Archive May 2, 2025

He describes his pre-match ritual as “usually getting the bus in, meet up with people outside the ground, and then get inside and chill out, watching the players warm up,” he tells BBC Sport. I will need beer because the club are experimenting with allowing it in the stands.

Birmingham City hosts London City Lionesses on Sunday, a direct match for Women’s Super League promotion.

“Everyone is excited, this is the position we wanted to be in,” said captain Christine Harrison-Murray, who spoke to BBC Sport. One more game and a lot of pressure.

It’s really exciting because I’ve never had it before on this day.

The ambitious new blood of Birmingham City Lionesses faces Birmingham City, a fallen giantess who has been relegated to the top flight in 2022, in the second tier this season.

Birmingham was a WSL founding member in 2010 and a fixture for the first 12 seasons. In 2011, they qualified for the Champions League and won the FA Cup the following year.

Birmingham only marginally missed out on a return in 2023, but they finished fifth last year, with Ross revealing how difficult they have sometimes found it difficult to adjust to the smaller Championship pond.

He claims, “We’re a bigger scalp.” There is little room for error, and with so few teams, you can’t lose a lot of games.

“It’s nerve-wracking because some games we have won it have us to play, but others we have won’t take any chances.”

I’m a watcher by nature, but we should be doing well in the WSL and not so much in the Championship.

Similar to rivals London City, new American ownership, and serious investment have been key factors in the success of this season.

While Michele Kang’s Lionesses have made headlines, Birmingham owner Tom Wagner is still a top dog and demonstrates how far the team has come since the squad complained to the board about the team’s conditions in 2021.

Birmingham is now able to compete thanks to investments in the women’s training facilities and an expanded playing squad. Relegation may have been a disguised blessing, similar to the men’s team’s success this campaign, which completely dominated League One.

Harrison-Murray, one of the few relegation season survivors still playing for Birmingham, says, “Having a fuller squad is massive.”

We still have fresh legs after the international break, which means players are tired.

“To help us make that next step into the WSL and stay there is huge,” said one woman. “Just having that full circle support of the women’s side is huge.”

Without a shadow of a doubt, Ross states that we are now “in a healthier state.”

Birmingham have benefited from Amy Merricks, one of the most highly regarded up-and-coming coaches in the English game, in terms of the management.

In April 2024, Merricks succeeded Darren Carter as Birmingham boss after two interim spells as WSL side Brighton and a one-year stint with England’s under-19s. At the time, he was just 30.

She has won over both her fans and players, and Harrison-Murray views her as a role model for any other English women interested in a coaching career in the future.

She claims that Amy has been “amazing.” She is very hands-on, trying to put a philosophy and a way of playing into practice. With that level of preparation and what she wants to achieve, it has been a huge success.

Amy is young but has her professional license, having spent a long time coaching, and at Brighton. I want to emulate her in the future and learn from her.

She is a person I have learned a lot from over the course of a year, and I would love to stay in the game when I retire.

Merricks will join Rehanne Skinner of West Ham as one of only two full-time English female coaches in the WSL if she takes Birmingham to the top flight.

With former England manager Hope Powell serving as technical director, she and Ross feel like they are still here even if things don’t go their way on Sunday.

The owners want us to play in the WSL, he claims, and they’d be even more enthusiastic about backing the manager over the summer.

The players appear to be playing for her, and Amy Merricks appears to have a very tactical sense of tact. They have ingested her ideas. It’s fantastic, and having a woman and English people in those capacities is nice.

After nine months of work, 540 football games are finished in just a few hours on Saturday.

The Championship has once more provided an incredible season of drama and entertainment, with the pendulum swinging back and forth between them. again and again. again and again.

With 12 teams still battling it out for the title, two play-off spots, and a relegation spot, the final-day fixtures (all 12: 30 BST kick-offs) are still a possibility.

What are their requirements? Without a footballing miracle, the Pilgrims are actually already down.

What are their requirements? They are down at Portsmouth, but Hull City’s fate is still up in the air. Their most simple pathway to staying up is to win – they would be guaranteed to finish above either Derby or Stoke who play each other – or at least better the result of one of Luton or Preston.

Hull would have a better goal difference if the Hatters or Lilywhites were to draw and lose.

If Luton and Preston don’t lose, Ruben Selles’ men could finish ahead of Derby in terms of goal difference with a draw and a three-goal defeat for Stoke.

There is also another unlikely scenario in which Hull could finish above Derby on goals scored if the Tigers draw 6-6 and the Rams lose by two goals. The Rams would stay in contention given their better head-to-head record in the equally unlikely event that Derby and Hull draw 5-5 and lose by two.

What are their requirements? If West Bromwich Albion wins or Hull loses, Luton will continue to lead.

The Hatters would only need to avoid an unlikely 14-goal swing in favor of Argyle to survive if Luton and Hull both lose and Plymouth win.

Things get slightly more complicated for Matt Bloomfield’s side if they do not pick up three points at The Hawthorns.

Luton will need to match their performance to maintain their lead in the event that Hull loses. If they beat one of Preston or Derby, Luton would continue to lead regardless of Hull’s outcome.

So what happens if Hull, Preston and Derby all win? Then, in order to finish ahead of Stoke and avoid falling, Luton would need to win.

They could also draw in that scenario and continue to be successful if either of the following happens:

What are their requirements? Preston will continue to lead if they defeat Bristol City, just like Luton does if Hull loses.

If not, the Lilywhites must match or surpass Derby or Stoke’s results in order to beat the drop.

Should Preston and Luton both lose and Hull win, Paul Heckingbottom’s side will survive on goal difference as long as they avoid the unlikely scenario of losing by 13 goals and the Hatters losing by one, or losing by 14 goals and the Hatters losing by two and so on.

The Lilywhites would need Derby to score four goals more than themselves to stay in the lead on goal difference (for example, Derby 0-5 Stoke, Bristol City 1-0 Preston) if Hull and Luton both manage to avoid losing.

What are their requirements? If Derby defeat fellow relegation rivals Stoke at home, or if Hull loses, they will claim the title.

The Rams also have the best goal difference among all the relegation teams, with just one.

If Hull win and John Eustace’s side do not, they will need to match one of either Preston or Luton’s results to stay up.

In the unlikely event that Preston and Hull draw, Luton win, and the Rams lose by three goals, as mentioned in Hull’s permutations, Derby would fall.

In the event that Preston, Hull, Draw, and Luton win, we can probably exclude these final two possible outcomes.

What are their requirements? Stoke City will stay up if they avoid defeat at Derby.

If Preston and Luton and Hull win, or at least draw, the Potters will only lose if they can score under five goals.

If Hull win, Preston avoids defeat, and Luton draw, there is a very unlikely chance that Stoke will be relegated.

What are their requirements? To have a chance of making the play-offs, Middlesbrough must win at Coventry.

If Millwall and Blackburn fail to win, Boro would advance to the top six.

What are their requirements? Any chance of Blackburn making the play-offs must be based on a win at Sheffield United.

What are their requirements? For any chance of making it to the play-offs, Millwall must win at Burnley.

Victory for the Lions would be enough if one of Bristol City or Coventry fail to win.

What are their requirements? Coventry City will finish in a play-off spot if they beat Middlesbrough.

The Sky Blues could only get a draw if either of the following occurs:

What are their requirements? Bristol City will secure a play-off spot if they beat Preston at home.

The Robins could use a draw, but they could rely on other teams’ outcomes. If any of the following occurs, City will finish in the top six with a draw:

Should Liam Manning’s side lose, they will only finish in the play-offs if:

Scottish Championship season finale: Friday, 2 May (19:45 BST)

Falkirk v Hamilton Academical

Venue: Falkirk Stadium, Falkirk

Coverage: BBC Scotland, BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport website & app

Livingston v Partick Thistle

Venue: The Home of the Set Fare Arena, Livingston

Not so much Helicopter Sunday, which famously decided the destination of the 2004-05 Scottish Premier League trophy, as People Carrier Friday.

Lurking on a quiet side street somewhere in a Central Belt sweet spot between Falkirk and Livingston, the occupants of a comfortably sized motor car will be tuning in with the rest of the nation in anticipation of a crashing crescendo in Scotland’s second tier.

Should Falkirk start banging the goals in against relegated Hamilton Academical, the ignition will fire and the silverware will start the journey north.

A win of any kind for Falkirk at home to the beleaguered Accies will almost certainly be enough to ensure the Bairns are crowned champions given their superior goal difference.

Not long ago, David Martindale, manager of chasing Livingston, had publicly conceded the title to John McGlynn’s side.

Should Falkirk lose or draw to Hamilton then suddenly the door is open for a Livingston title win if Martindale’s side secure a fifth consecutive victory by beating visitors Partick Thistle.

Defeating the fourth-placed Jags will be easier said than done, of course.

It was only last week – in front of the Sportscene cameras – that Thistle inflicted a 2-1 defeat on Falkirk, with the winning goal coming in the 98th minute.

If Falkirk and Livingston both win, they will each finish the season on 73 points.

In terms of goal difference, Falkirk have the big advantage of +37 compared to +29 for Livingston.

Livingston would need to pound Thistle into the stone age for goal difference to be a factor.

The Glasgow side sit in the final play-off place – on 52 points – and a victory over Livingston would seal the deal.

A Thistle defeat, though, would leave the door ajar for Raith Rovers – on 50 points – to leapfrog them into a Premiership play-off quarter-final against third-top Ayr United.

Barry Robson’s side are away to Queen’s Park, who are third bottom but safe from relegation.

A draw for Thistle should also be enough for the Glasgow side given they have a goal difference of +4 compared to Rovers’ zero.

Clearly, though, this margin is not altogether insurmountable. If the Kirkcaldy side can whip themselves into a goal frenzy at the national stadium against a Queen’s Park side who are without a win in 11 matches, then it could become interesting.

If Thistle were to draw and Rovers were to win 4-0 then the Fifers would finish fourth.

The goal difference between the sides would be the same, so it would go down to which side had scored the most goals over the course of the season – and that would be Rovers.

In such a scenario, the only way Thistle could draw and still remain fourth is if they somehow managed to score more than Rovers on the night. For example, a wildly improbable 5-5 draw.

In the admittedly highly unlikely event that Thistle and Rovers do finish level on points, goal difference and goals scored then it would come down to the points tally in the four matches between the sides over the course of this season.

That would result in Rovers finishing fourth in the table as they have amassed eight compared to two for Partick Thistle.

The points deduction for Hamilton, confirmed after their appeal was dismissed on Thursday, has drawn the sting from the relegation battle.

Accies are in a malaise and League 1 is their destiny after a 15-point deduction left them eight points adrift at the bottom, when they would have otherwise been safe in seventh place.

Second-bottom Airdrieonians – who had looked doomed for the majority of this season until a run of only four defeats in 16 since the turn of the year – will have a second chance at Championship life next season if they manage to see off their play-off adversaries from League 1.

Scottish Championship season finale: Friday, 2 May (19:45 BST)

Falkirk v Hamilton Academical

Venue: Falkirk Stadium, Falkirk

Coverage: BBC Scotland, BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport website & app

Livingston v Partick Thistle

Venue: The Home of the Set Fare Arena, Livingston

Not so much Helicopter Sunday, which famously decided the destination of the 2004-05 Scottish Premier League trophy, as People Carrier Friday.

Lurking on a quiet side street somewhere in a Central Belt sweet spot between Falkirk and Livingston, the occupants of a comfortably sized motor car will be tuning in with the rest of the nation in anticipation of a crashing crescendo in Scotland’s second tier.

Should Falkirk start banging the goals in against relegated Hamilton Academical, the ignition will fire and the silverware will start the journey north.

A win of any kind for Falkirk at home to the beleaguered Accies will almost certainly be enough to ensure the Bairns are crowned champions given their superior goal difference.

Not long ago, David Martindale, manager of chasing Livingston, had publicly conceded the title to John McGlynn’s side.

Should Falkirk lose or draw to Hamilton then suddenly the door is open for a Livingston title win if Martindale’s side secure a fifth consecutive victory by beating visitors Partick Thistle.

Defeating the fourth-placed Jags will be easier said than done, of course.

It was only last week – in front of the Sportscene cameras – that Thistle inflicted a 2-1 defeat on Falkirk, with the winning goal coming in the 98th minute.

If Falkirk and Livingston both win, they will each finish the season on 73 points.

In terms of goal difference, Falkirk have the big advantage of +37 compared to +29 for Livingston.

Livingston would need to pound Thistle into the stone age for goal difference to be a factor.

The Glasgow side sit in the final play-off place – on 52 points – and a victory over Livingston would seal the deal.

A Thistle defeat, though, would leave the door ajar for Raith Rovers – on 50 points – to leapfrog them into a Premiership play-off quarter-final against third-top Ayr United.

Barry Robson’s side are away to Queen’s Park, who are third bottom but safe from relegation.

A draw for Thistle should also be enough for the Glasgow side given they have a goal difference of +4 compared to Rovers’ zero.

Clearly, though, this margin is not altogether insurmountable. If the Kirkcaldy side can whip themselves into a goal frenzy at the national stadium against a Queen’s Park side who are without a win in 11 matches, then it could become interesting.

If Thistle were to draw and Rovers were to win 4-0 then the Fifers would finish fourth.

The goal difference between the sides would be the same, so it would go down to which side had scored the most goals over the course of the season – and that would be Rovers.

In such a scenario, the only way Thistle could draw and still remain fourth is if they somehow managed to score more than Rovers on the night. For example, a wildly improbable 5-5 draw.

In the admittedly highly unlikely event that Thistle and Rovers do finish level on points, goal difference and goals scored then it would come down to the points tally in the four matches between the sides over the course of this season.

That would result in Rovers finishing fourth in the table as they have amassed eight compared to two for Partick Thistle.

The points deduction for Hamilton, confirmed after their appeal was dismissed on Thursday, has drawn the sting from the relegation battle.

Accies are in a malaise and League 1 is their destiny after a 15-point deduction left them eight points adrift at the bottom, when they would have otherwise been safe in seventh place.

Second-bottom Airdrieonians – who had looked doomed for the majority of this season until a run of only four defeats in 16 since the turn of the year – will have a second chance at Championship life next season if they manage to see off their play-off adversaries from League 1.