City attacked for 70 minutes and then got their second goal I don't think they had one serious attack after that!
My stepdaughter changed her name on facebook to an unhypenated name which included her husband's surname That pissed me off enough She doesn't seem to use it anywhere else and her husband hasn't included her surname in his name I don't see the point of it
Luca Navarro - formerly of Bolton a centre forward. Bilal Kamil - Defensive midfielder from Norwich. Google is our friend!
As a matter of interest, Lewis Potter was not in the matchday squad for Bradford PA who lost 3-0. Likewise, Adam Curry was not in the squad for Alfreton Town, probably needed him they lost 7-0 to Altrincham. P.S. Josh Clackson was playing right back for Alfreton.
Interesting article with a local connection. Didn't know where to stick it, here'll do. The Swedish fourth-tier club packed full of young English footballers Former Garforth Town boss Adie Costello has built an exciting team of young Englishmen ... in an isolated village in Sweden Gavin WillacyFri 12 Apr 2019 13.00 BST please log in to view this image There are 20 young British players on the books at Ytterhogdals IK in rural Sweden. Photograph: Gavin Willacy Last Tuesday night three Englishmen scored at the Jämtkraft Arena, a ground where Galatasaray, PAOK Thessaloniki and Hertha Berlin were beaten and Athletic Bilbao were held in the Europa League last season. The efforts of the young Ytterhogdals IK players were in vain as home side IFK Ostersund won 4-3to progress in the Swedish Cup. All but five of the Ytterhogdals squad are British. Having come through at Liverpool, Preston North End, Leyton Orient, Grimsby Town, Fleetwood Town, Manchester United, Sunderland and Wolves, they now live together in a hostel in a village 100 miles from the nearest town. They train twice a day and play in the Swedish fourth tier for one of Europe’s strangest clubs. So how come 3% of the people living in an isolated Swedish village are professional footballers? Crowds at Ytterhogdals average around 250 – almost half the village – yet the players are paid enough to survive in an expensive country thanks to funding from wealthy farmers in the area. Yorkshireman Adie Costello, who managed Hull City Ladies, York City Ladies and Garforth Town before moving to Sweden, says: “There is no pressure or expectation, other than to not get relegated and bring pride to Ytterhogdal.” Just like the FA Cup, the Swedish Cup can bring fame and glory to unlikely places. Ytterhogdals reached the last-32 three years ago and the following season IFK’s partner club, Ostersund, went all the way and won it, securing a place in the Europa League. In the stadium where 9,000 watched Ostersund play Arsenal in the Europa League last year – the Swedish club went out with their heads held high after winning the second leg at the Emirates – the attendance on Tuesday was about 200. That is normal in Sweden’s fourth tier and considerably more than the 18 people I counted as Ytterhogdals opened their league campaign last Saturday. With their grass pitch not fit to play on until the middle of May, Ytterhogdals spent the frigid pre-season training an hour away from the village in various indoor domes as temperatures headed towards -30, and now have a temporary home on 4G pitch in Ljusdal. It, too, was an indoor dome until the gigantic snowfall made the roof collapse. please log in to view this image Fans attend the Jamtkraft Arena to watch Ostersund play Arsenal in the Europa League. Photograph: Peter Cziborra/Action Images via Reuters Now, with the snow piled up behind the goals and ice pavements between the changing block and the wobbly wooden terrace, it is not immediately hospitable. But thawing yourself in the reception area with a half-time kaffe and korv – coffee and hot dog – the few spectators who have braved the freezing temperatures can rub shoulders, literally, with the players and referees waiting to access their dressing rooms. As the only full-time club in Sweden’s lower tiers, Ytterhogdals are joint favourites to win Division 2 Norrland, one of six regional fourth-tier divisions. One club at this level reportedly have a budget of around £1.3m, while others are happy to remain totally amateur. It is an imbalance reflected in the opening-day results: Ytterhogdals and Gottne both put seven past the two promoted clubs. Conducting Ytterhogdals through their stroll past Sandviks was captain Sam Alderson, a 21-year-old from Maidenhead. A wide player at Orient, Alderson came to Sweden last year on the League Football Education’s player placement programme. Funded by the EU’s Erasmus+ project, for the last 10 years LFE have arranged for a couple of dozen released teenagers to spend three months with Swedish clubs. If they impress, they are usually asked to stay for longer and build a career in the Swedish game. Several members of the Ostersund side that went on that wild Europa League adventure arrived in Sweden on the programme. After being released by York City, playmaker Jamie Hopcutt joined Ostersund in 2012. He is still at the club, where he is now playing alongside Ravel Morrison under English coach Ian Burchnall. The Swedish lower leagues are a young man’s game. Every club trains at least three, sometimes four, times a week and away games can be 10 hours away. All that for a free tracksuit and a sandwich at some clubs. It is not for family men. So, 23-year-old Peter Smith, a former Wolves defender, is one of the oldest players at Ytterhogdals. Jordan Blinco, once of Sunderland, is 22; and midfielder Alexander McBurnie, brother of Swansea and Scotland striker Ollie, is just 21. The style of football suits players coming straight out of English academies, too. “It’s hard to compare with a level in England,” says Costello. “I would liken it to Under-23 football back home. It’s very technical but with a competitive edge that academy football doesn’t have. The English boys bring a physicality from years in EFL academies that the Swedes just don’t have. We have to build the locals up.” If the club are promoted, they will have a problem: in the third tier locals have to make up 50% of every matchday squad. Ytterhogdals currently have Swedish players, only one of whom started last weekend. Their Dutch goalkeeper plays for New Zealand Under-23s and drives the team minibus home once the players have packed away the refreshments and polished off the homemade cake. This Sunday, Ytterhogdals will travel four hours east to the Gulf of Bothnia to face another village team, Gottne IF. English voices will abound as Gottne also have teenagers on the LFE programme from Luton Town, Oxford United and Wigan Athletic. They are having a life experience they will never forget – and may end up staying for years.
