Bamber Bridge 17/7/24 19.00 hrs

From the club website

The draw for the 2024/25 Premier Sports Cup took place today (29 May) at Hampden Park!

The Hibees have been drawn in Group C alongside Queen's Park, Kelty Hearts, Peterhead and Elgin City.

Each team will play each other once, with the first fixture round taking place on the weekend of July 13/14.

Matchdays

MD1: Weekend of July 13/14, 2024

MD2: Midweek of July 16/17, 2024

MD3: Weekend of July 20/21, 2024

MD4: Midweek of July 23/24, 2024

MD5: Weekend of July 27/28, 2024

Each club will play on four out of the five above matchdays.

As per previous years, the eight group winners and three best runners-up will join Celtic, Rangers, Hearts, Kilmarnock and St Mirren in the draw for the last 16.

The last 16 is scheduled to take place on the weekend of 17/18 August, 2024!

Norwich City have appointed FC Nordsjaelland manager Johannes Hoff Thorup as their new head coach on a three-year contract.

The 35-year-old Dane replaces David Wagner, who was sacked following the Canaries' 4-0 defeat by Leeds United in the Championship play-offs.

Norwich finished sixth in the table under Wagner and his replacement will prepare the Carrow Road club for a third successive season in England's second tier.

Thorup has been in charge of Danish top-flight side Nordsjaelland since January 2023, having been promoted from his role as assistant coach.

"I'm excited, I hope that the supporters are excited as well," Thorup told the club website., external

"I hope that we can create something together, it's so important that they are proud of the team.

"I have my ideas and I have my principles in the way that we are going to play, but I am also here to listen to some of the good stuff that has already been done.

"I have to make sure that I am very clear that this is something that we do together and everyone has to have that feeling."

After taking over at Nordsjaelland, Thorup guided them to a second-place finish in 2022-23 to earn a spot in the qualifying rounds of the Europa Conference League.

And in his first full season in charge this term, he took the club to the group stage of the European competition and oversaw a fourth-place finish in the Danish Superliga table.

Swindon Town have appointed former Lincoln City boss Mark Kennedy as their new head coach on a two-year contract.

Kennedy left the Imps in October 2023 after 18 months in the job, winning 18 of his 57 league games in charge.

The 48-year-old previously briefly managed Macclesfield and worked as a coach at Ipswich and Birmingham before joining Lincoln.

Swindon endured one of their worst campaigns in 2023-24, finishing 19th in League Two, four places above the relegation zone.

Former Republic of Ireland winger Kennedy retired from playing in 2012 after a career that included spells at Millwall, Liverpool, Manchester City, Wolves, Crystal Palace and Cardiff City.

He said he was "looking forward" to the project already in place at the club.

"I also think it's crucial we look forward now and plan for the future with the exciting plans here at this sleeping giant of a football club, which I'm confident we can all achieve if we're all pulling in the same direction," Kennedy said.

Kennedy becomes Swindon's fifth permanent manager since July 2021, following Ben Garner, Scott Lindsey, Jody Morris and Michael Flynn.

Flynn left in January after only eight months at the helm, with development phase and loans manager Gavin Gunning taking interim charge for the rest of the season.

However, Swindon only won five out of 18 games under Gunning - after winning only nine earlier under Flynn - and ended the season with their lowest league position in 40 years.

"His [Kennedy's] approach and coaching style will provide strong leadership, motivation and guidance to all players," said Swindon's head of football Jamie Russell.

"His coaching qualities can also help every player to develop regardless of age due to his experience in coaching at Category 1 academies, working with first-team players across the EFL [English Football League] and finally from being an elite player who has represented his country on several occasions and played in solely the top two tiers of English football."


Off the field, Swindon have also endured a turbulent time over the past 12 months.

Fan club Trust STFC called for owner Clem Morfuni to sell the club earlier this month, writing in an open letter that they had "lost confidence and trust" in the leadership.

Morfuni, who took over in 2021, was fined in March by the EFL for failing to declare a transfer of shares in Swindon while in January the club was placed under a transfer embargo for late HMRC payments.

Kennedy said that connection between the club and fans was "vital" to the team's success.

"That's something that I'm committed to and I hope that I can continue to grow and make stronger whilst I'm here," he said.

ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024: Overview

The ICC Men's T20 World Cup, the ninth edition of the International Cricket Council's (ICC) biennial T20 International (T20I) competition, will take place in 2024. This is the first-ever ICC World Cup competition to include games in the Americas other than the West Indies, including the United States. The United States and the West Indies will co-host it, and it is scheduled to take place from June 1 to June 29, 2024. England returns as the defending champion, having defeated Pakistan in the final of the previous event.
This competition features a record 20 teams, up from the 16 teams who participated in the 2022 edition. The eight top teams from the 2022 competition, the next two teams, eight teams selected through regional qualifying, and the top eight teams in the ICC Men's T20I Team Rankings are among the participating teams, in addition to the two hosts. Notably, Canada and Uganda secure their first-ever participation in the men's T20 World Cup, while the United States makes its debut as co-host.

Format

There will be four groups of five teams each from the 20 qualifying teams. The Super 8 round will be reached by the top two teams from each group. The qualifying teams will be divided into two groups of four at this point. There will be two semi-finals and a final in the knockout stage, with the top two teams from each group advancing.
The United States and the West Indies will host the 2024 Men's T20 World Cup, according to an announcement made by the International Cricket Council (ICC) in November 2021. As part of a strategic cooperation between the two associations, this came after a joint bid by USA Cricket and Cricket West Indies.

Teams and Qualification

The two hosts and the top eight teams from the 2022 competition automatically advanced to the event. As of November 14, 2022, the top-ranked teams in the ICC Men's T20I Team Rankings claimed the final two automatic qualification spots. The eight spots that remained were filled through the ICC's regional qualifications, which included one team each from the Americas and East Asia-Pacific groups, as well as two teams each from Africa, Asia, and Europe.

The ICC validated the sub-regional qualification routes for Africa, East Asia-Pacific, and Europe in May 2022. The first two teams to qualify were Scotland and Ireland from the Europe qualifier, and then Papua New Guinea from the East Asia-Pacific qualifier in July 2023. After winning their last Americas Qualifier match against Bermuda, Canada was able to secure their qualification in October 2023. After making it to the Asia Qualifier final in Nepal, both Nepal and Oman qualified the following month. Zimbabwe was the only Test-playing nation to miss out on qualification, with Namibia and Uganda emerging as the final two sides to advance after guaranteeing a top-two result in the Africa Qualifier.

Match officials
On May 3, 2024, the ICC announced the match referees and umpires for the tournament's first stage.

Match referees

• David Boon
  
• Jeff Crowe
  
• Ranjan Madugalle
  
• Andy Pycroft
  
• Richie Richardson
  
• Javagal Srinath
  

• Chris Brown
  
• Kumar Dharmasena
  
• Chris Gaffaney
  
• Michael Gough
  
• Adrian Holdstock
  
• Richard Illingworth
  
• Allahudien Paleker
  
• Richard Kettleborough
  
• Jayaraman Madanagopal
  
• Nitin Menon
  
• Sam Nogajski
  
• Ahsan Raza
  
• Rashid Riaz
  
• Paul Reiffel
  
• Langton Rusere
  
• Sharfuddoula
  
• Rod Tucker
  
• Alex Wharf
  
• Joel Wilson
  
• Asif Yaqoob
  

• New Zealand was the first team to reveal its tournament roster, on April 29, 2024. South Africa, India, and England revealed their squads the next day. Australia, Afghanistan, Oman, and Nepal had also disclosed their squads by the filing deadline of May 1. On May 2, 2024, Canada revealed their team for the T20 World Cup.
  
• On May 3, 2024, hosts West Indies and the United States confirmed their teams; on May 6, 2024, entrants Uganda and Scotland did the same. On May 7, 2024, Ireland and Papua New Guinea revealed their squads; Sri Lanka did the same on May 9, 2024. On May 10, 2024, Namibia released their roster; on May 13, 2024, the Netherlands did the same. Pakistan is anticipated to reveal their team following their first Twenty20 International match against England and prior to the ICC deadline of May 25, 2024. Bangladesh released their squad on May 14, 2024.
  

• The Nassau County International Cricket Stadium is a temporary stadium located on Long Island that will be finished by the end of May 2024. The proposed design for the stadium was unveiled by the ICC on January 17, 2024.
  

• India
  
• Pakistan
  
• Canada
  
• Ireland
  
• United States
  

• England
  
• Australia
  
• Namibia
  
• Scotland
  
• Oman
  
  

• New zealand
  
• West Indies
  
• Afghanistan
  
• Uganda
  
• Papua New Guinea
  

• South Africa
  
• Sri lanka
  
• Bangladesh
  
• Nepal
  
• Netherlands
  

• Group Matches: 2024 June 1–June 17
  
• June 19, 2024 – June 24, 2024 (Super 8)
  
• June for the Semi-Finals
  
• June 29, 2024 (Reserve Day) is the last day.
  

• Group A: Canada, USA, India, Pakistan, Ireland
  
• Group B: Oman, Namibia, Scotland, Australia, and England
  
• Group C: Afghanistan, Uganda, Papua New Guinea, West Indies, and New Zealand
  
• Group D: Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, South Africa, and the Netherlands
  

• 40 matches in the group stage
  
• Twelve Super Eight games
  
• Two Semi-Finals
  
• One final
  

• Antigua and Barbuda: Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, North Sound
  
• Barbados: Kensington Oval, Bridgetown
  
• Guyana: Guyana National Stadium, Georgetown
  
• Saint Lucia: Daren Sammy Cricket Ground, Gros Islet
  
• Saint Vincent and the Grenadines: Arnos Vale Stadium, Kingstown
  
• Trinidad and Tobago: Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Tarouba
  

• Florida: Broward County Stadium, Lauderhill
  
• New York: Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, Nassau County
  
• Texas: Grand Prairie Cricket Stadium, Dallas
  

Jude Bellingham Has a "Huge Opportunity" to Win Ballon d'Or with a Stellar Euro 2024 Performance for England - Michael Owen


Michael Owen believes that Jude Bellingham has a "massive chance" to win the Ballon d'Or if he performs well in the UEFA Champions League final and if England advances far in Euro 2024.


Owen, who won the prestigious individual honor in 2001, recognizes the significance of the award. Bellingham, who has been instrumental in Real Madrid's 36th La Liga title this season, could become the first Englishman to win the Ballon d'Or since Owen, who was 22 when he triumphed over Raul and Oliver Kahn. The former Birmingham City midfielder is now one of the top contenders for the award.


With a Champions League final—broadcast live on TNT Sports and discovery+—against his former club Borussia Dortmund and the opportunity to win England's first major trophy since 1966, Michael Owen believes that Jude Bellingham could clinch the prestigious Ballon d'Or.


"The Ballon d'Or is awarded to players who have an exceptional season, not only individually but also in terms of winning significant titles," Owen told TNT Sports.


"If Jude Bellingham wins La Liga, which he already has, and the Champions League while being one of the standout performers for his team, then he has to be in the conversation for the Ballon d'Or," Michael Owen stated.


"A lot will depend on Euro 2024 with England. If he has a strong tournament and England goes far, then you could rightly say he has a massive chance."


Bellingham is on track to end the season as Real Madrid's top scorer in all competitions, boasting 23 goals and ten assists in 37 matches.


At just 20 years old, he already stands out as a key figure for his team. Owen believes he will be eagerly anticipating the match at Wembley with his club.


"I think Jude Bellingham will be absolutely excited and looking forward to this match," he said. "I don't really buy into the concept of pressure, I must admit."


"Regardless of their job, I think everyone is taught how to manage or adapt to certain situations. Owen stated, "It just so happens that Jude Bellingham is an excellent football player."


In the real world, applying your skills is similar to working anywhere else. You practice doing it, you know you can pull it off, and you show up. He is confident in his abilities to perform in front of the public, media, and other professionals because he has put in a lot of work."


Real Madrid advanced to their 18th Champions League final after defeating German powerhouse Bayern Munich 4-3 on aggregate.

A call to guarantee Gateshead FC a 10-year tenancy at the International Stadium has been voted down by councillors.

It was tabled by Gateshead’s Liberal Democrats, after the club were denied the chance to compete for promotion to the English Football League (EFL) because of council uncertainties around a new stadium operator.

The Lib Dems had urged the Labour-run council to compel any external operator, that might take over the stadium from the local authority, to keep the club as a tenant.

Labour leader Martin Gannon accused the opposition party of a “ridiculous” proposal that he claimed risked exposing the local authority to legal action if it was enforced.

Despite the Club finishing in sixth place, which was enough to secure them a spot in the National League play-offs, they were barred from going for promotion as they could not meet an EFL requirement for aspiring members to have a 10-year lease on their home ground secured.

The Liberal Democrat leader for Gateshead, Ron Beadle, said: “What this motion would do is enable the club and its supporters to go forward with hope that next season and in subsequent seasons there won’t be a repetition of what has happened in this."

'Positive discussions'
Gateshead Council is in the process of seeking an outside operator to take over the venue, which Mr Gannon told colleagues is running at an £860,000-a–year deficit, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

The council leader said that it would be “unsustainable” for the local authority to continue running the stadium and that decision-makers could not risk the civic centre going bust.

Mr Gannon added: “We are confident that will happen. I have taken views from officers and I am told that there are positive discussions, that we have partners who are interested and will secure the future of the football club."

I was just flicking through some old posts and it seems that at the start of the new season 'September', this group will be 10 years old, is that correct? That started me thinking about those of us that came across from previous forums such as 606 and I seem to remember others before that and some of the old characters like 'Beefy' and 'Moose'. Just how long have some of us been posting and when do we get our long service award?

It was played

Won the giro on stage 2 blown them away for the other stages