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Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson has revealed that the Welsh side have suffered a double injury blow with Eoghan O’Connell and Ryan Barnett ruled out.

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Wrexham duo ruled outUnavailable for eight weeksWelsh side beat Notts CountyWHAT HAPPENED?

Centre-back O'Connell and midfielder Barnett were both absent as Wrexham picked up three points by beating Notts County 2-0 in League Two on Saturday.

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The pair have been important figures for the League Two team but have already had spells out of the team this season.

The Red Dragons will have to do without the two players for almost two months, the coach has confirmed.

WHAT THEY SAID

"To come through and finish October with a win is great for us," he said. "We need to patch a few people up. Eoghan O’Connell looks to be out for eight weeks, Barny (Ryan Barnett) looks to be out for eight weeks.”

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Wrexham's next match is against Mansfield Town in the FA Cup on November 4.

Andy Dibble, Wrexham's promotion hero in 2002-2003, has admitted that receiving a message from co-owner Ryan Reynolds "brought a tear to my eye".

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Dibble helped Wrexham to 2003 promotionSon Christian left in JanuaryReynolds' message made ex-pro cryWHAT HAPPENED?

The former Wales international goalkeeper led the Red Dragons to promotion 21 years ago, but his family's connection to the club remained until earlier this year. His son and fellow shot-stopper Christian joined Wrexham in 2017 and went on to make 61 league appearances, despite mostly being second choice to Rob Lainton between the sticks.

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As a result, Dibble elected to start a new challenge at the start of the year, leaving Wrexham by mutual consent before joining National League side Kidderminster Harriers in the January window. And Dibble Senior revealed that his son's efforts hadn't gone unnoticed by those upstairs. Deadpool star Reynolds even went out of his way to contact the former Wrexham great, which he admitted made him emotional.

WHAT DIBBLE SAID

Dibble told : "When Christian left Wrexham, Ryan sent me a private message on Twitter. It was fantastic and it made me feel so proud. Ryan was really kind, he thanked me for Christian's service to Wrexham and talked about him as a goalkeeper but more than anything, he said how proud I should be for bringing up a special son. It brought a bit of a tear to my eye really. I didn't expect somebody with his fame to message me but it meant so much to me, it was really special."

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DID YOU KNOW?

As well as representing Wrexham, Dibble Senior also turned out for the likes of Manchester City, Luton, Stockport and Cardiff.

Arsenal are back in the Champions League for the first time since 2016-17, with Jorginho explaining why the competition’s famous anthem means so much.

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North London giants back in the big timeWaited a long time to grace such a stagePlayers loving every minute of European actionWHAT HAPPENED?

The Gunners finally forced their way back into the Premier League’s top four last season – as they spent much of the campaign challenging for the title – and are now gracing the grandest of European stages for the first time in over six years.

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Declan Rice, Leandro Trossard and Bukayo Saka struggled to keep smiles from their faces when hearing “the Champiooooooons” ring out around Emirates Stadium ahead of a meeting with PSV on September 1, with Jorginho telling the club’s of why that tune still matters to experienced international performers: “It’s iconic, it’s so remarkable. It was stuck in our heads when we were kids so you just kind of go back to your childhood when you listen to it. It seems so far away when you’re a kid to play in, and that’s why I think it’s really special. I was in Brazil as a little kid watching every single game of the Champions League, watching Barcelona, Milan and Arsenal with the ball, and the music. It’s a competition the whole world stops to watch, so to be here now, we are living our dreams. I could see a lot of excitement for the PSV game and I could feel the emotional side of it as well. They were excited to hear the music, and even in training when we trained for the first time with the Champions League ball. They couldn’t wait any more. It was nice to see the boys achieving these dreams in their lives. It’s always amazing to see and I’m really pleased that I was there with them.”

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Jorginho has previously graced the Champions League with Napoli and Chelsea, claiming the ultimate prize while at Stamford Bridge in 2021. He added on fulfilling a boyhood dream: “When you hold that trophy, so, so many things are going through your head. It’s impossible to explain, it’s just an amazing feeling. That’s living your actual dream, going back to when you were a child and watching your idols playing and winning.”

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WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

Arsenal will be back in European action on Tuesday when taking in a trip to Sevilla, with a positive response being demanded to their surprise 2-1 defeat to Lens in their last Group B fixture – having opened their quest for continental glory with a crushing 4-0 victory over PSV.

Harry Kane has broken two more Bundesliga records after opening the scoring for Bayern Munich against FC Koln on Friday.

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Kane has been in tremendous formScored again on FridaySets two more recordsWHAT HAPPENED?

Kane scored a tap-in on 20 minutes, after Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting saw his effort cleared off the line. It gave Bayern a 1-0 lead and ensured that Kane has become both the first Bundesliga player to score 18 goals in the first 12 games of a season, and the first Englishman to score 18 goals in a single Bundesliga season.

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Kane's form has been simply electric since his move from Tottenham to Bayern in the summer. In 12 games he has scored 18 times, and has also netted four times in four games in the Champions League. Such incredible form has seen Bayern establish a lead at the top of the table, although they are only set to move four points clear of Bayer Leverkusen, who face Werder Bremen this weekend.

DID YOU KNOW?

Kane is currently on a goalscoring rate of 1.5 goals per game. As a result, he is on track to score a staggering 51 goals, in the Bundesliga alone, this season. He has already outstripped last season's Golden Boot winner.

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(C)Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT?

Kane is likely to keep smashing records as the England international continues to hit the back of the net. Bayern face Copenhagen in the Champions League in midweek.

Sunrisers Hyderabad and Mumbai Indians will battle to move up the points table when they meet in Hyderabad

The Preview by Sirish Raghavan17-Apr-2016Match factsMonday, April 18, 2016
Start time 2000 local (1430 GMT)3:33

Nannes: Dhawan’s form concerns me

Big pictureIt is early days yet, but both Sunrisers Hyderabad and Mumbai Indians find themselves in the wrong half of the IPL points table. Sunrisers have lost both matches till date, by sizeable margins, while Mumbai have lost two of their first three. The losers of Monday’s clash in Hyderabad could find themselves in the position of early season laggards.The last time the two teams met in Hyderabad, for the final group match of the 2015 season, Mumbai walloped the hosts by nine wickets, with 37 balls to spare. The personnel on both sides is likely to be largely similar this time around. A similar result, though, would be a big blow to Sunrisers.To turn things around, Sunrisers will need greater tactical shrewdness from their captain. David Warner’s bowling changes have been baffling at times, especially his decision to hold back Bangladesh left-arm pacer Mustafizur Rahman in key moments. Against Mumbai Indians’ big hitters, such tactical errors could be costly.In the spotlightMustafizur has stood head and shoulders above the other bowlers in his side. In the face of Royal Challengers Bangalore’s onslaught, he was the only Sunrisers bowler to emerge with tidy figures. Against Kolkata Knight Riders, he produced the ball of the match – a swinging, dipping yorker that floored both Andre Russell and his middle stump. His excellent disguise and control of his cutters has been an ever-present threat. If he is unleashed early enough against Mumbai Indians, he could make a difference.The name is Pandya. Krunal Pandya. Thus far, Krunal has been in the shadows of younger brother Hardik, but against Gujarat Lions he outshone his sibling with bat and ball. A lower-order cameo of 20 off 11 was followed by tidy figures of 1 for 20 in four overs. Krunal’s left-arm spin could be the perfect foil for Harbhajan Singh’s offspin. Like Hardik, Krunal is also a live wire in the field. That’s quite a handy all-round package.Team newsWith Eoin Morgan firing in the last match, Sunrisers are unlikely to change their combination.Sunrisers Hyderabad (probable) 1 David Warner (capt), 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Moises Henriques, 4 Eoin Morgan, 5 Deepak Hooda, 6 Naman Ojha (wk), 7 Ashish Reddy, 8 Karn Sharma, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Mustafizur Rahman, 11 Barinder SranKieron Pollard has had a low-key start to the season, scoring exactly 1 run per match and not getting a bowl. There might be a temptation to replace him with Corey Anderson or Martin Guptill. If it is the latter, the batting order might need a re-jig, with one of the openers dropping down. Hardik Pandya might also drop down the order.Mumbai Indians (probable) 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Parthiv Patel (wk), 3 Ambati Rayudu, 4 Jos Buttler, 5 Kieron Pollard/Corey Anderson/Martin Guptill, 6 Hardik Pandya, 7 Harbhajan Singh, 8 Krunal Pandya, 9 Tim Southee, 10 Mitchell McClenaghan, 11 Jasprit BumrahPitch and conditionsThe previous match at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium saw Knight Riders easily chase down a target of 143. Generally, this venue provides pitches with decent bounce and carry, with runs on offer. There is no rain forecast.Stats and trivia Warner and Morgan have scored 144 of Sunrisers’ 324 runs this season Bhuvneshwar Kumar has an average of 14.44 and an economy rate of 5.41 against Mumbai Indians in the IPL Mumbai have lost both their home matches and won their only away match so far this season

Glamorgan’s push for what would be a record-breaking victory was held up by a combination of determined batting and rain on the third day of the Division Two match against Derbyshire at Chesterfield

ECB/PA08-Jul-2015
ScorecardJacques Rudolph still hopes to catch a fifth successive win [file picture]•Gallo ImagesGlamorgan’s push for what would be a record-breaking victory was held up by a combination of determined batting and rain on the third day of the Division Two match against Derbyshire at Chesterfield.When the weather closed in with 23 overs still to bowl, Derbyshire were 37 without loss following-on, still 121 runs away from avoiding an innings defeat and with a lot of batting ahead of them to deny Glamorgan five consecutive championship victories for the first time in their history.The home side fell nine short of the follow-on target when they were bowled out for 252 with opener Billy Godleman the only batsmen to pass 50 while seamer Ruaidhri Smith returned career-best figures of three for 23 in 11 overs.The leaden skies at the start of play made conditions good for bowling and Derbyshire were soon in trouble as the ball swung for Graham Wagg and Michael Hogan.Derbyshire needed a substantial stand between Godleman and skipper Wayne Madsen but that was ended in the fourth over of the morning when Hogan found some late movement to have Madsen caught at third slip for 24.Godleman’s resistance ended when Wagg swung one back in and when Wes Durston was squared up in the former Derbyshire all-rounder’s next over, the home side had lost three wickets for seven runs in 17 balls.Shiv Thakor and Alex Hughes added 44 in 17 overs but David Lloyd had Hughes taken at second slip and Thakor should have gone on 17 in the next over from Craig Meschede but Hogan spilled a low chance at third slip.Smith accounted for Harvey Hosein and Tony Palladino and when Thakor skied a sweep at Andrew Salter, Tom Taylor tore into Hogan, pulling and driving him for three sixes before the Australian bowled him on the stroke of tea.With conditions unsettled and still favourable for bowling, Glamorgan immediately enforced the follow on but Godleman and Hamish Rutherford were largely untroubled in the 18 overs before bad light resulted in the sixth and final stoppage of the day.It was a frustrating end for Glamorgan, but skipper Jacques Rudolph said: “I thought the way we bowled in those last 17 overs we deserved one or two wickets. They played really well but I still think the game is wide open and if we start well in the morning we can put them under some real pressure.”Madsen said: “I think with the forecast being fair tomorrow we are going to have to bat most of the day which is possible. We batted for 80 odd overs in the first innings and we will probably have to bat for over 110 and get ahead so the realistic objective for us is to try and bat through the day.”

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You're going to want all of these as the temperature drops

With winter drawing in, those summer days when it was too hot to play football seem a lifetime away. Nowadays, it's the cold biting at you at five-a-side every Wednesday.

The change in weather doesn’t mean that you need to give up your weekly kickabout though, so we’ve pulled together 10 training gear pieces that will help you get through those cold, cold nights in the cage.

Shop: Best football training gear

Arsenal has been churning out some top-level pre-match and training gear for a while now – referencing everything from the Bruised Banana kit to the London Underground. One of the best is their most recent, which celebrates the club’s Jamaican fans through its yellow, black and green pattern. It was released to coincide with this year’s Carnival, but it can still bring the heat in the depths of winter.

In case you haven’t heard, Venezia are the coolest club in the world at the moment. The Italian team has continued its work with Kappa and Bureau Borsche onto its pre-match gear, and this jacket is perfect for keeping warm. Its colour palette brings the club’s gold, green and orange colours onto a black base, but the stand out feature is the Kappa logos down each arm, alternating between green and orange.

Everyone remembers 2018 and Nigeria’s record-breaking Nike kit. This year, they’ve released more heat. One of the stand-out features is the Academy Pro jacket, which comes in the country’s black and green colours and is covered with two slightly different geometric patterns. As if that wasn’t enough, its moisture-wicking fabric will keep you warm while also keeping the sweat away.

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All adidas training gear this season follows the same format – just look at Arsenal’s Jamaica-inspired design – but one of the best is Real Madrid’s. Everything has been kept simple, with the club’s white and purple colours used for the diagonal stripes. It’s a pretty clean design, and the brushed fleece interior guarantees warmth.

Real Madrid have been warned they must be cautious about signing a big name like Kylian Mbappe as the forward's arrival will not guarantee success.

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Madrid expected to sign MbappeWould be monumental transferClub warned to learn from 'mistakes'WHAT HAPPENED?

The Spanish giants are said to be closing in on a deal to land the French forward after he informed Paris Saint-Germain that he will leave when his contract expires at the end of the season. His signing could mark a new Galactico era for Madrid, recreating the time they signed Luis Figo, Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo and David Beckham together. However, ex-Madrid star Ivan Helguera has warned they could end up failing to live up to their potential.

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Helguera said at a La Liga and DAZN event: "It could be, what happens is that you have to see the mistakes that were made , there were many figures and very good players… but nothing was won. In Madrid it is important to win every year. It is wonderful to have all those players, but you have to know how to balance with a good squad. For Mbappe to come to Real Madrid would be an impressive signing and upwards it would be difficult to beat."

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Mbappe would be joining a a squad that already boasts the likes of Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Junior, Federico Valverde, Eduardo Camavinga and Aurelien Tchouameni, as well as veteran stars Luka Modric and Toni Kroos. Despite the quality at Carlo Ancelotti's disposal, the Santiago Bernabeu side failed to win La Liga or the Champions League last season.

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The capital club are expected to seal the Spanish league title this season, and may also go on to claim their 15th European crown, while they work out a deal to bring Mbappe to the Santiago Bernabeu in the summer transfer window.

Paul Farbrace has said he has not yet made a commitment to England, and remains conflicted over whether to become England’s assistant coach or remain head coach of Sri Lanka,

Andrew Fidel Fernando21-Apr-2014Paul Farbrace has said that he has not yet made a commitment to England, and remains conflicted over whether to become their assistant coach or remain head coach of Sri Lanka, after talks with SLC yielded no concrete decisions on Monday.He said there had been “nothing untoward” in his tenure with Sri Lanka that would drive him away from his current position, but admitted the prospect of working with England was an alluring one.Soon after arriving in the country on Monday, Farbrace had met with a SLC delegation, which included board members, chief selector Sanath Jayasuriya, and Ranjit Fernando, who had headed the panel that proposed Farbrace as head coach.Farbrace had laid out his position, and SLC had expressed a desire to keep him on board. Further talks are scheduled for Tuesday, when SLC may present incentives for Farbrace to remain in his current position.”It’s just about making sure that we would make the right decision,” Farbrace told ESPNcricinfo. “It’s a hard one because it’s between the country of your birth and where you live and everything else, and yet I’ve had a wonderful time in Sri Lanka, even since the last time I was here. I understand people’s upset and disappointment, but sometimes opportunities come and you have to decide what’s the right one to take.”Farbrace’s tenure has been marked by off-field upheaval, as much as on-field success. The team has lost only one out of 18 matches under his watch, but the players remain locked in a contracts dispute with the board, seven weeks after their previous agreements expired. Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara have also clashed with SLC officials over the announcement of their T20 retirements, but Farbrace said his experience in the role had not been soured by off-field events.”I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time with the Sri Lankan team. I did last time and I thoroughly enjoyed it this time. If I wasn’t enjoying it, it would be a pretty easy decision to make,” he said. “There’s nothing untoward, sometimes an opportunity comes up and you have to give it 100% consideration. That’s the same with any job. There’s no story behind it or anything like that. It’s just a case that since Thursday afternoon there’s been some interest [from ECB], it’s just a case of how far you take the interest.”Farbrace confirmed he had not applied for a role with England, and that it had been the ECB that approached him about the assistant coach role. SLC secretary Nishantha Ranatunga suggested the salary ECB had offered was beyond what SLC could match.”If you look at it from a human point of view, I am sure they are paying him more than a board like us can pay him,” Ranatunga said. “He didn’t demand for anything from us, but said that the ECB had offered an attractive package. We indicated to him that we would like him to stay in the position.”He had just arrived. He came straight to SLC from the airport, so we wanted him to have a rest and come back to us.”SLC’s executive committee has been in discussions over how to take negotiations with Farbrace forward on Tuesday.

Rahul Dravid’s presence in Derby on the eve of the warm-up game against Derbyshire is unlikely to make the game any more intense

Sidharth Monga in Derby30-Jun-2014Just a week ago, Rahul Dravid was a former India captain and a cricket pundit. He was speaking about the need for intense and competitive warm-up games. Although Dravid mentioned only the recent trend of counties putting up their 2nd XIs, it has not helped that India insist on using their whole squad as opposed to picking an XI, robbing these matches of their first-class status. A week later, Dravid is now part of the support staff, a batting consultant in the lead-up to the first Test, which begins in Nottingham on July 9.Dravid’s presence in Derby on the eve of the warm-up game against Derbyshire is unlikely to make the game any more intense. India will play all their 18 players, with only 11 batting and 11 on the field at any given time, and the game is against Derbyshire, who might not need to play a second team to bring the intensity down: they are a place from the bottom of the second division, lost three players last week, and were pummeled by Durham in a Twenty20 on Sunday.Yet there is an incentive for India to get their intensity up. In their previous tour game, against Leicestershire, who are placed bottom of Division Two, their bowlers conceded 349 for 5 in 62 overs. Two of the five wickets were “retired out”. Ishant Sharma and Pankaj Singh were the only two to get wickets. Even as the pressure grows on England after their defeat to Sri Lanka, the focus in the visitors’ camp is squarely on their bowlers.With these quick bowlers, much maligned and missing their bowling captain Zaheer Khan, the intensity was high during India’s only training session between the two tour games, on Monday. The lot of them reported at the ground an hour before the rest of the team, along with Duncan Fletcher-led support staff, Dravid and Cheteshwar Pujara. There were no batsmen to bowl to, but the purpose of coming early was to put them through an endurance test. All of them had to do five laps of the ground, without stopping to catch a breath or walking in between before picking up again. Times were kept, charts prepared for Fletcher to examine properly. Almost all of the bowlers seemed winded by the effort. There was no respite, though: after a break for lunch and a team meeting, they went through a full bowling session at the nets.Mohammed Shami, though, was not part of the endurance test as he worked separately with physio Evan Speechly and strength and conditioning coach Sudarshan VP. His workout was not nearly as intense as the others’, he didn’t bowl much, but there were no injury concerns to report. Shikhar Dhawan, who had taken a blow and retired hurt in Leicester, was back fit too.After this game, India move to Nottingham for their preferred mode of preparation, four days of intense training sessions, before the series begins.