Phil Parkinson revealed club co-owner Rob McElhenney delivered a speech to the Wrexham squad before their crucial League One victory at Blackpool on Monday.
The Red Dragons beat the Seasiders 2-1 at Bloomfield Road thanks to goals from James McClean and Ollie Rathbone, with Rob Apter netting a late consolation for the hosts.
Victory lifted Wrexham back up to second place in the third tier following Wycombe Wanderers’ shock 4-0 loss at home to Charlton Athletic.
Hollywood actor McElhenney joined around 2,000 Wrexham fans in the away end at Blackpool, and Parkinson said his players were grateful for the American’s words on the eve of the crunch contest.
“I’ve always said that it’s a team effort,” said Parkinson.
McElhenney, 48, posed for photographs with Wrexham supporters and joined in with celebrations during the course of what could prove a pivotal victory for the Welsh club against Steve Bruce’s side.
They now lead Wycombe by two points with just two matches remaining this season as they bid to secure an historic third successive promotion.
Wrexham sit four points above the Chairboys’ conquerors Charlton, who they face at the Stok Cae Ras next Saturday (17:30 BST).
And Parkinson says he wants the ground to be “rocking” as his side look to take another step towards clinching the second League One automatic promotion spot behind champions Birmingham City.
“It’s brilliant – the support was good today,” said Parkinson.
“I want more of the same next week from the supporters at home. I’ve got to be honest with you, I want that place bouncing – these lads deserve it.
“We’ve come a long, long way this season. We’ve shaken off a lot of big clubs in this division. We need everybody in the ground to create an atmosphere and get the Racecourse bouncing to help the team as much as we can. “
A crash near the Cotswolds home of David Beckham and his family left a £150k Range Rover needing to be recovered early on Sunday and a man aged 31 years old was arrested
A crash occurred near David Beckham’s lavish home in the Cotswolds(Image: Getty Images)
A crash near the home of David Beckham has left a wall destroyed and a man arrested. The crash saw a group of men and women travelling in a Range Rover plough into a wall just metres from the lavish Cotswolds pad owned by David, wife Victoria and their family.
After the £150k Ranger Rover smashed through a wall of the Great Tew estate in Oxfordshire, a man was arrested. It’s thought the vehicle must have been travelling at “massive speed” according to locals in order to do the damage it head.
Earlier, a vehicle matching the Range Rover’s description had been seen leaving the nearby Soho Farmhouse where Geri Horner had been signing copies of her latest children’s book. It’s thought a group of adults had left the venue after watching Will Young perform.
The Beckham family own a home in the Cotswolds(Image: Instagram)
Following the incident, a man, 31, was questioned on suspicion of drink driving and leaving the scene of an accident, according to The Sun. A source later told the publication: “It was clearly an almighty crash. The front of the Range Rover was all smashed up. You could see the skid marks sell across the road and the grass in front of the wall and the airbags had gone off in the front. “
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They added it was “incredible no-one was hurt or killed,” before saying: “It’s well known the Beckham’s moved to the Cotswolds for some peace and quiet – their house is their sanctuary.”
On Sunday morning at around 7. 30am, a recovery vehicle could be seen loading the Range Rover away from the scene. Other celebrities who live nearby include Hollywood actors.
Speaking of the crime, a spokesman for Thames Valley Police said: “A 31-year-old man from West Oxfordshire was arrested on suspicion of driving while unfit through drink and failing to stop after a road accident. He remains in police custody.”
Beckham is said to be at war with his neighbours in the area over plans for a new barn at his rural retreat. An exasperated local complained: “Why do famous people move to the country… then make silly alterations?”
It’s thought the Beckhams are seeking planning permission for the timber-clad structure at the property. The former footballer, who turns 50 on May 2, keeps bees and chickens at his country bolthole which has a giant lake.
He recently asked planners at West Oxfordshire District Council for the right to create an “agricultural storage barn for hay/straw and agricultural equipment”. However, angry villagers have vented their discontent and shared a letter of objection.
Harriet Jones told the council: “This is just the latest in a long line of applications to build new structures on this land, plus a giant lake.
“Why do famous people move out to the country and then clutter up their land with endless buildings and make silly alterations? It makes no sense. “
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Emma Raducanu has paused the search for a new full-time coach, saying she is happy to “keep things informal” as her part-time partnership with Mark Petchey continues.
Raducanu brought Petchey – a well-known figure in British tennis circles and a former coach of Andy Murray – into her coaching team on a casual basis at last month’s Miami Open.
Petchey was in the coaching box as the 22-year-old Briton reached the quarter-finals and produced her best tennis of the season.
After Miami, Raducanu wanted Petchey to lead the team on a more regular basis, but committing time around his television broadcasting work has been a stumbling block.
Raducanu, who is returning to competitive action this week at the Madrid Open after a month off, said Petchey will be “fitting” her around his other commitments at the WTA 1000 clay-court event.
“I’m happy with the set-up going forward right now – it’s been working well,” said the world number 49.
Raducanu has not had a full-time coach since January, when Nick Cavaday stood down for health reasons, and ended a two-week trial with Vladimir Platenik on the eve of the Miami Open.
She had previously worked with a wide range of coaches including Nigel Sears, Andrew Richardson – who was in charge during her run to the US Open title – Torben Beltz, Dmitry Tursunov and Sebastian Sachs.
On Petchey, Raducanu added: “We’re keeping things informal for now and it’s been working. He’s someone I’ve known for a long time and I do feel like I can trust him.
Why Raducanu opted for LA training block
Post-Miami, Raducanu decided it would be more beneficial to skip Great Britain’s Billie Jean King Cup tie and do a short training block in the United States instead.
The 2021 US Open champion spent the time in Los Angeles, where she worked with Petchey for 10 days before heading back to Europe.
Raducanu, who has known Petchey since she was a teenager, says she is enjoying the “thought-provoking” nature of their conversations.
Creating a relaxed atmosphere around her – which she said helped her “express” herself in Miami and be more “authentic” – is another hallmark of the partnership.
Raducanu has also found greater equilibrium off the court. In LA, she enjoyed hiking trips in the mountains, while going to a post-training yoga class in Madrid is another example of her trying to strike a work-life balance.
Getty Images
“We created our own little bubble and it was nice to be working on my game out there but at the same time having fun and enjoying it.
“He’s helped me in a lot of areas of my game and also off the court finding things to stimulate me mentally and constantly challenging me – which I like. “
Raducanu will return to the WTA Tour when she faces Suzan Lamens of the Netherlands in the Madrid first round later this week.
It will be her first match since losing to American world number three Jessica Pegula in the Miami quarter-finals on 27 March.
“I had a long start to the year with many weeks in a row and I think my body and brain needed to have a little recharge,” Raducanu said.
Pope Francis died today at the age of 88 following a prolonged illness. Just yesterday, in his Easter Sunday address in Saint Peter’s Square in Vatican City, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church chose to express his “closeness to the sufferings of Christians in Palestine and Israel, and to all the Israeli people and the Palestinian people”.
He went on to state that he was “think[ing] of the people of Gaza, and its Christian community in particular, where the terrible conflict continues to cause death and destruction and to create a dramatic and deplorable humanitarian situation” – a toned-down reference, of course, to Israel’s ongoing genocide in the Gaza Strip, which has officially killed more than 51,200 Palestinians since October 2023.
Concluding the pope’s thoughts on this particular “terrible conflict” was an “appeal to the warring parties: call a ceasefire, release the hostages and come to the aid of a starving people that aspires to a future of peace! ”
To be sure, Pope Francis opted to deploy language that does not adequately reflect the horrors currently being unleashed upon Gaza. For one thing, a genocide is not a “conflict”; nor are Israeli genocidaires and Palestinian victims of genocide equal “warring parties”.
That said, the pope deserves praise for utilising what would be his final platform to call for a ceasefire in Gaza – at a time when the world appears all too content to allow the mass slaughter of Palestinians to proceed indefinitely.
Though he did not pinpoint who precisely is to blame for the fact that there are now “starving people” in need of aid, this is naturally a reference to Israel’s decision in early March to cut off all humanitarian aid deliveries to the Gaza Strip – a move amounting to enforced starvation and a war crime.
Pope Francis’s call for a ceasefire yesterday came just a month after Israel’s definitive annihilation of the existing ceasefire that ostensibly took effect in January, which the Israeli military had already taken the opportunity to violate at every turn.
Between Israel’s termination of the ceasefire on March 18 and April 9, the United Nations found that, in at least 36 separate Israeli air strikes on Gaza, women and children were the only fatalities.
As much as the starving people may “aspire to a future of peace”, then, it’s difficult to aspire to any future at all when you’re being actively exterminated by an army that enjoys the full bipartisan support of the reigning global superpower, the United States of America.
Incidentally, Pope Francis’s final day on Earth also included a brief meeting with said superpower’s second-in-command: US Vice President JD Vance. The encounter came after the head of the Catholic Church openly and repeatedly criticised US President Donald Trump’s administration and its maniacal deportation schemes. In a February address, he noted that its immigration policies were causing a “major crisis” that “damages the dignity of men and women”.
Pope Francis made a nod to the plight of people on the move in his Easter address as well: “How much contempt is stirred up at times towards the vulnerable, the marginalised, and migrants! ”
He went on to reiterate his desire “to renew our hope that peace is possible”.
Unfortunately, however, contempt and dehumanisation are pillars of a hopeless global system – led by the United States – that prioritises elite tyranny and profit over any semblance of human decency. Whether it’s the arms industry making bank off of Israel’s genocide in Gaza or the US making life hell for the undocumented folks on whose labour the country’s own economy depends, institutionalised contempt is good for business.
This Easter week, the “hope that peace is possible” was entirely out of the question for Palestinian Christians in Gaza, the Israeli-occupied West Bank, and Jerusalem – the very place Jesus was crucified, according to the Bible.
In the Gaza Strip, Christians gathered in fear on Easter Sunday at Gaza City’s Church of Saint Porphyrius, which was bombed in October 2023 shortly after the start of the genocide. The attack killed at least 18 displaced Palestinians who were sheltering there, including Christians.
In the West Bank and Jerusalem, Israeli officials thwarted access to holy sites for numerous members of the Christian community, which has suffered increasing attacks by Jewish settlers and other forms of state-backed persecution.
Only approximately 6,000 West Bank Palestinians received permits from Israel to attend Easter services this year at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in occupied East Jerusalem, which was predictably militarised for the occasion.
As Al Jazeera noted, “even the representative of the Vatican in Palestine was denied entry into the church”.
A day later, the earthly representative of the Roman Catholic Church itself passed on to other realms. Among his parting appeals was the call for a ceasefire in Gaza. Will anyone listen?
Jonathan and Charlotte were an operatic duo who shot to fame on the sixth series of Britain’s Got Talent, and now eight years on, we take a look at what happened to the pair
Jonathan and Charlotte impressed judges Simon Cowell, Alesha Dixon, David Walliams and Carmen Electra(Image: Ken McKay)
Britain’s Got Talent has witnessed a plethora of opera talents in its 18-year history, with Paul Potts and Susan Boyle among the luminaries who shot to fame on the ITV show. Back in 2012, audiences were left gobsmacked as teen opera pair Jonathan and Charlotte took to the stage, prompting Simon Cowell to utter a stunned “Seriously?”.
At the ages of 17 and 16, the duo captivated the panel from their very first notes belting out ‘The Prayer’. Hitting us with his typical no-nonsense advice, Simon reckoned Jonathan should go solo, fearing that Charlotte could hamper his progress. Brushing off the mogul’s remarks, the twosome stuck tight, even flipping their moniker ahead of reaching the tension-soaked live finals on the iconic date of May 12, 2012.
Despite a stellar run, Jonathan and Charlotte had to settle for runner-up spots behind top dogs Ashleigh and pooch Pudsey, a result that had their loyal following up in arms.
On the heels of placing second out of 70,000 acts, an elated Charlotte exclaimed, “Oh my God, we came second out of 70,000 people, it’s incredible, it’s been amazing”, reports Wales Online.
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Jonathan Antoine and Charlotte Jaconelli rose to fame on Britain’s Got Talent(Image: AFP/Getty Images)
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By the next morning, buzz swirled that Simon Cowell was already bargaining to snag Jonathan and Charlotte with a cool £1 million Syco record deal.
September 2012 saw their inaugural album, ‘Together’, hit shelves, packed with Italian renditions of hits from icons like Elton John, Muse, and Queen.
After serenading Europe on tour and dropping another chart-topper, the musical journey for the duo hit a fork in the road. In February 2014, they called it quits on joint ventures as Sony Classical dangled irresistible solo deals before them.
Singing sensations Jonathan and Charlotte have released a heartfelt statement on their website, reflecting on their incredible journey which began at West Hatch High School in 2006: “We have had the most exciting journey together ever since meeting at West Hatch High School in 2006 and are so happy for each other. “
The pair are now working on solo projects(Image: Redferns via Getty Images)
They reminisced about their success as Britain’s Got Talent runners-up and best-selling artists: “To come second on BGT and sell over quarter of a million albums was beyond our wildest dreams.”
With excitement brimming, they shared news of their solo ventures, expressing gratitude to their fans: “To now be offered our own solo record deals by Sony Classical is the most exciting thing ever and we are thrilled to be going back into the recording studio so soon. “
And most importantly, they thanked their loyal support base: “For those that voted for us, bought our CDs and saw us in concert – thank you. We hope to see you soon at our own shows. Love Jonathan and Charlotte. “
Moving forward with new adventures, Charlotte continues her passion for performance, dazzling audiences in the realm of musical theatre. She has illuminated the stage in “Carousel in Concert” at The Royal Festival Hall and shone in the original line-up of “Heathers” on the West End.
Charlotte recently captured hearts on TikTok, sharing her whimsical tale from Britain’s Got Talent with the viral video captioned: “Simon Cowell hated me but then he got me Kurt Geiger’s for xmas. “
In the video, she jokes about her resemblance to the renowned Charlotte of ‘Jonathan and Charlotte,’ wittingly replying “probably because I am” when faced with comparison comments.
Her latest performance took place in Todrick Hall’s new sensation “Midnight” earlier in April, where she took to Instagram to disclose her joy: “This show has been one of the most fulfilling and rewarding shows I’ve ever worked on.
“I’ve laughed and cried every day, watched the most talented humans create, and been giddy to see what would happen each day.” Jonathon is now working on his next album after a tour around the world, as well as performing locally in his home town of Essex.
After the pair split he topped the Classical Artist Album chart with his first solo album, Tenore. In a recent social media post he thanked fans for listening to his music, inspiring him and allowing him to have a singing career. He said: “Your kindness in allowing me to explore all kinds of music and your superlative taste in good tunes has led the way! ! “.
Recently, Jonathon has been in the headlines for his dramatic weight loss of five stone. Previously admitting to a shortfall in self-discipline, he recently said: “I’ve still got a lot to lose but I’m making my way. I feel stronger and healthier than I have in 10 years, which is a lot.
“This year I’ve made an active choice. I’ve felt I’ve lacked the discipline a lot. When I was out in America it’s fast food everywhere.
“I was in a terrible state in the start of the year and I’ve been able to claw my way back doing light exercise.
“For a long time I was just experiencing life, letting life live me, trying to find the next pleasure. Taking control of your own life, grabbing the world with your hands, feels amazing. “
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