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      Watford send fans to Luton derby in HARRY POTTER bus as supporters mock club’s ‘tactic to scare fierce rivals’

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      WATFORD’S desperate attempt to conjure up some magic went to extreme lengths at Luton – as they put their fans on Harry Potter buses.The Hornets supporters made the short trip up the M1 from Vicarage Road to Kenilworth Road for today’s crunch lunchtime derby.
      Watford took on Luton in their local derby at Kenilworth RoadCredit: PA
      The Hornets laid on Harry Potter buses for their travelling fansCredit: https://twitter.com/hornetsnestwfc/status/1642086898196705282/photo/1
      Videos from outside Watford’s ground showed the line of coaches ready to transport the away fans, including two Potter-branded double-deckers.
      And rival fans could barely believe what they were seeing – although others could not resist some witty responses.
      One said: “Imagine turning up to the derby day in these.”
      Another wrote: “Banter club.”
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      A third added: “Magic might be the only way you go above Luton Town this season.”
      One commented: “Watford’s tactic in scaring Luton fans, use Harry Potter tour buses to ship fans to the game.”
      And a final user quipped: “Are you allowed butter beer on board?”
      Watford likely borrowed the coaches from the nearby Harry Potter Studios in North Watford.
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      But their hopes of casting a spell on local enemies Luton – managed by ex-Hornets chief Rob Edwards – fell short.
      Gabriel Osho may not have scored a long Granger to fire the hosts in front – instead sweeping in to round off a superb passing move.
      And the Watford defence looked so far away mentally that they might as well have been at Hogwarts as Allan Campbell tapped home from close range to secure the Hatters a 2-0 win. More

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      I played for Man Utd and was in academy with Defoe but another ‘crazy’ striker was better – no one could touch him

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      FORMER Manchester United wonderkid Daniel Nardiello has opened up on what life was like training with some of the best prospects in England. Back in the 1990s, a then 15-year-old Nardiello was sent to Lilleshall in Shropshire, where many of the country’s best young footballers lived together and learnt their trade.
      Daniel Nardiello has revealed one player who was a ‘crazy’ talentCredit: Getty
      Nardiello was joined by the likes of Jermain Defoe and Neil Danns.
      However, he reckons none of them came close to the “untouchable” talent of Leon Knight.
      Speaking on the Undr the Cosh podcast, Nardiello said: I shared a room with Knighty for a year.
      “I was a 15-year-old lad, just left home, sharing a room with Knighty. Oh my word, he’s crazy. No other words for it.
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      “He’s the nicest lad as long as you keep on the right side of him. Get on the wrong side of him and he is absolutely ruthless.
      “Great player, but angry man. Get on the wrong side of him and he’ll never forgive you.”
      Knight was a Chelsea trainee at the time, and would go on to make one appearance for the senior team in the Uefa Cup.
      However, his career would ultimately lie elsewhere, going on to star for the likes of Brighton, Swansea and Huddersfield.
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      The 5ft 5″ striker scored over 100 goals across his career, including 80 in England’s football league.
      On Knight, Nardiello added: “I wouldn’t want to fight him. He’s a tough lad.
      “I remember we played at Barnsley together for a few months, he came on loan.
      “But what he put the young lads through – initiations and stuff like that – he was ruthless. A great lad, some good times with him.
      “He was the best player there [at Lilleshall].
      “There was Joe Cole who was the year above us, and obviously he was unbelievable, he was their main man – but we had Leon Knight.
      “At that age there was no one that could touch him.
      Leon Knight was ‘untouchable’Credit: Getty Images – Getty
      “Jermain Defoe was there who obviously went on and had an unbelievable career but Knighty was untouchable.
      “You’d think he’d go on to be an absolute world beater because he was that good at 15, 16.
      “He had a good career, but at that age you couldn’t touch him. And he was small then, obviously.
      “But he just ran rings around teams. We beat everyone every week anyway, as you’d expect, but he was scoring like five, six goals a game. He was playing in the age group above, he was that good.”
      Knight, 40, retired in 2012.
      Speaking to WalesOnline in 2006, Tony Carroll, then-chairman of famed East London youth football club Senrab, drew comparisons to Knight with ex-England and Tottenham ace Defoe – with them pairing up at Senrab in their youth days.
      He said: “They were absolutely unbelievable as a partnership, just like a pair or whippets, so very, very quick.
      “If I had to say which one was better when they were 13 or 14 I would say it was Leon. It was a close-run thing and there wasn’t much in it, but he was just ahead on points.
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      “You could see he had that bit of class even at that age. Jermain was nearly as good and they just used to dish out the goals between them.
      “The team would win 6-0 and they would score three each. There was always a bit of friendly rivalry to see who could score the most.” More

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      Edwards was sacked by Watford after just 10 games but now aims to lead fierce rivals Luton into the Premier League

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      ROB EDWARDS walks across a pitch in Dunstable and is met by a boy wearing a Luton kit sobbing.The child has played for a Hatters youth team that has been knocked out of the nationwide Utilita Kids Cup by Watford.
      Luton boss Rob Edwards is trying to steer the Hatters to promotion
      A young Hatter is sobbing in front of Rob Edwards after losing to Watford
      It illustrates how deep the bitter rivalry runs between the clubs and is doubly upsetting because these players have had their dreams of playing in a Wembley final dashed this year.
      Luton boss Edwards knows a thing or two about being left disappointed by Watford — having incredibly been sacked by the club after just TEN Championship games earlier this season.
      He sits the Under-11s team down into a circle before crouching down to speak to them.
      He said: “They were devastated. I’d have felt the same at their age. All of us want to win and they were so desperate to but lost 1-0 to Watford in the quarter-finals. There were one or two of them in tears.
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      “But I said, ‘I like that. You’re all desperate to win.’ I then asked, ‘Did you give everything and try your hardest?’ They had. That’s all you can do. You can never guarantee a win.
      “I say the same to my lads — and the one thing you can guarantee from my team is we’ll give it our best.
      “These young boys did that too and they’ll look back and be better for it. They’re not used to losing so it’s a new experience.”
      Everything has been a new experience for Edwards, 40, in a whirlwind management career that is only into its second season.
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      Rob Edwards consoles the young Hatters after their defeat to Watford
      He led Forest Green Rovers to the League Two title and promotion last year before his ridiculously brief time at Vicarage Road.
      Luton, though, turned to him after Nathan Jones quit for Southampton and today he welcomes the club that axed him to Kenilworth Road with the Hatters in far better shape than the Hornets.
      His team sit comfortably fourth and even have second-placed Sheffield United within their sights.
      Meanwhile stuttering Watford are five points adrift of the play-offs and on to their THIRD manager in Chris Wilder after sacking Edwards’ successor Slaven Bilic.
      Asked to sum up his brief time at Vicarage Road, Edwards said: “It was a great opportunity for me and my assistant Richie Kyle. 
      “There’s always a risk with any job you take but I wouldn’t change anything. We believed in ourselves and were frustrated with how it panned out.
      “When Watford decided to part company with us, we were a point behind the play-offs. We’d only lost twice but, frustratingly, drew five of them.
      “At that moment in time, we were trying to change the culture. It was a team that had become used to losing in the Premier League and we were picking up the pieces. 
      Rob Edwards was trying to change a losing culture at Watford
      Rob Edwards was liked by Watford fans but was sacked after just two defeats
      “I felt it was all starting to come together but the club decided they wanted to go in another direction. That’s history now. 
      “However I’m proud of what we did — but now even prouder to be at a brilliant club in Luton Town.”
      Edwards did have to consider the ramifications of taking the Hatters job as a recent Watford boss and discussed it with the club at length during the interview process.
      But his mind was firmly fixed on making the move after meeting the Luton owners.
      He said: “What I saw was a group of honest people at a well-run club. I also saw a team of hard-working players who were used to winning and being at the right end of the table. They’re also more talented than people give them credit for.
      “When we took over, we were 10th or 11th and had our first game against Middlesbrough. We were right in the mix so it was a team who were competing for something.
      “It’s not something that happens often when you think about a manager coming in during the season. So it was a case of us just continuing the good work.”
      Luton boss Rob Edwards caught up with our man Justin Allen on a freezing cold day in nearby Dunstable to chat about his whirlwind management career
      Luton boss Rob Edwards has continued the good work from the Nathan Jones era
      In his 18 league games in charge, he has won 11, drawn four and lost three.
      Edwards has won promotion to the Premier League before. 
      He was in a Blackpool team as a centre-half that won the 2010 play-off final against Cardiff under Ian Holloway.
      And Edwards admits going up this season would be almost as big an achievement when you consider the size of the clubs.
      He said: “It certainly will be in terms of how people perceive the clubs from outside.
      “The difference would be: Blackpool were favourites to go down the year we went up — whereas, because of the great work of Nathan and the group last season in reaching the play-offs, expectations are higher.”
      Ironically, the manager that left a lasting impression on Edwards was Watford legend Graham Taylor, who gave him his Premier League debut for Aston Villa against Middlesbrough when he was aged 20.
      He said: “Graham was an incredible human being and manager. I know how strong his links are with Watford but I’ll be forever thankful to him for giving me that opportunity.
      Rob Edwards and Luton star Jordan Clark with the Luton U11s team
      “The things I took from him were his honesty. He could be quite brutal in his honesty but 20-plus years ago things were different in terms of how you would communicate and deal with people.
      “But he was brave and wanted to play young players. He did that throughout his career so is someone I’ve a heck of a lot of respect and admiration for.
      “There were a lot of coaches at Villa who got us to the point of reaching the first team such as Kevin MacDonald, Tony McAndrew and Gordon Cowans — but Graham was the man brave enough to put me in.
      “I picked up a bad injury and wasn’t able to get back in at Villa. But had I not had that chance from Graham, I’d not be here managing Luton today!”
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      Meanwhile, Watford made Wembley to face Sheffield United ahead of the Championship play-off final. How Edwards and the Hatters would love to be there.
      *ROB EDWARDS was speaking at the Utilita Kids Cup tournament, which in partnership with the EFL, sees 12,000 under-11 boys and under-13 girls competing across the country in six-a-side games to play in a Wembley final.The girls’ showpiece, between AFC Wimbledon and Carlisle, will be held tomorrow ahead of the Papa John’s Trophy final while the boys are due to battle it out ahead of the EFL play-off finals for each relevant division. More

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      Pair of loved up QPR fans pay £13,000 for footie-themed dream wedding

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      TWO QPR fans shared deep love for the team — at their wedding.Lee and Jacqui Scudder made the Hoops the theme of their £13,000 big day.
      Lee and Jacqui Scudder spent £13,000 theming their big day around their beloved Championship team
      The couple were pictured near each other at a QPR open day 23 years ago
      They included the Championship side’s blue and white colours in their wedding outfits and a three-tiered cake.
      Club legends including Les Ferdinand recorded messages, while the 11 tables for 80 guests were named after players.
      Lee, 35, and Jacqui, 34, met in 2021 when they bemoaned their team’s performance while watching from the stands during a 4-1 defeat at West London rivals Fulham.
      Incredibly, the couple were pictured near each other at a QPR open day 23 years ago.
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      Lee proposed during a tour of the club’s Loftus Road ground and officials arranged it so their parents were sat in one of the stadium’s boxes to watch.
      Jacqui, of Southend, Essex, has been a QPR season ticket holder for around 25 years.
      Her hen do was a girls’ day out watching the Hoops lose 3-1 to Blackburn.
      They pair tied the knot at Rivenhall Oaks Golf Centre in Witham, Essex, on Saturday.
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      Car repair superviser Jacqui said: “None of my friends and family were at all surprised about the wedding theme.”
      Lee, a post room team leader, said: “Having some current players and a few legends send messages was really special. For them to be a part of our big day was massive.”
      Lee proposed during a tour of the club’s Loftus Road ground
      Club legends such as Les Ferdinand recorded messages for the happy coupleCredit: Empics
      The 11 tables for 80 guests were named after QPR players
      The pair dressed in the Hoops famous blue and white and even had a three-tier cake at the function More

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      English football set for biggest shake up since 1960s with end to ‘medieval’ rules if DAZN win TV rights to matches

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      ALL 1,652 EFL matches will be screened if streaming giant DAZN wins the rights to matches from the 2024-25 season.The huge change would see the end of the “medieval” Saturday 3pm TV blackout that has been in operation since the mid-60s.
      DAZN will show all EFL matches if the company wins the rights to the gamesCredit: DAZN
      Only 20 League One matches are shown on TV each seasonCredit: PA
      Chief Executive of the Premier League Richard Masters does not see an end to the Saturday blackoutCredit: Getty
      DAZN are among the bidders for the next three-season package of EFL rights, with competitors including Sky, Viaplay and TNT Sports, the new name for what was BT Sport until the takeover by Discovery.
      EFL bosses are looking to increase the current package, worth £119m per season, to £200m plus, a huge potential financial lifeline for struggling clubs.
      But the DAZN option would see a huge increase in the number of games available including the traditional Saturday afternoon slot, currently protected from broadcasting by Article 48 of Uefa Statutes.
      DAZN argues that under the current system, with matches on Sky, lower division fans are being starved of the chance to watch their teams unless they go to the matches.
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      Only 20 games League One are shown each season, 10 in League Two and last season 26 of the 72 EFL clubs did not feature at all.
      Sources close to DAZN, which boasts 20 million “premium” customers but a footprint across most major nations, suggest the existence of the blackout is a “medieval” anachronism which should no longer be part of the football structure in this country.

      The blackout was introduced, at the instigation of then-Burnley chairman Bob Lord more than 50 years ago, in the belief that it would prevent TV football damaging attendances at other matches.
      Prem chief executive Richard Masters declared earlier this month that he “didn’t see” the league’s backing for the blackout ending any time soon.
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      But EFL chiefs will have the right to lobby the FA to end the restriction if they do a deal with DAZN.
      It is understood that DAZN feels a streaming deal covering all games across the three EFL divisions – the company would also be seeing a terrestrial partner – would widen access to fans, not just in this country but worldwide.
      The company is understood to be confident that there would be no detrimental impact on crowds and that by making the EFL games more widely available it would actually increase interest in match-day attendance. More

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      Wolves and Brentford in transfer fight for ‘next Jamie Vardy’ as Bromley’s non-league teen Kellen Fisher shines

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      WOLVES and Brentford are monitoring non-league right-back Kellen Fisher.The teen sensation, 18, has caught the eye of the Premier League duo for his performances at Bromley this season.
      Kellen Fisher in action for BromleyCredit: Rex
      The teen has attracted interest from Wolves and BrentfordCredit: Rex
      SunSport understands Championship clubs Hull and Swansea are also on red alert for Fisher.
      And there were up to ten scouts present as Bromley clinched a 1-0 victory at Yeovil on Saturday.
      Rising star Fisher signed a new three-year deal with the National League side in February.
      Play-off chasing Bromley are ninth in the fifth tier of English football and travel to Maidstone on Tuesday.
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      Fisher himself has appeared 19 times in the National League this season.
      His strong performances since breaking into the first team even saw him pick up Bromley’s Player of the Month award in January.
      He made his senior debut for the Ravens in their 1-0 win over Dover in the FA Trophy last season.
      Fisher has also appeared in the FA Youth Cup on two occasions.
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      Loan moves to Welling and Cray allowed him to continue his development before establishing himself at Hayes Lane.
      The interest from club’s higher in the football pyramid could see Fisher follow a similar career trajectory to Jamie Vardy, who also played in non-league before making to the Prem.
      In an interview with Bromley club media, Fisher reflected on his time in the club’s academy in the classroom and on the pitch.
      He said: “Yeah, obviously I’m enjoying the football part of it but the schooling part of it I enjoyed as well.
      “Just being with your mates playing football every day and then the schooling side of it was really enjoyable for me.” More

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      I won one cap with England and came on against France alongside Gerrard – three years later I was playing in Thailand

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      JAY BOTHROYD played for England at the age of 28 and looked set for bigger and better things.However, Bothroyd’s career quickly experienced a dramatic nosedive as he ended up playing in Thailand just three-and-a-half years later.
      Jay Bothroyd made his England debut in 2010 despite playing in the ChampionshipCredit: Jamie McPhilimey – The Sun
      But Jay Bothroyd ended up playing in Thailand just three-and-a-half years laterCredit: Getty
      The now 40-year-old began with plenty of promise as he started out at Arsenal’s academy and won the FA Youth Cup in 2000.
      However, the former striker never managed to break into the Gunners’ senior team and went on to have quite the nomadic career.
      The Islington-born athlete played for the likes of Coventry, Blackburn, Charlton, Wolves, Stoke and Perugia, where he won the Intertoto Cup in 2003.
      Bothroyd’s big break finally came when he moved to Cardiff back in 2008.
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      The ex-centre-forward registered 20 goals across all competitions in the 2010/2011 season and won over then England manager Fabio Capello.
      And so he became one of the very few Championship players to ever receive an international call-up.
      Bothroyd picked up his one and only cap in an international friendly against rivals France as a substitute on November 17, 2010.
      The forward joined in with the likes of Steven Gerrard, Peter Crouch as well as Rio Ferdinand and made his debut on the same night as Jordan Henderson.
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      Bothroyd became the first ever Cardiff player to compete for England and almost stole the headlines as he nearly led the Three Lions to a major comeback while they were 2-0 down.
      The one hit wonder almost scored on a night that saw Capello’s side ultimately lose 2-1.
      But his debut led him to a move to newly-rich club Queens Park Rangers just a few months later but failed to stand out and was loaned out to Sheffield Wednesday before his release in 2013.
      After six months as a free agent, Bothroyd went from England international to a Muangthong United player in Thailand.
      The forward’s career was obviously at its twilight but he still managed to absolutely dominate the Thai league before continuing his stint in Asia for Japanese outfit Jubilo Iwata in 2015.
      Bothroyd continued to shine bright for his new team and moved to Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo in 2017 where he retired four years later. More

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      Wigan have just NINE players for next season with only three first team regulars – as unpaid stars refuse to train

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      CRISIS-CLUB Wigan will have only NINE senior players left in contract at the end of the season.And most of them — some on high wages — are not even in the side at the moment, or even likely to figure in the future.
      Wigan face having just nine players on their books this summerCredit: Getty
      The Championship strugglers were recently hit with a three-point deduction over the repeated non-payment of salaries.
      And now the situation has become so bad players have revolted and refused to train after FOUR missed payments.
      But things could soon get worse for Wigan, as just nine senior players will be tied down to contracts this summer.
      Defenders Jason Kerr and Jack Whatmough are on longer deals but the duo have been troubled by injuries.
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      Jordan Jones is on loan while Anthony Scully can go.
      And Tom Pearce has been available for purchase for the last two windows.
      Striker Josh Magennis does not start that often these days either.
      Tom Naylor and Charlie Wyke — both signed on lucrative deals — remain.
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      While Callum Lang is under lock and key and in Latics chiefs’ plans.
      An astonishing 19 players are out of contract, including star men like ten-goal top scorer Will Keane and James McClean.
      But that list also includes five who came in on loan.
      It is a dire situation for Wigan boss Shaun Malone.
      If he wants to keep any of the other free agents, then the wages on offer will be much lower. More