[72] Ince's 2008 summer signings included England international goalkeeper Paul Robinson, Danny Simpson (Loan), Vince Grella, Carlos Villanueva (Loan), Robbie Fowler, Mark Bunn and Keith Andrews, spending over £10 million on Robinson, Grella and Andrews.[73]

After winning just three games in 17, Ince was sacked on 16 December 2008 after just six months in charge.[74] He had been with Blackburn only 177 days, one of the shortest reigns of a Premier League manager.[75] Blackburn fans had been demanding his removal following a 5–3 loss to Manchester United at Old Trafford in the League Cup on 3 December. At the game, the crowd could be heard chanting "You don't know what you're doing" and "We want Incey out" as well as singing the name of their former manager Graeme Souness.[76]

Milton Keynes Dons (2009–10)
On 3 July 2009, Ince signed again for Milton Keynes Dons on a two-year deal.[77][78] During Ince's second spell the Dons were less successful, finishing in 13th place in League One. On 16 April 2010, he announced that he would leave the job a year early, at the end of the 2009–10 season.[79]

Notts County
Ince returned to management on 28 October 2010, signing a three-year deal with Notts County.[80] On 3 April 2011 he left the club by mutual consent after a run of five successive defeats left them in 19th, two points above the relegation zone.[81]

Blackpool
On 18 February 2013, Blackpool appointed Ince as manager on a one-year rolling contract. He had been watching the team, for which his son Tom played, in person for over a year.[82] Ince took charge of his first match as Blackpool manager on 20 February 2013, a 2–0 defeat against Leeds United at Elland Road.[83] He earned his first win on 9 March 2013, a 2–1 victory against Watford at Vicarage Road.[84]

Under Ince, Blackpool made their best-ever start to a league season. Their victory at AFC Bournemouth on 14 September 2013 gave them 16 points out of a possible 18, with five wins and a draw in their first six games.[85] Following the game at Bournemouth, Ince was given a five-match stadium ban by The Football Association for his conduct towards a match official in the tunnel after the game. The FA concluded that his behaviour had constituted violent conduct. He was also fined £4,000.[86] Ince left Blackpool on 21 January 2014, after less than a year in charge, becoming their fourth-shortest-serving manager in their history (40 league games). Under his management, Blackpool won 12 out of 42 games and had not won since 30 November 2013.[87]

Reading
On 19 February 2022, Ince and Michael Gilkes were announced as interim managers of Championship side Reading.[88] On his debut three days later, the team won 2–1 at home to Birmingham City.[89] Despite losing 3–0 to Hull City on 23 April, Ince guided Reading to safety with two games left to play, ensuring Championship football for the club in the 2022–23 season.[90] In May 2022, Ince was given the manager’s job on a permanent basis along with assistant Alex Rae who was also given a permanent role.[91]

Reading landmark

Reading Abbey is a large, ruined abbey in the centre of the town of Reading, in the English county of Berkshire. It was founded by Henry I in 1121 "for the salvation of my soul, and the souls of King William, my father, and of King William, my brother, and Queen Maud, my wife, and all my ancestors and successors." In its heyday the abbey was one of Europe's largest royal monasteries. The traditions of the Abbey are continued today by the neighbouring St James's Church, which is partly built using stones of the Abbey ruins.[1][2]

Reading Abbey was the focus of a major £3 million project called "Reading Abbey Revealed" which conserved the ruins and Abbey Gateway and resulted in them being re-opened to the public on 16 June 2018. Alongside the conservation, new interpretation of the Reading Abbey Quarter was installed, including a new gallery at Reading Museum, and an extensive activity programme.[3][4]

Abbey Ward of Reading Borough Council takes its name from Reading Abbey, which lies within its boundaries. Now HM Prison Reading is on the site.

In The Dressing Room

Ben Whiteman will miss the next two games prior to the international break due to a small tear in his thigh which forced him off in the first half on Tuesday night.

Patrick Bauer stepped up his return to fitness during the week, playing 45 minutes in the Central League, and he'll continue training with the first team this week.

Troy Parrott remains sidelined but is making good progress as he is now using just the one brace as he continues to nurse his hamstring injury.

A Look At Our Hosts


Having finished just above the Championship drop zone last season, things started much better for the Royals this term, winning seven of their opening 11 league games.

It’s been just one win in the seven games since, though, and Paul Ince will be looking for his side to use their home advantage on Friday night, as they have done so often this season.

The Royals are one of the division’s top performers on home turf – taking 19 points from nine games in Berkshire – compared to their return of just seven from nine away from home.

Going Head To Head


Games played: 65
PNE wins: 25
Draws: 13
Reading wins: 27
Last PNE victory: Reading 0-3 PNE, 4th November 2020

One To Watch


After what has no doubt been a frustrating few years for Tom Ince, in which he hasn’t managed to play as many minutes as he’d have liked, things seem to have fallen into place for the attacking midfielder at Reading.

Having spent the second half of last season on loan in Berkshire, he signed a three-year contract with the club this summer, and his dad Paul – Reading manager – appears to have got him back to his best.

Ince has been used in several different areas at the top end of the pitch this season and currently sits as the Royals’ top scorer with four goals to his name, as well as three assists.

Match Officials


David Webb will be the man in the middle for Friday’s fixture.

Webb last took charge of a PNE game in April earlier this year, when North End came out 3-1 winners away to Barnsley, while he also refereed the Lilywhites’ 1-0 victory over Blackpool at Deepdale.

So far this season, Webb has taken charge of 15 fixtures, showing 43 yellow cards and four reds – with all of those sendings off coming in a recent 3-3 draw between Sheffield United and Blackpool.

https://www.readingfc.co.uk/

Newbies

https://www.sportsbabble.co.uk/showthread.php?tid=11483

MACS VIEW

The hectic schedule continues with a Friiday night game against a Reading side who lost a bit of form in recent weeks, still be tough opponents though at a venue where we are occasionally successful although not when I've ever been, lost everytime
No Whiteman plnty of time to get him fit seeing the break for the Qatar Bribery Cup starts week after next, will settle for a point which would round off a decent week. It's on the box and from the armchair I will be watching

I wasn`t planning on going over for any mid-week games this year: I`m not overly keen on driving any distance in bad weather in the dark these days. However, as I`d already bought and printed-off my ticket for the original postponed game I though I may as well use it. So I went last night.

Not the best game I`ve ever seen, but certainly not the worst either. Three goals definitely out of the top drawer and on the whole we deserved the win; there`s no question that their `keeper had far more to do than Fitzsimons. In fact, I don`t think Gateshead posed much of a threat at all up front apart from the goal; and that came from Jeff King bombing forward as he does and leaving us exposed at the back. Beautifully hit, though; I was right behind the line of it and it was going in from the moment it left his boot.

Pretty much the same old same old, really. We were very loose in midfield at times (we gave the ball away in the wrong places, which made us vulnerable to a counter-attack. I seem to remember that`s how the move to their goal started and a better team might have made us pay more heavily for it) and we need to be far more clinical up front. Several chances not taken and yet again we could and should have won by more, although there were a couple of off-sides given in the first half that were apparently a bit contentious. From where I was sitting I honestly have no idea whether they were off or not.

King and Whelan combined well down the right wing, which is where most of our threat came from in the first half. After the break, they strengthened their defense on that side which brought Dobra more into it on the other side, I thought. He still isn`t back to his pre-injury form yet, though. Interesting that he was the last one off the pitch at the end; a good few minutes after the final whistle he was still out there letting some of the kids in the crowd take a selfie with him. Nice touch, that; I applaud him for doing it.

Anyway, that`s how I saw it. Three more points, which is good; especially as County dropped a couple.

Gamball:
Sheffield Utd - Burnley

Others:
Nottingham Forest - Brentford
Wolves - Brighton
Everton - Leicester
Blackpool - Luton
Stoke - Birmingham
Chelsea - Arsenal
Aston Villa - Man UItd
West Ham - Crystal Palace
Spurs - Liverpool

Altrincham 1-1 Wealdstone
Barnet 2-1 Southend
Chesterfield 3-1 Gateshead
Eastleigh 2-0 Scunthorpe
Halifax 1-1Dorking
Maidstone United 1-0 Solihull Moors
Notts County 2-2 Bromley
Torquay 1-2 Aldershot
Woking 3-1 Yeovil
Wrexham 1-1 Maidenhead

LAST TIME OUT



FORM GUIDE

PNE 8 SWANSEA 11

Manager
Russell Martin

Milton Keynes Dons
On 3 November 2019, following the departure of manager Paul Tisdale, Martin was announced as the new permanent first-team manager of League One club Milton Keynes Dons – the club he had joined as a player earlier in the year.[44] Following his appointment, the club finished 19th in League One, with the season finishing prematurely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[45]

Martin, alongside assistant Luke Williams, installed a possession-based style of play at the club which received widespread plaudits.[46] On 2 March 2021, Martin's side scored after a 56-pass move, a new British record at the time.[47] At the culmination of the 2020–21 season, only Manchester City and Barcelona had a higher average possession percentage in Europe than Martin's MK Dons.[47][48] His team also had the most touches in the opposition box in League One,[49] despite mixed results throughout the season which saw the club finishing 13th in the league.[50]

On 31 July 2021, MK Dons confirmed that Championship club Swansea City had requested to speak to Martin about him becoming their new manager.[51]

Swansea City
On 1 August 2021, Martin was named head coach of Swansea City, signing a three-year contract.[52] He was appointed six days before the first game of the 2021–22 Championship season.[52] He was joined by his assistants Luke Williams, Matthew Gill, and Dean Thornton.[52]

His first game in charge was a 2–1 away loss to Blackburn Rovers, which was followed by a 3–0 away win against Reading in the EFL Cup.[53][54] Martin's first home game was a 0–0 draw with Sheffield United at the Swansea.com Stadium.[55] On 20 August, Martin won his first league game as Swansea beat Bristol City 1–0.[56] In October, Martin led Swansea to a 3–0 win against rivals Cardiff City in the South Wales derby.[57] Later in the season, Swansea beat Cardiff 4–0 in the reverse fixture; Swansea became the first side to complete the league double in the derby's 110-year history.[58] Martin said, "I have not felt as emotional as this after a game... to watch the backroom staff and the players enjoy that with the supporters was the best moment I've had as a manager I'd say."[59]

In his first season at the club, Swansea finished 15th in the league.[60]

FAMOUS SWANSEA PERSON WHO WON'T BE AT THE GAME

Catherine Zeta-Jones CBE (/ˈziːtə/; born 25 September 1969)[a] is a Welsh actress. Known for her versatility, she is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and a Tony Award. In 2010, she was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for her film and humanitarian work.

Born and raised in Swansea, Zeta-Jones aspired to be an actress from a young age. As a child, she played roles in the West End productions of the musicals Annie and Bugsy Malone. She studied musical theatre at the Arts Educational Schools, London and made her stage breakthrough with a leading role in a 1987 production of 42nd Street. Her screen debut came in the unsuccessful French-Italian film 1001 Nights (1990), and she went on to find greater success as a regular in the British television series The Darling Buds of May (1991–1993). Dismayed at being typecast as the token pretty girl in British films, Zeta-Jones relocated to Los Angeles. She established herself in Hollywood with roles that highlighted her sex appeal, such as in the action film The Mask of Zorro (1998) and the heist film Entrapment (1999).

Zeta-Jones received critical acclaim for her performances as a vengeful pregnant woman in Traffic (2000) and a murderous singer in the musical Chicago (2002), winning the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for the latter. She starred in high-profile films for much of the decade, including the black comedy Intolerable Cruelty (2003), the heist film Ocean's Twelve (2004), the comedy The Terminal (2004), and the romantic comedy No Reservations (2007). Parts in smaller-scale features were followed by a decrease in workload, during which she returned to the stage and played an ageing actress in a Broadway production of A Little Night Music (2009), winning a Tony Award. Zeta-Jones continued to work intermittently in the 2010s, starring in the films Side Effects (2013), Red 2 (2013) and Dad's Army (2016), as well as the television miniseries Feud: Bette & Joan (2017), in which she portrayed actress Olivia de Havilland.

Aside from acting, Zeta-Jones is a brand endorser and supports various charitable causes. Her struggle with depression and bipolar II disorder has been well documented by the media. She is married to actor Michael Douglas, with whom she has two children.

To think John Blue Peter Leslie went out with her

In The Dressing Room

There should be no fresh injury concerns for manager Ryan Lowe to worry about, with all of his players seemingly coming through the weekend’s victory over Middlesbrough unscathed.

Andrew Hughes made his return from injury in that fixture, while Alan Browne was also in the starting XI to make his 350th appearance for the club.

Long-term absentee Troy Parrott will miss out, while Patrick Bauer will also be unavailable as he continues to build his fitness following a return to training.

A Look At Our Visitors


After finishing 15th last season during Russell Martin’s first year at the club, Swansea City are now looking to push for a place in the top six come the end of the campaign.

They’re well-placed as things stand going into Tuesday night, currently occupying that final Play-Off spot, and they’ve won seven times in their past ten league games.

It took some time for former MK Dons boss Martin to implement his possession-based style of football, but the Swans are now averaging over 60 per cent each game, and making good use of it too.

Going Head To Head


Games played: 67
PNE wins: 22
Draws: 18
Swansea City wins: 27
Last victory: PNE 3-1 Swansea City, 28th August 2021

One To Watch

After missing the past three games through suspension, Swansea’s top scorer Joël Piroe will be back available to Russell Martin on Tuesday night.

The Dutch striker – who netted 22 league goals in his debut campaign in England last term – has four goals to his name so far this season, but has missed the chance to build on that tally in recent weeks following his red card against Burnley earlier in the month.

Republic of Ireland international Michael Obafemi has been used as the sole striker in Piroe’s absence, but the 23-year-old will be hoping he can slot straight back into the starting XI.

Match Officials

John Busby will referee his second PNE game of the season on Tuesday evening.

Busby took charge of North End’s 1-0 victory away to Coventry City earlier in the campaign, and it was only last season that he first refereed PNE in the Championship.

Busby has shown 47 yellow cards and two reds in 12 matches so far this season, and he will be assisted by Rob Smith and Geoffrey Liddle on Tuesday, with Geoff Eltringham the fourth official.



MACS VIEW

The EFL have a great idea of having local derbies at night matches hopefully the Swans fans making the mammoth round trip will arrive home safely sometime on Wednesday morning pointless but that will depend on whether we get the ball from then and if we can do anything with it. A new found sense of optimism around Deepdale as we actually scored two and doubled our goal tally at home this season. Swans are doing decently this season oin the play off zone and given the nature of the league this season have every chance of going close
Going back years remember Toshack bringing his newly promoted side to Deepdale and spending the entire second half passing back to keeper from the half way line hopefully will not be like that tomorrow