Bradley ‘ready to step up’ for Liverpool – O’Neill

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Northern Ireland manager Michael O’Neill says Conor Bradley will not be “fazed” by competition at Liverpool next season.

The 21-year-old has featured 28 times for the Anfield club this season and picked up a Premier League medal with Arne Slot’s side.

With Trent Alexander-Arnold’s departure this summer, Bradley will hope to establish himself as first-choice right-back next season, although the club are expected to make Bayer Leverkusen’s Jeremie Frimpong their first summer signing.

“Conor’s not stupid. He’s playing, arguably, in one of the top three teams in Europe, they’ve won the Premier League and won it convincingly,” said O’Neill after naming Bradley in his squad for friendlies against Denmark and Iceland next month.

“You have to expect competition and Conor knows that, whatever form that comes in.

‘He’s driven by minutes’

Conor Bradley Inpho

Should Frimpong come in, O’Neill believes that the dynamic of that competition will be different for Bradley than it was when vying for minutes with Alexander-Arnold.

“He provided that competition for Trent but he was trying at that point in time to dislodge a player that was very, very established at the club, a much-loved player and a player that had been very successful at the club,” he added.

“I think whatever happens now at Liverpool, that competition will be different because it will be a newer player coming into the club if they choose to do that, but Conor’s already proven that he’s ready to step up.

“I think you see that the manager there more than trusts him.”

That trust has recently been underlined by a new, long-term contract, and O’Neill feels that “stability” will be a benefit to a player he has handed the captain’s armband on two occasions.

“Conor’s not really driven by contracts. He’s driven by opportunity to play, and that’s quite refreshing in the modern game,” he said.

“I think that having that stability will help him, but he’s driven by minutes and he wants to make sure that he gets as many minutes as possible for Liverpool.

“He wants to play in the big games at Liverpool. He comes here [with Northern Ireland], he plays in the big games, he’s captained the team here, and I think you see that in his performances here.

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Non-league team win title after finishing third

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At the conclusion of a 38-game season, two teams were tied on points in the top of the league, separated only by goal difference, but one side still wins the title.

In the Combined Counties Premier South, Jersey Bulls and Redhill were awarded three points each for fielding an ineligible player, but Surrey side AFC Whyteleafe won the title instead.

The club, which was only established four years ago, had a fantastic season in the FA Vase final earlier this month when they were defeated 2-1 by Whitstable Town at Wembley.

Jersey won the game 4-0 over Tooting and Mitcham United on March 20 but received three points for fielding a player who should have received a suspension.

Daniel Bennett does a backflip celebration after scoring for AFC Whyteleafe at Wembley Images courtesy of Getty

The club will now receive automatic promotion to the eighth-tier Isthmian League Division One South East, and Whyteleafe will now receive the trophy, who would have placed third with 95 points.

In the interim, Redhill will face Cobham in the play-offs, while Jersey will face Fleet Town.

Kelly Waters, the head of Whyteleafe, told BBC Radio Surrey, “I feel great that we were crowned champions and promoted to Step Four.”

“I feel very sorry for Jersey and Redhill given their circumstances,” he said. “I’ve personally experienced it myself while managing at Balham and it’s painful.

We’ve ultimately been a beneficiary of that and we couldn’t be happier to be back in Step Four because they have to enforce the rules to make sure people don’t use them inappropriately.

The current Whyteleafe FC was founded by chairman and co-manager Waters shortly after the original Whyteleafe FC folded in 2021.

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Marshall, Cameron & Ali added to Taylor-Serrano card

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On July 11 in New York, IBF super-middleweight champion Savannah Marshall will face WBO champion Shadasia Green in a unification fight.

At Madison Square Garden, Katie Taylor’s trilogy fight against Amanda Serrano will feature Marshall v. Green.

The all-women’s event also includes Britons Chantelle Cameron and Ramla Ali.

Ali will face Brazilian super-bantamweight champion Lila Furtado, while Cameron will face Jessica Camara at light-welterweight.

Cameron, who defeated Ireland’s Taylor in the WBC’s first round, will fight head-to-head against Taylor, who is the previous undisputed champion.

In the main event, Taylor and Serrano vie for the undisputed light-welterweight title, and Cameron from Northampton is hopeful of defeating the winner.

Before being ruled out by injury, Marshall was scheduled to face Green in 2023 after claiming the undisputed super-middleweight title.

All three women revealed recently that Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions had recently agreed to work with them on promotional deals.

Ali makes a new team appearance.

Ali, 35, hasn’t fought since Yamileth Mercado’s second defeat in June 2024.

Ali had lost again in three fights, but she avenged her defeat to Julissa Alejandra Guzman in late 2023.

The activist and model claims to have a new coach and to “refine her skills and re-evaluate her approach” after taking a break from competition.

She said, “This past year away from boxing has been challenging but necessary. It’s reignited the fire that initially drew me to boxing.”

Working with Tony Simms and John Ryder has completely changed the way I approach the sport, and their combined skill has helped me become a better fighter.

Karriss Artingstall and Raven Chapman, England’s Raven Chapman and Furtado, 33, are the only two defeats on her record.

In an eight-round contest, Ali will face Furtado, who hopes to take home the title.

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Barcelona like Rashford and Diaz – Deco

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According to Barcelona’s sporting director Deco, the club “likes” Liverpool winger Luis Diaz and Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford.

This week, there was a report in Spain that suggested Diaz, a Colombia international, might be moving to the Catalans, while Rashford had a loan deal with Aston Villa in January.

Rashford is available for about £40 million, despite there being no indication that Liverpool will take any offers for Diaz, who has two years left on his contract.

Deco told Catalan radio station RAC1 that “we like Luis Diaz, we like [Marcus] Rashford, and we like other players.”

Following their La Liga title win last week, Barcelona tied Hansi Flick to a new deal.

Prior to looking to sign a new winger, Deco claims renewals for players like Lamine Yamal, Pedri, and Gavi will be top priorities for the club.

With the renewals of Pedri, Gavi, (Ronald) Araujo, Raphinha, and (Jules) Kounde,” added the former Chelsea midfielder, “our top priority is to strengthen what we have at home.”

“I get that people always think about players coming from abroad when they think about signings, but for me, renewals are also signings,” said I. The best signing ever made was lamine (renewing).

Then, see if the team can improve. We need a player with a different profile to help the strikers from what we’ve seen this season.

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Notts County sack head coach Maynard

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Notts County have sacked head coach Stuart Maynard after he failed to guide them to promotion from League Two.

The 44-year-old’s 16 months in charge of the Magpies have come to an end five days after the club were beaten in the play-off semi-finals by AFC Wimbledon.

After their second-leg defeat at Plough Lane, Maynard had said he was “confident” about keeping his job under mounting pressure.

Notts’ regular season had ended two weeks earlier to the sound of boos from supporters at Meadow Lane as the Magpies were beaten by League Two champions Doncaster Rovers.

It was a game the East Midlands club needed to win to have any chance of snatching an automatic promotion spot on the final day.

Notts owners Chris and Alex Reedtz said Maynard’s sacking came down to those final weeks of the failed campaign.

“After being unable to achieve our aim of winning promotion this season, we share the disappointment felt by everyone connected with the club,” the Danish brothers said in a statement.

Maynard took over at Meadow Lane in January 2024 from Notts’ National League promotion-winning boss Luke Williams, who left the club to take charge of Championship side Swansea City.

The job at Notts was Maynard’s first in full-time management, having worked part-time as Wealdstone boss while juggling his long-time career as a telecommunications engineer.

His first few months in the role produced 11 defeats and just five wins in 19 games as Notts ended up finishing 14th in the table last season.

By that time, sections of Notts supporters were already calling for him to leave with banners of ‘Maynard Out’ appearing in the crowd.

His first full season in charge brought about improvements, with Notts’ defence transformed from the worst in the division to among its best as they kept up their challenge for promotion to the very end despite their form stalling badly.

Four successive defeats at home, including a 1-0 semi-final first-leg loss to Wimbledon, were just one reason that former Notts striker Mark Stallard said the club had to make “a quick decision” about the future of a boss that “split the fan base”.

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Notts County sack head coach Maynard

PA Media
  • 2 Comments

Notts County have sacked head coach Stuart Maynard after he failed to guide them to promotion from League Two.

The 44-year-old’s 16 months in charge of the Magpies have come to an end five days after the club were beaten in the play-off semi-finals by AFC Wimbledon.

After their second-leg defeat at Plough Lane, Maynard had said he was “confident” about keeping his job under mounting pressure.

Notts’ regular season had ended two weeks earlier to the sound of boos from supporters at Meadow Lane as the Magpies were beaten by League Two champions Doncaster Rovers.

It was a game the East Midlands club needed to win to have any chance of snatching an automatic promotion spot on the final day.

Notts owners Chris and Alex Reedtz said Maynard’s sacking came down to those final weeks of the failed campaign.

“After being unable to achieve our aim of winning promotion this season, we share the disappointment felt by everyone connected with the club,” the Danish brothers said in a statement.

Maynard took over at Meadow Lane in January 2024 from Notts’ National League promotion-winning boss Luke Williams, who left the club to take charge of Championship side Swansea City.

The job at Notts was Maynard’s first in full-time management, having worked part-time as Wealdstone boss while juggling his long-time career as a telecommunications engineer.

His first few months in the role produced 11 defeats and just five wins in 19 games as Notts ended up finishing 14th in the table last season.

By that time, sections of Notts supporters were already calling for him to leave with banners of ‘Maynard Out’ appearing in the crowd.

His first full season in charge brought about improvements, with Notts’ defence transformed from the worst in the division to among its best as they kept up their challenge for promotion to the very end despite their form stalling badly.

Four successive defeats at home, including a 1-0 semi-final first-leg loss to Wimbledon, were just one reason that former Notts striker Mark Stallard said the club had to make “a quick decision” about the future of a boss that “split the fan base”.

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  • League Two
  • Football
  • Notts County