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Premier League: Thierno Barry scored twice as Everton made the most of some benevolent officiating to come from behind, beat Coventry City and go fifth in the table. Andy Hunter reports from Hill Dickinson Stadium.
In yesterday’s Football Daily email , John Brewin previewed his pick of the weekend’s first round games featuring the return of his beloved Macc, a 40-year-old cult hero lining up for the lowest ranked team in the competition and the club that purports to be the oldest in London. Read on …
For the FA Cup , the early rounds are the juice. The first round proper to be played out over the long weekend is looking, well, proper. And on Saturday at 3pm GMT, a proper time, 31 ties will kick off. No VAR, either. At the stage when the bottom two Football League divisions join the competition, focus remains on those non-league clubs fighting for the honour of the pyramid …
Mansfield v Macclesfield In January, Macclesfield achieved the greatest shock in the competition’s history, knocking out the holders, Crystal Palace, in the third round. John Rooney’s National League North team head through the Pennines to face soundalikes Mansfield. Those from Macclesfield often find themselves having to correct others on coming from the Cheshire town rather than the one in Nottinghamshire. Macclesfield are such a modern club these days they have a sporting director in Keith Curle, a former Stags manager. Curle and current Mansfield boss Nigel Clough were England teammates at Euro 92, of which the less said the better .
Bradford City v Marine Merseyside’s most authentic, proper football club? Neither Everton nor Liverpool can compete with Crosby’s Marine. When modern football gets too much, the temptation to savour a pie and pint at Rossett Park, the club of Roly Howard, legendary manager for 33 years, becomes strong. On Saturday, Marine travel to Bradford City, on something of a slide since Graham Alexander de-camped to manage Preston.
Burton v AFC Rushden & Diamonds Fans at Burton’s Pirelli Stadium will see Billy Sharp’s comeback at 76. One of the Football League’s very top marksmen, the Championship’s all-time scorer on 130 recently retired but has returned with AFC Rushden & Diamonds, the phoenix club of a former temporary employer for whom he scored his first goal when loaned there in 2005, before they were liquidated six years later. A striker who defines the term “well-travelled” – including a spell at LA Galaxy – blink and you will miss Sharp, as the prodigal return is for one game only, in search of his 300th career goal. He departed Doncaster on the tantalising total of 299.
Plymouth Argyle v Alvechurch Alvechurch, representing a Worcestershire village, was previously most famous for giving the world Alan “Smudger” Smith (incidentally another member of that Euro 92 squad). The less said about his substitution for old pal Gary Lineker against Sweden the better. Smith’s alma mater, in the Southern League, travel to Plymouth Argyle, led by Tom Cleverley, the former brand turned aspirant tracksuit manager. Two seasons ago the Pilgrims’ progress down to League One was offset by beating eventual Premier League champions Liverpool in the third round. Should that fall flat, the city gets another helping on Monday night when Parkway take on Berkhamsted, the commuter town’s community club.
Cray Wanderers v Stockport County Representing the Isthmian League are Cray Wanderers, who claim to be London’s oldest football club, whose origins are traced to 1860, older perhaps than even Notts County. Playing in Chislehurst, best known for its caves, “The Wands” take on high-flying League One Stockport County, led by The Wire’s Jimmy McNulty.
Peterborough v Reading All that and a Savage family reunion as the Posh, managed by Robbie, host son Charlie’s team, the Royals. The Cup properly runneth over.
Championship: Jack McGlynn has struck for Stoke City on the hour mark to cancel out Tyrese Shade’s opener for Portsmouth at Fratton Park.
Championship: Andre Brooks scores Norwich’s second goal in three second-half minutes to make it 3-0 for the visitors at Ashton Gate.
Championship: Harry Darling has doubled Norwich City’s lead at Bristol City, making it 2-0 for the Canaries v the Robins in the Battle of the Songbirds.
Brentford: The club’s Mali midfielder Mamadou Sangaré stood out when he was as young as six years old and has shone in the Premier League since his £39m transfer to Brentford, writes Coralie Salle …
Women’s Super League: The top two teams in the WSL table are in action today, with leaders Manchester City currently leading West Ham 1-0 at half-time, while second-placed Chelsea are being held 1-1 at home to Everton at the break in their game.
Premier League: It’s scoreless at half-time between Leeds United and Tottenham Hotspur at Elland Road, where the hosts will consider themselves unlucky at being denied an early penalty but absolutely blessed not to have lost Jayden Bogle to a red card. Scott Murray has the latest …
Leeds United 0-0 Tottenham Hotspur (L)
Nottingham Forerst v Manchester City
Charlton Athletic v Sheffield United
There are just the two top flight three o’clock kick-offs this afternoon, with Arsenal hosting Hull City at the Emirates and Fulham welcoming Newcastle United to Craven Cottage for an afternoon beside the Thames.
Beyond the top flight, there’s plenty of Championship action to keep us entertained, while there are no fewer than 33 FA Cup first round matches slated for today. The phoenix club AFC Rushden & Diamonds from the Northern Premier League Division One Midlands (English football’s eighth tier) are the lowest ranked side in action today and are being hosted by League One outfit Burton Albion.
You know how this works by now: team news, breathless updates from grounds where the drizzle is horizontal and frantic attempts to keep tabs on 48 different matches being played simultaneously across four different competitions. What could possibly go wrong?
