Category News

Scotstown were crowned Ulster champions for the first time since 1989 after a dramatic extra-time victory over Kilcoo.

On a night when county stars like Paul Devlin, Conor McCarthy and Kieran Hughes all contributed significantly to a gripping final, it was Scotstown goalkeeper Rory Beggan who had the most telling say in the 0-19 to 0-16 win.

The 2018 All-Star kicked 11 points for his side in a game it felt they had to win twice over.

The Monaghan champions, who were making their fourth attempt at a fifth provincial crown, had led by as many as eight points midway through the first half and were three ahead at the beginning of injury time.

Whether it has been their nip-and-tuck county final against Inniskeen Grattans, or their titanic tussle with Newbridge in the semi-finals, Scotstown games are, however, nothing if not value for money.

And so it proved again as Kilcoo, displaying all the steel that took them to an All-Ireland title in 2021, staged a furious comeback to level at 12 points apiece with virtually the last kick of regulation.

The seemingly unlikely comeback at the end of regulation came after a dramatic second-half that had begun with Scotstown leading 0-6 to 0-1.

Kilcoo were playing into the considerable wind in the first half with the conditions hampering their attacking efforts.

Despite a sizeable edge in possession through the opening period, there were just five minutes until the break before they registered their sole score of the first half.

The point was provided by Eugene Branagan, but even the wavering trajectory of the ball as it bisected the posts was evidence of the difficulties endured by the Down side’s players when shooting into the swirling breeze.

By that stage, Beggan had already kicked the first pair of two-pointers among his tally and there seemed only one winner when his side’s lead was stretched to eight midway through the second half.

But, having struggled to find their range with the wind at their backs in the early stages of the second half, Kilcoo belatedly mastered the conditions to reel Scotstown in.

Devlin finally got his side off the mark in the second half with a two-pointer 13 minutes after the restart, with the forward adding a further three points as the Down champions cut the deficit to only a point in the closing stages.

A drilled effort from Kieran Hughes was matched by Tommy Mallen from just inside the arc, before Beggan stepped up with another two-pointer to give his side that seemingly crucial three-point cushion heading into injury time.

But his Kilcoo counterpart Niall Kane answered in kind with the clock already well in the red.

Rather than mere consolation, Kilcoo regained possession with the three minutes of indicated added time already up and Callum Rogers gathered and spun brilliantly to send the game into extra time.

Rather than be flattened by letting the long-sought title slip from their grasp, Scotstown lifted themselves from the floor in extra-time with Beggan kicking two frees and a 45, in addition to three points from Conor McCarthy, to end their 36-year wait.

A man has been arrested after the manager of Potters Bar Town needed medical treatment following an altercation that led to their match against Welling United being postponed.

Both clubs announced less than 40 minutes before the scheduled 15:00 GMT kick-off that the Isthmian League game had been postponed.

Potters Bar said manager Sammy Moore was receiving “appropriate medical care” and being supported by the club.

The Metropolitan Police told BBC Sport they were informed at 13:18 GMT of an incident at Welling’s Park View Road.

“Police were called to Welling Football Club following reports of an altercation between two men,” a Metropolitan Police spokesperson said.

“Officers attended and found a 38-year-old man with injuries to his face.

Potters Bar Town told BBC Sport the game was postponed “following a serious incident involving a member of our management team”.

“Police attended the ground and, following their involvement, the match was unable to proceed,” the club added.

“Our manager is receiving appropriate medical care and the club is supporting him fully.

“The matter has been referred to the relevant authorities, including the league and the FA, and we are seeking formal advice. As this is now subject to ongoing processes, the club will not be making any further comment at this time.

“We thank supporters for their understanding.”

BBC Sport understands the Football Association is looking into the incident.

Announcing the postponement, Welling said: “The club will be making no further comment at this time.

“Further news regarding the rearranged fixture will be communicated in due course.”

Welling United have been contacted by BBC Sport for comment.

Nick Robinson, chair of the Isthmian League, told BBC Sport: “The league is aware of this matter and are awaiting the written reports of the alleged incident.

“We cannot comment further at this time.”

Mohamed Salah took everything in at full-time of Liverpool‘s 2-0 Premier League win over Brighton, applauding all four sides of Anfield while home fans serenaded their ‘Egyptian king’ with his familiar song.

By the time he reached the tunnel he was the last player on the pitch, giving a little wave towards the main stand, where his family were sat.

A goodbye perhaps? Only for now, it seems.

Salah will join Egypt in Cairo over the coming days as they prepare for the Africa Cup of Nations – but the message after manager Arne Slot’s post-match news conference was clear.

A line has been drawn when it comes to team selection.

“There is no issue for me to resolve,” said Slot. “For me, he is now the same as any other player. There is nothing for me to talk about after what happened against Leeds.”

In his outburst at Elland Road last Saturday – where he claimed to have been “thrown under the bus” by the club and had no relationship with his Dutch boss – Salah said this game against Brighton could well be his farewell.

Having been left out of the squad for the midweek Champions League win at Inter Milan, he came off the bench against the Seagulls as a 26th-minute replacement for the injured Joe Gomez.

And the expectation now is very much that the 33-year-old will return to Liverpool next month after international duty.

Talks are still planned between both parties while Salah is away but, a week on from his emotional interview at Leeds, he was all smiles in the mixed zone at Anfield as he walked past the media and was asked for a chat.

There was no effort on Salah’s part to speak again or publicly apologise, but Slot gave a clear “yes” when asked if he wanted the frontman back after the Africa Cup of Nations. The understanding is their meeting on Friday was positive.

Asked if Salah wanted to stay, the Reds boss added: “That I think you already know the answer. What has been said between us stays between us. He was in the squad and my first substitution.”

For the fifth game in a row, Salah wasn’t in the starting line-up. But, when defender Gomez was injured, Slot turned to the bench and put on the man who has scored 250 goals for Liverpool in his eight years with the club.

There were no boos. Just applause and appreciation.

Salah didn’t add to that goal tally, but did get the assist for Hugo Ekitike’s second on the hour mark.

That took him to 277 goal involvements in 302 Premier League appearances for Liverpool – the most by any player for a single club in the competition, overtaking Wayne Rooney (276) at Manchester United.

A remarkable statistic in itself and a measure of how much he has done for the Reds.

Back in the squad and involved in much of Liverpool’s positive attacking play, former Wales defender Ashley Williams described his performance against Brighton as “like the old Salah”.

Speaking after the game, Ekitike described sharing a pitch with Salah as “a blessing”, adding he was “the kind of player who makes us like to watch football”.

But the French forward and Co won’t now share a pitch with their team-mate until January at the earliest, with Salah potentially missing eight games if Egypt go all the way to the final in Morocco on 18 January.

“I suppose everybody will be leaving Anfield with that feeling of what’s going to happen next with Mo Salah,” ex-Blackburn Rovers striker Chris Sutton said on Final Score. “Is he going to stay or is he going to go? But it’s been a good week for Slot.

“I don’t think it was a goodbye. There were a couple of moments where we you thought, ‘was that a wave or not’, but it just looked like he was applauding the fans like he does every week, and as a lot of the other players did.

“It’s going to be interesting to see how this situation pans out. If you’re a Liverpool fan you want to keep your best players so you’ll be hoping it works out.”

A major plus for Liverpool is that, without Salah starting in any of the past five games, they are still unbeaten and have shown they can cope without the Egyptian talisman.

That in itself will give Slot confidence. But, in the long-term, having a fit and firing Salah can only be a positive for his side.

“I spoke to him yesterday and as I usually never say anything about what we talk about, I am not going to make an exception now,” added Slot.

“But I think actions speak louder than what has been said and he was in the squad again and when I had to make my first substitutions, I brought him in and he performed as every fan including me would like him to.”

Mohamed Salah took everything in at full-time of Liverpool‘s 2-0 Premier League win over Brighton, applauding all four sides of Anfield while home fans serenaded their ‘Egyptian king’ with his familiar song.

By the time he reached the tunnel he was the last player on the pitch, giving a little wave towards the main stand, where his family were sat.

A goodbye perhaps? Only for now, it seems.

Salah will join Egypt in Cairo over the coming days as they prepare for the Africa Cup of Nations – but the message after manager Arne Slot’s post-match news conference was clear.

A line has been drawn when it comes to team selection.

“There is no issue for me to resolve,” said Slot. “For me, he is now the same as any other player. There is nothing for me to talk about after what happened against Leeds.”

In his outburst at Elland Road last Saturday – where he claimed to have been “thrown under the bus” by the club and had no relationship with his Dutch boss – Salah said this game against Brighton could well be his farewell.

Having been left out of the squad for the midweek Champions League win at Inter Milan, he came off the bench against the Seagulls as a 26th-minute replacement for the injured Joe Gomez.

And the expectation now is very much that the 33-year-old will return to Liverpool next month after international duty.

Talks are still planned between both parties while Salah is away but, a week on from his emotional interview at Leeds, he was all smiles in the mixed zone at Anfield as he walked past the media and was asked for a chat.

There was no effort on Salah’s part to speak again or publicly apologise, but Slot gave a clear “yes” when asked if he wanted the frontman back after the Africa Cup of Nations. The understanding is their meeting on Friday was positive.

Asked if Salah wanted to stay, the Reds boss added: “That I think you already know the answer. What has been said between us stays between us. He was in the squad and my first substitution.”

For the fifth game in a row, Salah wasn’t in the starting line-up. But, when defender Gomez was injured, Slot turned to the bench and put on the man who has scored 250 goals for Liverpool in his eight years with the club.

There were no boos. Just applause and appreciation.

Salah didn’t add to that goal tally, but did get the assist for Hugo Ekitike’s second on the hour mark.

That took him to 277 goal involvements in 302 Premier League appearances for Liverpool – the most by any player for a single club in the competition, overtaking Wayne Rooney (276) at Manchester United.

A remarkable statistic in itself and a measure of how much he has done for the Reds.

Back in the squad and involved in much of Liverpool’s positive attacking play, former Wales defender Ashley Williams described his performance against Brighton as “like the old Salah”.

Speaking after the game, Ekitike described sharing a pitch with Salah as “a blessing”, adding he was “the kind of player who makes us like to watch football”.

But the French forward and Co won’t now share a pitch with their team-mate until January at the earliest, with Salah potentially missing eight games if Egypt go all the way to the final in Morocco on 18 January.

“I suppose everybody will be leaving Anfield with that feeling of what’s going to happen next with Mo Salah,” ex-Blackburn Rovers striker Chris Sutton said on Final Score. “Is he going to stay or is he going to go? But it’s been a good week for Slot.

“I don’t think it was a goodbye. There were a couple of moments where we you thought, ‘was that a wave or not’, but it just looked like he was applauding the fans like he does every week, and as a lot of the other players did.

“It’s going to be interesting to see how this situation pans out. If you’re a Liverpool fan you want to keep your best players so you’ll be hoping it works out.”

A major plus for Liverpool is that, without Salah starting in any of the past five games, they are still unbeaten and have shown they can cope without the Egyptian talisman.

That in itself will give Slot confidence. But, in the long-term, having a fit and firing Salah can only be a positive for his side.

“I spoke to him yesterday and as I usually never say anything about what we talk about, I am not going to make an exception now,” added Slot.

“But I think actions speak louder than what has been said and he was in the squad again and when I had to make my first substitutions, I brought him in and he performed as every fan including me would like him to.”