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Bristol Rovers and Crawley relegated from League One

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Features of Rex
Sophie Hurcom
BBC Sport England
Chris Peddy
BBC Sport
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Following Burton Albion’s 1-1 draw against Wigan Athletic, Rovers of Bristol and Crawley Town were both relegated from League One.

Rovers and Crawley were four points clear of the 20th-placed Brewers heading into the final round of matches on Saturday when Ronan Darcy scored the winner at Pirelli Stadium.

Even though Crawley have won four out of eight games since manager Scott Lindsey’s arrival in March, Rovers’ fate was almost sealed by their defeat by Reading last weekend.

Rovers’ two-year league break comes to an end, while Crawley are back in League Two after winning promotion via the play-offs the previous term to play third-tier football for the first time.

Rovers’ League Two status is reinstated

Rovers of Bristol duo Connor Taylor and Luke Thomas look dejected following the defeat by Reading Features of Rex

Rovers of Bristol fans celebrated one of the most memorable days in the club’s history three years ago when they defeated Scunthorpe 7-0 and, against all odds, earned automatic League One promotion.

Since then, nothing has quite captured those highs.

Hussain AlSaeed, a businessman from Kuwait, took control of the company in August 2023 before forming its sole ownership three months later. Senior executives like Tom Gorringe and George Friend, both of whom are now leaving, have also been replaced.

Since Joey Barton was fired in October 2023, Matt Taylor and Inigo Calderon have been appointed as two new managers. Taylor made hints at disruption before being fired, and Lee Cattermole had previously been briefly removed from his coaching staff without his knowledge.

Calderon said: “When I arrived, I felt that there were a lot of bad things that weren’t because of the previous manager. Saturday’s defeat by Reading almost confirmed relegation.” I have a lot of respect for him.

“But it’s true that there were many things I disliked when I first joined the club.” Too many people.

Results have stagnated on the field, and by 2024-25, the decline has accelerated after placing 15th and 17th places in the previous two years.

Rovers were nine points clear of the bottom four in March, but a six-game losing streak sent them into danger.

They also have the division’s worst away record, recording just three victories and 12 points in 22 games.

Last weekend, Captain James Wilson claimed that the squad’s fitness levels were insufficient to consistently deliver 90-minute performances and that standards on and off the pitch were insufficient.

With only 43 goals scored in 45 games, none of them have been helped by the injury to Chris Martin and Promise Omochere, who have both had hamstring injuries and knee surgeries, respectively, since March.

Crawley reverts to the beginning

Crawley players greet goalscorer Kamari Doyle during their League One win over Northampton Features of Rex

Chairman Preston Johnson resigned the same month that the Red Devils were promoted thanks to a stylish League Two play-off run.

The only change that has happened since has been in the wrong direction, he claimed a month later when he returned from a trip.

After 87 games and 20 memorable months at the helm, Lindsey, the man who spearheaded Crawley’s promotion, left a division and took over as MK Dons’ new head coach.

Johnson insisted he did not want to lose Lindsey despite the club already struggling in 18th place with seven points from seven games.

Rob Elliot, a former Newcastle goalkeeper and manager of Gateshead, signed for a two-and-a-half-year contract that ran for just over six months.

Elliot left with Crawley 12 points adrift of League One safety after losing 19 of his 33 matches as manager of the Reds.

Lindsey was given a second spell in charge after departing Stadium MK.

His first two games saw him win both victories over Rovers of Bristol and Rotherham United, which gave him hope for the future.

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  • Rovers of Bristol
  • League One
  • Crawley Town
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Alison Hammond lines up A-list celebs for new ’emotional’ BBC show

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As she gears up to star in a brand-new series for the BBC, Alison Hammond, host of This Morning and Great British Bake Off, chats with some of the biggest names in the industry.

Alison Hammond tells fans to ‘buckle up’ for her new series(Image: Getty Images)

Alison Hammond’s Big Weekend is certainly living up to its name with its celebrity signings. From a roller coaster ride with Spice Girl Mel B, horse riding with actor Luke Evans and getting put through her paces in the boxing ring by fighter Tony Bellew, it promises to be quite the series.

Legendary comics Lenny Henry and Jimmy Carr will join also Alison for the BBC six-parter, which sees her spend two days with some of the UK’s biggest names, giving viewers an exclusive glimpse into their homes and lives. “We had some deep chats, some absolute screamers, and even a few tears,” teases Alison, 50. “Turns out, a weekend with Alison Hammond is basically therapy! It’s a full-blown experience! We’re talking deep convos, belly laughs and spontaneous singalongs.”

READ MORE: Bruno Tonioli snaps at Alison Hammond for ‘nasty’ request in awkward This Morning moment

Alison Hammond
Alison Hammond is in her element in new celeb-packed BBC show (Image: Getty Images for the NTA’s)

Kicking off the series, the first ep see Alison interview former Little Mix star Perrrie Edwards. Taking a snoop around as well as visiting her home town of South Shields, Perrie opens up about her childhood, becoming a mother, and her time in one of the most successful girl-bands in British history.

As Alison and Jimmy take a boat trip on Lake Windermere to join Sir Lenny in their beloved Midlands, it’s adrenaline pumping.

“Well, first off, Jimmy Carr decides to enjoy an ice bath. Who does that, exactly? Alison laughed. “And there’s Mel B, a full-fledged farm girl with goats and chickens and the Spice Girl.” Additionally, Henry Lenny? That man has “story for days” that I had to pause for a few times to “take it all in”!

Continue reading the article.

This Morning and Great British Bake Off star Alison said she’s hoping it might land her a new career opportunity.

I told Perrie, “she needs me in the studio, and I’ll bring the vocals or at least the vibes,” Alison said. However, I believe she fears that I’ll take control. Let’s make a hit, hun, perrie, if you’re reading this!

Perrie Edwards
Little Mix star Perrie Edwards welcomes Alison to her hometown of South Shields and opens up about family life(Image: WireImage)

Alison Hammond’s Big Weekend, which explores some of the most well-known celebrities in the UK, allows viewers an exclusive look into their homes, histories, and personal lives.

As they show Alison the people and places that have helped them become the stars they are today, all six celebrities reveal their lives, experiences, and occasional tears.

Alison travels throughout the UK as she poses the important questions that are essential to her unique and hilarious way of making her one of the country’s most adored TV personality.

Alison remarked on one of her favorite moments from the show, “Learning to ride with Luke Evans made it feel like I was in a true period drama!” Having a relationship with Tony Bellew? I gave it my best shot (literally speaking).

Luke Evans
Alison rides on a horse alongside Welsh actor Luke Evans in the series(Image: FilmMagic)

“And meeting Axel, the mother of Perrie Edwards’ child, and her mother. That was a truly special moment. The real magic is, to be honest, just having a proper conversation with these celebrities and getting to know them in a way you don’t usually see.

Continue reading the article.

Alison claims that there were plenty of laughs and tears when she opened up the celebrities with her disarming charm. She said, “That’s what happens when you’re stuck with me.” I don’t speak until they spill! Spending quality time with someone makes people relax, in my opinion.

Watch Alison Hammond’s Big Weekend on BBC One and iPlayer from Friday 16th May 8:30pm

Joe Swash admits ‘dark time’ in life amid tense clash with Stacey Solomon

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On the most recent episode of their BBC show Stacey &amp, Joe, which aired tonight, Joe Swash opened up about his early life while undergoing therapy with his wife Stacey Solomon.

Former EastEnders cast member Joe Swash has opened up about a “really dark time” in his life. He spoke about the experience in a therapy session with Stacey Solomon on tonight’s episode of their documentary series Stacey & Joe.

The BBC show, which launched earlier this month, follows Joe, 43, and Stacey, 35. It had been teased in a preview for the latest episode that the couple attended a therapy session during a filming. Joe had previously shared that he wasn’t keen on the idea of therapy but did go ahead with it. As well as speaking about his marriage with therapist Natalie, he also discussed the loss of his late father Ricky Swash, who died when Joe was 12. Ricky, who was 39 at the time, had reportedly lived with an undiagnosed heart condition prior to his death.

Joe Swash opened up about his life in a therapy session on the BBC’s Stacey & Joe this week(Image: BBC/Stacey and Joe)

Joe responded to Natalie when asked about his early life, “Mine was quite traumatic. My father suddenly passed away. But I almost witnessed it. And since then, things have changed, as you can tell. My home life altered. It’s a challenge.

He continued, “I found that really challenging while I was in secondary school.” I was always like I was getting into trouble or making up mischief, so I was always just tarred with the [label]naughty kid. Simply put, it was a very dark time.

Natalie responded, “I believe you think that quite a lot of the time that you are the problem. We are becoming more defensive in response to that. She made the speculative that Joe “underneath” himself “really hard.” Joe responded, “Maybe. The issue is real to me, though.

Continue reading the article.

After Joe and Stacey had already discussed their marriage during the therapy session, the discussion broke out. We both decided it would be wise to see a therapist who specializes in ADHD, according to Stacey, “because I believe that sometimes many things we think we’re not getting anywhere on have to do with ADHD.”

Joe said during the session that he had been diagnosed with ADHD and that he “does things differently. I’ll be distracted and have a task to complete. I’m sure it must be so frustrating because I never finish anything. However, I constantly try my best to help everyone and often end up pleasing nobody in my head, which is what I’m doing.

Stacey claimed that despite his efforts to “support” her, he doesn’t always perform the tasks she has asked him to. However, she suggested that he “is putting a lot of effort in.” She responded, “He’ll do other things that aren’t what I’m asking for.” She continued, “You’re a great dad and you’re an amazing person, but sometimes I don’t think you take into account all the fires I’ve got to put out everywhere.”

When Joe said, “It’s so frustrating when I feel like all I’m doing is trying to devote myself to my family and make the most of every minute of every day, and then to sit here and hear that I’m a huge problem. Before Joe said, “All I’m hearing is that I’m this huge problem in Stacey’s perfect life,” Stacey said, “nobody is saying that.”

Stacey Solomon and Joe Swash sat on chairs in a therapy session on a TV show.
Joe spoke about his childhood as well as his marriage to Stacey Solomon in the session(Image: BBC/Stacey and Joe)

Joe claimed that he doesn’t hear any “positive stuff about]him] as a person, and Stacey claimed it was unfair to her. According to Stacey, “I would say that our biggest issue is that I cannot say anything without you taking it so personally as an attack on you as a whole person.”

She later told him, “It’s about working together to manage the situation.” Stacey claimed she wasn’t there to “change” her husband but to “support” who they are.

Natalie continued, “I believe there are some things that the diagnosis is exacerbating, but I believe there is also normal couple stuff.” She continued, “In terms of expectations and communication.” The therapist later observed that “it seems like you’re both sort of coming to the table with your minds already made up.” She is making a mockery of me. He must do this for me. I don’t get what I want. And I wonder if there is a balance between reality and reality.

Stacey said, “Maybe our issue isn’t even having to do with your ADHD,” on the way home. Although you might think it’s ADHD, it’s actually a common part of our communication based on what has happened in our lives. If we could hear each other better, she said, “I think that would be a huge leap for us.”

Continue reading the article.

Later in the episode, the couple – who reportedly had a “row in the street” amid the therapy session – reflected on the therapy session. Joe said: “I feel like I got off my chest how I felt and I feel like you got off your chest how you felt.” Stacey added: “I feel like we’ve communicated better just since then.” Joe teased that they could attend another session, saying: “I agree. I think we go back and see her, and then just take it step by step.”

Next Tuesday at 8 p.m. on BBC One and BBC iPlayer, Stacey & Joe will continue. On BBC iPlayer, you can watch previous episodes.

Zverev Crashes As Swiatek Scrapes Into Madrid Open Quarter-Finals

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As defending women’s champion Iga Swiatek battled through some scares before making it to the quarter-finals, world No. 2 Alexander Zverev was knocked out of the Madrid Open by Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo on Tuesday.

Cerundolo, a 21-year-old German champion, won 7-5, 6-3 to reclaim his previous year’s feat.

With a wacky 6-0, 6-7 (3/14), 6-4 victory over Diana Shnaider, Swiatek advanced to her fifth WTA 1000 quarter-final of the year.

After defeating Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan 6-3, 6-2, Cerundolo will face Argentinian Cerundolo in the quarter-finals.

He simply played better than I did, Zverev said.

Zverev gave Cerundolo two set points after mating game for game in the first set before granting Cerundolo a second set of points.

The 20th seed gained a 4-1 lead from an over-hitting Zverev immediately after the first set when he was broken by him in the second set.

Zverev yelled his racket in frustration, but Cerundolo kept his composure and remained calm throughout the match.

“I’m very happy because I know he enjoys playing here,” he said. He claimed that he beat him last year when he told me otherwise.

He plays such incredible football. I’m thrilled to win another championship and advance to the quarter-finals once more because of our excellent relationship.

Power at the Caja Magica was restored on Tuesday morning after a nationwide blackout that ended Monday’s majority of matches at the venue.

Grigor Dimitrov, who defeated Britain’s Jacob Fearnley, 6-4, 7-6 (7/3) to earn his third match point, some 27 hours after his first, won in Bulgaria.

With Dimitrov, the 15th seed, leading 6-4, 5-4, the match was suspended on Monday. Both players held serve until Dimitrov won the tie-break when play resumed on Tuesday.

That illustrates how quickly life can change as well. You serve for the match at one point, and at the other you are about to receive, and then the lights went out,” Dimitrov, who will face Gabriel Diallo, a livid loser, in the fourth round.

Due to an abdominal injury, Matteo Berrettini, a former finalist, retired after Jack Draper won the tiebreak in the opening set.

In the final 16, Draper will face American Tommy Paul.

Alex de Minaur, the sixth-seeded player, defeated Canadian Denis Shapovalov 6-3, 7-6 (7/3) in a match with Lorenzo Musetti, the next opponent.

The Australian now trails Carlos Alcaraz for the most victories on a tour in 2025 with his 24th win of the year.

The 16th seed, Frances Tiafoe, defeated Matteo Arnaldi, who defeated Alexandre Muller 6-3, 6-3 to reach the fourth round.

Sabalenka coasts as Swiatek pushes.

In a final-eight showdown with Australian Open champion Madison Keys, Swiatek defeated in the women’s tournament by saving 11 of her 13 break points.

The 23-year-old Swiatek acknowledged she enjoyed being off the grid for a few hours when asked about the power outage.

“Honestly, I liked yesterday; I think everyone was more relaxed, and it’s obvious that those who didn’t lose were.” Swiatek remarked, “I had some time to rest.”

I used the time to relax and not think about what I should do, to be honest.

On April 29, 2025, Aryna Sabalenka’s Belarusian team plays at the Caja Magica in Madrid’s quarterfinal match, where they play WTA Tour Madrid Open tennis player Aryna Sabalenka. (Photo by Pierre-Philippe MARCOU / AFP)

Aryna Sabalenka, the world’s top female, defeated American Peyton Stearns, who is 44th overall, 6-2, 6-4 to reach the last eight.

The 26-year-old Belarusian, who won in Miami in March, will face Anastasia Potapova from Russia or Marta Kostyuk from Ukraine.

Mark Carney’s Liberals will form Canada minority government, CBC projects

By in News, World News
Following a campaign dominated by concerns about US President Donald Trump’s threats to Canada, Liberal Party leader Mark Carney’s Liberal Party will form a minority government. Public broadcaster CBC is projecting this.

The Liberals would need to pass the 172-seat majority to form a government, according to the CBC on Tuesday afternoon.

The Liberals have won 169 seats in the most recent polls, compared to 144 for the main opposition Conservative Party, according to the most recent projections from the vote on Monday.

After trailing the Tories by as much as 25 percentage points as recently as January, the Liberals now have a stunning fourth consecutive mandate.

However, many Canadian voters rallied behind Carney and the Liberals because Trump’s decision to impose tariffs on Canadian goods and the Republican leader’s repeated threats to make Canada the 51st US state.

After months of receiving a lot of negative feedback about how his government handled a housing crisis and other affordability issues, Carney’s predecessor, former prime minister Justin Trudeau, resigned.

According to Al Jazeera’s John Hendren, who was reporting from Ottawa, the country’s capital, on Tuesday, many voters “wanted to make sure that they were choosing a leader who could combat Trump, the country’s one major threat.”

According to Hendren, “Canadians saw an existential crisis,” he said, “because 80% of their exports go to the United States, their biggest trading partner, and those tariffs were making it difficult to conduct business.”

Carney, a former central banker, said that addressing the tariffs from the Trump administration will be top of the list at this time.

His honeymoon might not last as long as he can, Hendren said.

Carney claimed in a statement that Trump had spoken with him and that he had received congratulations from the US president after his victory on Tuesday afternoon.

The leaders both recognized the value of working together to advance Canada and the United States as independent, sovereign nations. The leaders agreed to meet in person shortly in order to accomplish this,” according to Carney’s office’s statement.

To pass legislation and withstand no-confidence votes in parliament, the Liberals will need the support of an opposition party.

The NDP, which had been supporting the Trudeau administration until late last year, appears to be in good shape for that role.

According to CBC’s tally, the NDP’s seven seats in the election on Monday are expected to be sufficient to overtake the 172-seat majority needed for the House of Commons.

In his victory speech following the vote on Monday, Carney urged Canadians to keep their resolve despite Trump’s threats.

He claimed that America desires its land, resources, water, and nation. President Trump is attempting to enslave us so that it can become a part of America, which will never be the case.

Meanwhile, Pierre Poilievre, the leader of the opposition Conservatives, congratulated Carney on his victory and said it would be his party’s responsibility to “hold the government to account.”