Reggie Walsh, 16, is “very young,” according to Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca, but in our way, in our style, he is perfect.
Walsh made his League semifinal debut against Djurgarden on Thursday with a 4-1 victory.
“We’ve been a fantastic football story for the Premier League. No-one can ever take it away from us, but we are never going to survive in the Premier League at Kenilworth Road. It’s as simple as that.”
Amid the diggers and cranes and mounds of dirt, Luton Town’s CEO Gary Sweet points to a crudely painted red stick. It marks the spot where, in three years’ time, the centre circle will be in Luton’s new stadium Power Court, slap bang in the centre of a town experiencing the long-awaited shoots of gentrification.
What started as a drunken conversation with architects turned into an innovative concept for floodlights called The Halo; a circle of light atop the stands, doubling up as a symbolic boater for the new home of the Hatters. There will be 25,000 fans inside to watch the first ball be kicked in 2028-29. But before any of this, there’s the small matter of survival.
Rob Edwards, the manager who got them promoted, was sacked in January as he battled terrible form. But Kevin Harper, from the Luton Town Supporters’ Trust, thinks the board acted too late in sacking Edwards and replacing him with Matt Bloomfield.
“If we go down, I think the big decision was that Rob wasn’t sacked after the Middlesbrough away game [a 5-1 defeat in November],” says Harper. “You’ve got to think there’d been more points on the board if Matt [Bloomfield] had come a bit earlier.”
Bloomfield has steadied the ship. After three wins on the spin, another victory, away at West Brom in the last game of the season on Saturday, will save them. But for Harper, those halcyon days of the play-off final victory at Wembley feel like a distant memory.
“I think we got promoted too soon and maybe, by not being completely prepared for the Premier League from the get go, we’ve probably not been prepared for the drop out of it,” Harper adds.
“The worst thing would be the shame, the embarrassment, of relegation in successive seasons.”
On that point, Sweet shakes his head: “I would never feel embarrassed being involved with this football club. The times we’ve been to Braintree and losing games at home to Hyde – I wouldn’t have even called that an embarrassment. I’ve always been proud to be associated with this club and I always will.”
The CEO was part of the consortium that rescued the Hatters from financial ruin in 2008, after a 30-point deduction imposed on them by the FA. Mick Harford was the manager then. Younger fans won’t have experienced what the club legend describes as “the dark days”.
Sweet adds: “There’s trepidation but I believe those bad times have stood us in good stead. It’s a bit of realism. It was very, very tough in those times. I’ve been connected with the football club for 40 years now, so I’ve seen lots of ups and downs.
That the club battled its way from non-league to the Premier League at a ground that has so often been the butt of jokes is even more of an achievement.
“There were quite a few times at Kenilworth Road last season where we were actually sniggering saying, ‘isn’t this funny, with Pep Guardiola sitting in the dugout across the way’,” says Sweet.
“But actually, quite a lot of time we were thinking ‘I wish we were at Power Court right now’. I genuinely think it could have been that small margin that could have enabled us to get another six months to survive.”
So where has it all gone wrong?
Football finance expert Kieran Maguire says Luton have been financially prudent after banking an extra £114m in 2023-24, mainly from the broadcasting deal, and have two years of parachute payments worth an extra £80m.
They haven’t overspent, far from it. Of the 13 players signed this season, many have been loans and free transfers. But fans argue cheaper players can be injury prone, exemplified by last summer’s signing from Brentford, midfielder Shandon Baptiste, who’s started just seven matches all season.
“If you look back in the history books at clubs that get relegated from the Premier League back down into the Championship, the first time is always a challenge. The most important thing is we learn from that,” says Sweet.
“If you look at the various attributes you look for, we’re never going to be able to afford the players with every single one. Some of those risks pay off, some of those gambles don’t.”
It might just have paid off with Baptiste – he scored a 90th-minute winner last weekend to put survival in the club’s hands. The last club to experience back-to-back relegation was Sunderland in 2018. In three years’ time Luton Town might have its halo, but the CEO is confident that on Saturday, they won’t need a guardian angel.
In a snap election to replace impeached ex-leader Yoon Suk-yeol, South Korea sworn in its third acting president in less than six months.
Education Minister Lee Ju-ho, who was appointed acting leader on Friday, a day after Han Duck-soo announced his candidacy for the June 3 election, made the pledge to “stability.”
Lee told reporters, “I’ll do my best to make sure government functions are conducted impartially.”
The election campaign’s nomination of a new acting president came as Han’s candidacy for the Democratic Party’s Lee Jae-myung gained more skepticism.
Han stated at a press conference held on Friday at the National Assembly that “I love and care about the future of the Republic of Korea” and that he is determined to find what I love and what we all can do.
“I’ll make every effort possible to win this presidency,” I pledge to do so.
The Supreme Court retried Lee Jae-myung’s conviction for violating election law on Thursday, sending the case to a lower court.
Lee, who has been a top voter for months, would be exempt from the race if his conviction is overturned before the election.
Following Yoon’s resignation as a former prosecutor-turned-conservative politician in December, after his shocking declaration of martial law, the election was called.
The political uncertainty and chaos it sparked by Yoon’s declaration, which only lasted for less than six hours before being rejected by the legislature of South Korea, persists nearly six months later.
After Yoon’s impeachment on December 14, Han, 75, was removed and replaced by Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok, who took over as acting president.
Han was reinstated as an acting leader after the Constitutional Court overturned his impeachment in March.
Han, a seasoned politician and bureaucrat, has previously held positions as ambassador to the United States and trade minister in both liberal and conservative administrations.
Han is expected to support Yoon’s conservative People Power Party despite not having political affiliations.
He claimed that his campaign promises to increase constitutional amendments and limit the executive’s authority.
The Democratic Party accused Han of giving up his duties as a caretaker leader after he made that statement.
“We warn Han, the former prime minister. Noh Jong-myun, a spokesman for the Democratic Party, “don’t conceal your lust with a lie that you’re running for the people.”
After being attacked by a drone attack and starting to burn, an aid ship that is heading to Gaza has issued a distress signal. The Freedom Flotilla ship, which was attempting to break Israel’s two-month aid embargo, had 30 aid workers on board.
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.
Amy Dowden has opened up about her gruelling cancer battle a year after receiving the all-clear. The Strictly Come Dancing professional, 34, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2023, leading to a mastectomy and intense chemotherapy treatment.
A health check that was documented on social media ultimately revealed that there was “no evidence of the disease” in February 2024. However, the Welsh dancer’s campaign against breast cancer is still on, as she frequently communicates with fans in private.
Yesterday, Amy took to Instagram, sharing a past snap of herself in the hospital getting a scan done. She said: “Just seen pic in an article online. This was my scan, nearly a year ago.
I’m smiling there, but I’m so embarrassed that I’ve been so long since. The first day of a month! Then Amy used the opportunity to ask her followers a crucial health question.
“When was the last time you checked yourself?”, she asked. “I’m going to share the resources/next story! If you’re not checking, who is?” Resources from CoppaFeel! urge individuals to regularly observe and feel their breasts to watch out for any unusual changes.
In addition to the following, red flags are raised by abnormal changes in breast shape or size, such as swelling, swelling, and:
Guidance from the NHS also adds: “Checking your breasts or chest regularly helps you learn what looks and feels normal for you. This makes it easier to notice any changes that could be a sign of a condition such as breast cancer.
“About once a month, you should try to check your breasts or chest.” The NHS issued a health alert to people between the ages of 50 and 71, urging them to get a mammogram, just days after Amy’s health alert was issued.
Women are typically invited to these breast cancer screenings from the age of 71 up until the third of the year. Trans men, trans women, and non-binary people are among the population who are frequently contacted for screenings, though some may need to get in touch with their GP first.
During the check-up, a female specialist will conduct four breast X-rays. Each appointment normally lasts just 30 minutes. NHS England further explains: “For every 100 people who have breast screening, four will need further tests.
You may not necessarily have breast cancer because of this. The majority of those who require additional testing do not have breast cancer. A breast assessment appointment will be arranged for you.
You can speak with a breast screening nurse over the phone before your appointment if you have any concerns or questions. You’ll be able to contact them with the information provided in your invitation for further tests.
“… Depending on the type of tests taken, the expert team will inform you when and how you will receive your results.