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      Neil Warnock insists there’s still life in old dog yet as Middlesbrough boss, 70, claims wife would choose pets over him

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      NEIL WARNOCK was HOUNDED out of retirement by his missus.
      The Middlesbrough boss was content to spend quality time with Sharon at home without football – but he soon found he was playing second fiddle to his two dogs in the battle for his wife’s affections.

      Boro boss Neil Warnock was hounded out of retirement by his wife Sharon

      Neil Warnock enjoys some quality time with his dogs Monty and Donald

      And Mrs Warnock was soon growling and barking at him for being useless at household chores.
      So when Warnock opted to take the Boro job in June and then commit himself for this season, it was music to her ears.
      He said: “At home we’ve a Shih Tzu called Monty and a Norfolk Terrier named Donald. They rule the roost.
      “If Sharon had a choice between having me and the dogs, they would win. I’d come a distant second!”

      Warnock has been promising to call time on a managerial career spanning 40 years for more than a decade.
      He had aimed to finish with Sheffield United but was not happy how his time ended there in 2007 – falling out with chairman Kevin McCabe and relegation following the Carlos Tevez-West Ham controversy.
      Since then, he has had ‘one last job’ at Crystal Palace, QPR, Leeds, Palace (again), QPR (again), Rotherham, Cardiff and now Middlesbrough.
      But Warnock revealed he really had settled on retirement five years ago after his month in caretaker charge at QPR following Chris Ramsay’s dismissal … until his missus had other ideas.

      The Boro boss said: “I was at home with Sharon, who had just had chemotherapy on a double mastectomy.
      “I had finished collecting chicken eggs in the garden – and, with me sat there reading the paper, she told the nurse, ‘He never washes a pot and when he does he splashes water everywhere. I’ve never seen him make a bed. He never fluffs the cushions.’
      “So I told her, ‘Tony Stewart, the Rotherham chairman, rang me this morning offering me a job? I’ll go until the end of the season if you want?’ Without hesitation, she said, ‘Go! Get off.’ That’s how I came out of retirement.”
      And it was his brief 16-match stint in charge with the Millers – leading the team to safety in the Championship – that got his juices flowing again.
      He said: “We were six points adrift when I went there and had to play seven out of the top eight straight away. We stayed up on the next to last game.
      “That was my biggest achievement ever and that was all down to Sharon!
      “I love making, with no disrespect to those Rotherham lads, average players feel invincible.”
      After another spell driving Mrs Warnock around the bend with his lack of domestic skills, Warnock took on his next big project Cardiff City.

      My wife told the nurse, ‘He never washes a pot and when he does he splashes water everywhere. I’ve never seen him make a bed. He never fluffs the cushions.'”
      NEIL WARNOCK

      And he tells a great story about the unorthodox contract he signed to take him to the club.
      He said: “I had spoken to a number of clubs and chairman Mehmet Dalman rang me one morning asking me to meet him.
      “I was in Scotland so flew down and within 15 minutes I shook his hand. He said, ‘We haven’t talked money yet.’
      “I said, ‘No, I just like you.’
      “He wouldn’t have it. He left the room and came back, saying, ‘Vincent Tan wants you to sign something.’
      “I said, ‘What are you talking about? I’ve just shook your hand, I’m a Yorkshireman!’
      “But he insisted and got a serviette out, because we were in a gentlemen’s club, and I signed it. That was my contract at Cardiff!
      “Mehmet was brilliant. I couldn’t do anything there without his help. He was a calming influence. I said to him once, ‘You’re like my father’, even though he’s nine years younger!”

      Neil Warnock led Cardiff to his eight promotion and fourth to the top flight
      During his time in South Wales, Warnock won his eighth promotion and fourth to the top flight.
      He enjoyed eight months out of the game after leaving Cardiff last November but believes he was fated to manage Boro even though he could not live any further away in Cornwall.
      He said: “Steve Gibson has been a friend of mine for years and I’ve always wanted to show him what a good manager I am.
      “When I took over the media guy, Paul Dews, said an airline was thinking of doing flights from Newquay to Teesside. I thought, ‘This is a dream.’ I went to meet the people at the airport and within a matter of days they were flying to Cornwall.
      “It’s a 40 minute drive to Newquay airport from my house so I can do the journey door to door in around just two hours. It means Sharon can fly up and I can commute sometimes too. It was fate I came here.”
      Having been successful in keeping Boro up, Warnock believes he has a special group of players capable of winning his FIFTH promotion to the top flight.
      This, he says, became apparent to him when he invited the whole squad down to his Cornish home.
      He said: “I knew in the summer that I had something special happening at Boro.
      “All the lads came for a BBQ. In the past, at almost every club I’ve been to, I’ve taken the players down there. More

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      Wayne Rooney to wind down playing career as he is made SOLE interim manager of Derby ahead of Wycombe clash on Saturday

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      WAYNE ROONEY has been named the sole interim boss of Derby – and will now start to bring the curtain down on his playing career.
      Rooney, 35, had been taking charge of the Championship strugglers along with Liam Rosenior following the sacking of Phillip Cocu earlier this month.

      Wayne Rooney has been named as Derby’s sole interim boss for their game against WycombeCredit: Getty Images – Getty

      But just two days after arriving as technical director at Pride Park, Steve McLaren has decided the partnership was not working and handed Rooney full control by himself.
      McLaren held a series of meetings with Rooney and Rosenior through today knowing something needed to change with the club rooted to the foot of the table.
      Those talks led to former England boss McLaren deciding Rooney had to given the job – on the understanding he massively scales back his playing role.
      The former Manchester United and England star will today be confirmed in the role and will have full responsibility for team selection and tactics.

      SunSport understands he has the job at least until the proposed takeover of Derby by Sheikh Khaled Zayed Bin Saquer Zayed Al Nayhan, a member of the Abu Dhabi Royal Family.
      That £60million deal still needs to be signed off by the football authorities after current owner Mel Morris agreed to sell up at the start of November.
      The pressure will immediately be on Rooney to deliver a major turnaround in fortunes on the pitch following a dismal run of four straight defeats.
      Derby have not won in nine matches, and their solitary win this season came back on October 3 as the Midlands club’s hopes of a promotion challenge turned into a nightmare.

      Rooney has been part of a group of coaches taking charge of Derby since Phillip Cocu was sackedCredit: Rex Features

      The timing of the appointment has also been done to give Rooney the best possible chance of securing some desperately needed wins.
      Derby play host to third from bottom Wycombe on Saturday before Coventry, only one place outside the relegation zone, visit Pride Park three days later.
      Rosenior will continue to work as part of the coaching team at the club.

      Wayne Rooney reveals he was keen to swap Manchester United for Barcelona in 2010 More

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      Steve McClaren rejoins Derby as advisor and technical director with possible Wayne Rooney manager link-up on cards

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      DERBY COUNTY have announced the appointment of Steve McClaren as advisor and technical director.
      The Rams are on the brink of a £60million takeover from Derventio Holdings, which is owned by Sheikh Khaled Bin Zayed al-Nehayan of the Abu Dhabi Royal Family.

      Steve McClaren has returned for another stint at DerbyCredit: PA:Press Association

      McClaren will be reunited with Wayne RooneyCredit: PA:Press Association

      But while the deal rumbles on in the background, having been given the green light by the EFL, the Rams’ incumbent owners are seeking to reverse sliding fortunes on the pitch.
      Upon announcing McClaren’s return, CEO Stephen Pearce said: “We are delighted to have Steve’s help and support at this critical time.
      “His knowledge, experience, and academic qualifications will be invaluable to us. I am sure he will make a huge contribution.”
      Derby were expected to challenge for promotion this season, having come tenth last time out.

      But they currently sit bottom after a dismal start to the campaign, which led to the sacking of Phillip Cocu earlier this month.
      And in returning to Pride Park, McClaren will reunite with his former England talisman Wayne Rooney.
      The pair worked together during the former’s ill-fated tenure as Three Lions boss between 2006 and 2007.
      Rooney, 35, is currently in charge on an interim basis alongside Liam Rosenior.

      Rooney is currently player/interim coach at DerbyCredit: Getty Images – Getty

      But the duo have so far failed to arrest the slump, losing 1-0 at Bristol City on Saturday.
      According to TEAMtalk, Rooney wants McClaren to be part of his coaching staff, should he get the managerial gig full-time.
      McClaren initially represented the Rams as a player between 1985 and 1988, making 25 appearances for the club.
      He then returned as manager in 2013, coming within a whisker of taking his old side back to the Premier League.
      Derby lost the 2013-14 play-off final 1-0 to QPR in his first year in charge, before a late season meltdown cost them even a top-six spot the season after, blowing promotion having been league leaders in February.
      Following a subsequent spell at Newcastle, he returned once again to Pride Park in October 2016, but failed to replicate any of the old magic, being sacked just five months later.

      Wayne Rooney talks about his upcoming coaching qualifications at Derby More

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      Football fans could be allowed back in to stadiums soon with Government ‘desperate to get crowds back’

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      FOOTBALL fans could be allowed back in stadiums soon with the Government reportedly ‘desperate’ to get crowds back.
      Ministers are said to be having ‘detailed’ discussions over letting supporters back into open-air arenas.

      Football fans could soon be back in stadiums with the Government ‘desperate’ to see crowds backCredit: Getty Images – Getty

      The main concern is said to be around getting people to and from events while avoiding increased infection risk on public transport, according to the Mail.
      But giving people the ‘morale boosting’ option to go and watch live sport again is one ministers are said to be ‘desperately’ pursuing.
      A source is quoted as saying: “That is an important element to consider.”
      PM Boris Johnson said yesterday: “My first message is ‘thank you’ for what you have done over the last very difficult eight months, my second is that there is hope on the horizon.”

      And a No 10 spokesman added: “Everyone’s efforts during the current national restrictions have helped bring the virus back under control, slowed its spread and eased pressures on the NHS.
      “But the Prime Minister and his scientific advisers are clear the virus is still present – and without regional restrictions it could quickly run out of control again before vaccines and mass testing have had an effect.”
      Brighton fans were allowed in to watch their team’s friendly against Chelsea at the end of August.
      But no other Premier League team has allowed supporters in since that test event.

      Only last week it emerged fans could be allowed back before CHRISTMAS despite the national lockdown.
      The Department of Culture, Media and Sport were said to have submitted proposals which would allow fans in areas where coronavirus infection rates are low to attend games.
      The Government are yet to officially agree but the DCMS’s involvement is encouraging.
      Football fans have long bemoaned not being allowed to re-enter stadiums, while other sports and activities have welcomed back crowds, albeit in limited numbers.
      Last month, West Ham boss David Moyes vented his frustration.
      The Scot was left baffled after West Ham’s clash with Manchester City was played behind closed doors, but the match was screened in an indoor cinema just a ten-minute walk away.
      Moyes said: “People are going watch a game in a cinema, close to here, why can we not be sitting outside in the open air doing it?
      “Please come out and give us an explanation as to why we can’t do it.”

      Rishi Sunak says government doing their best to get families together for Christmas — but warns it won’t be ‘normal’ More

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      Pukki fires Norwich top after Boro’s Tavernier has penalty disallowed for touching ball TWICE to end long unbeaten run

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      TEEMU PUKKI fired Norwich top and ended the country’s longest unbeaten run following penalty drama at Middlesbrough.
      The Canaries striker came off the bench to stroke home a spot-kick to earn a 1-0 win – but Boro boss Neil Warnock was left spitting feathers over his side’s bad luck as their 10-game undefeated streak came to a crashing end.

      Teemu Pukki came off the bench to fire Norwich top after victory at MiddlesbroughCredit: PA:Press Association

      Marcus Tavernier’s penalty was ruled out after he slipped taking it and hit the ball twiceCredit: Getty

      Marcus Tavernier was handed the perfect chance to fire the hosts ahead on 51 minutes, but he touched the ball twice after slipping while converting to force the officials to rule it out before Pukki struck late on.
      Warnock, whose side had gone 10 without defeat prior, admitted he had not witnessed anything like the Tavernier incident in over 1,000 games in the dug-out.
      He said: “No, not really. That’s how it goes. We’ve had a few lads slip today.
      “Marcus Bettenelli didn’t have a shot to save today against a really good side – which makes it all the more disappointing. You need a bit of luck.”

      There was little to separate the sides at the break but moments after the restart the game burst into life with the unique moment very rarely seen.
      Tavernier placed the ball on the spot after ex-Boro star Ben Gibson tripped him inside the area and slotted home down the middle despite losing his footing.
      But Boro’s celebrations were short lived as the eagle-eyed referee spotted the attacker had touched the ball with both feet when falling, and awarded a free-kick to Norwich instead.
      A super last-ditch tackle from Dael Fry denied Pukki when clean through as the Canaries flew forward in search of a breakthrough.

      However, it would be the Finn who delivered the killer blow in the 72nd minute as he sent Bettinelli the wrong way after Hayen Coulson fouled Aarons.
      Norwich boss Daniel Farke said: “It feels like a massive win for us. It’s a tough place and they have conceded just once in their last eight games.
      “Both penalties were fair to be rewarded. But thank god they were unable to use their situation and Pukki was ice cold.”

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      Neil Warnock leaves fans in hysterics as Cardiff boss stares into TV camera More

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      Neil Warnock reveals he nearly signed up for ‘I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here’… and won’t rule it out in future

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      NEIL WARNOCK has revealed that he nearly appeared on ‘I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!’.
      The veteran gaffer guided Middlesbrough to safety last season.

      Neil Warnock is still going strong in management at 71Credit: PA:Press Association

      But he may not have taken up his 17th job in management, had he made a different decision a few years ago.
      Warnock, 71, revealed: “I was nearly in it!
      “It might have been two or three years ago – but I was approached.
      “Imagine if I’d said yes – everybody would have been voting for me wouldn’t they, to do every bloody thing?

      “I know my kids would have been.
      “My kids – Amy and William – were straight on to me saying they would be phoning every night.
      “They were saying, ‘We’ll make sure you get those maggots, Dad’.
      “Will it happen in the future? Let’s play it by ear.”

      Warnock, 71, has guided Boro to seventh in the ChampionshipCredit: PA:Press Association

      There is a precedent for wily football managers doing well on ‘I’m A Celebrity’, with Harry Redknapp having been crowned ‘King of the Jungle’ back in 2018.
      But while Warnock’s Middlesbrough continue to go well, with the boss having scooped the Championship’s Manager of the Month award for October, don’t expect the Yorkshireman to quit his day job just yet.
      He revealed to the Mail: “Mid-table doesn’t do it for you when you’re 71. In for a penny, in for a pound. I want to be challenging at the top.”
      Despite having struggled badly last season, Boro now find themselves sitting seventh under Warnock’s tutelage – just four points behind Reading in top spot.
      ‘I’m A Celeb’, meanwhile, has been forced to go ahead in the UK this year, with coronavirus having KO’d any hopes of taking the show Down Under as usual.
      Ant and Dec, however, have still been putting the likes of British sporting great Mo Farah through their paces with gruesome trials.

      Neil Warnock tests positive for coronavirus and will self-isolate More

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      Ivan Toney vows to shoot Brentford into the Prem like Zlatan Ibrahimovic… then sing like Neil Diamond in dressing room

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      IVAN TONEY claims to have the confidence of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and the singing voice of Neil Diamond.
      And while no-one at Brentford has yet heard him belt out Sweet Caroline or Forever In Blue Jeans, they have certainly seen his self-assurance in front of goal.

      Ivan Toney has got off to a storming start to life at Brentford with 10 goals

      The striker – yet to do his initiation song which he promises to be a Diamond classic – believes he has Ibrahimovic qualities that will help shoot him and the Bees into the Premier League.
      Toney, 24, signed for £5m from Peterborough in the summer, was the man tasked with filling Ollie Watkins’ shoes after his £28m switch to Aston Villa.
      And while Watkins thumped 28 goals last season, his replacement has already fired 10 goals in his first 11 games and has just won the SkyBet Championship player of the month award.
      And he told SunSport: “I’ve always liked Zlatan. I just love his confidence.  Some people see it as arrogance but you must be like that to succeed. 

      “I’m similar to Zlatan in both my confidence and the way I play. When he wants to do something, he just does it. I have some of that in my game and personality. And I believe I’ll be a Premier League striker.”
      Brentford’s famous BMW frontline of Said Benrahma, Bryan Mbeumo and Watkins plundered a staggering 61 goals between them last season but they lost in the play-off final against Fulham after blowing automatic promotion by losing their last two games of the season against Stoke and Barnsley.
      Only Mbeumo remains with Benrahma on loan at West Ham – which means there is pressure on Toney to fill the void.

      Brentford’s BMW frontline fired 61 Championship goals last season
      But Brentford have a great track record of continually refreshing themselves. After Neil Maupay moved to Brighton, Watkins stepped up to the plate – and now it is the turn of Toney.

      And he said: “There’s always pressure but I don’t feel it. That’s why Brentford brought me in. They believed I could fill the shoes of all the strikers that had been in there before.
      “Do I think I can get 25 goals? Yes. If you set targets, they must be sky high because if you finish just under it’s still going to be a good achievement.
      “Brentford keep producing 25-goal strikers – so why can I not be the next one? I believe it, the manager believes it, my team-mates believe it – so why not go for it?
      “When you’re a striker, confidence is key. The only person who can do it – and sometimes the only person who believes you can – is yourself. If you believe, anything is possible.”
      Toney was a late bloomer in football and was spotted aged 13 by Leicester. But he was told he had something special when he played in front of his mum’s house at Eastfield Park in Northampton.

      Ivan Toney won SkyBet’s Championship player of the month for October
      He said: “My cousin Nathan Hicks used to be on the books at Leicester and I played with him, my other cousins and friends, at the front of the house.
      “They were all 18 to 20 and I was handling it well and they all thought I could play – and in the end Leicester scouted me and I was with them from 13 until they released me at 16.”
      He joined home-town club Northampton – and made his first-team debut, aged still 16, against Bradford in the FA Cup in November 2012.
      First he played under Aidy Boothroyd and then Chris Wilder. And it was under the current Sheffield United boss where he made his mark – scoring twice at Dagenham in a 3-0 win that helped to maintain the Cobblers’ EFL status.

      Ivan Toney is loving life at Brentford and wants to take them into the Prem
      Toney said: “Chris taught me about positional awareness so I could score more goals and had faith in starting me in that must-win game. I repaid him.”
      Wolves pulled out of signing him in 2015 after putting him through a medical: “They cited I had scoliosis in the back but I think that was just an excuse – I’ve never had any issues with my back.”
      But that just opened the door for Newcastle, who snapped him up instead. Toney spent three years at St James’ Park and made two cameo Premier League appearances off the bench against Chelsea and Manchester United as well as two others in the League Cup against Northampton and Sheffield Wednesday.
      He said: “I moved to Newcastle as a young boy aged 18 and went straight into the Premier League. It was crazy.
      “The players I was playing and training with I was more used to playing them in the FIFA game!
      “But I took it in my stride and was grateful to be there because I learned so much.
      “I felt the tempo was a lot faster to anything I’d ever been used to. I’d go onto the field and think I have time to take a touch – but you often don’t have the luxury at that level.
      “It has helped me for the rest of my career and given me a great sniff of where I could be playing.” 
      But most of his time at the club was spent on loan – two spells with Barnsley, two with Scunthorpe and stints with Wigan and Shrewsbury.Toney found that tough and admitted: “It wasn’t the best situation for me because you’re on your own constantly moving around every six months. Also when a club keeps loaning you out, it makes you feel unwanted by your parent club.”
      But it was at Peterborough where his career took off – scoring 23 goals in his first season and then last term was on 26 when the League One campaign was ended by the coronavirus in March.
      And he said: “I found my feet there. The manager Darren Ferguson, when he came in, was great to me and said, ‘You can be as good as you want to be as long as you work hard for it.’ My game really kicked on under him.”Peterborough and Brentford have similar models in the way they keep recruiting and selling up-and-coming talent – and that is why Toney signed for both clubs.

      He said: “Peterborough have a good record with their strikers. If you don’t get promoted with them, they let you move on. “It’s exactly the same with Brentford but it’s not just that here though. I feel they’re a club able to play in the Premier League.
      “Also I like manager Thomas Frank a lot. He’s someone who I want to work hard for. What I like about him is he literally will do anything to help anyone – not just players, but the staff and anyone around the club. He’s genuine and everything you want from a manager.”

      Ivan Toney vowed to belt out some Neil Diamond classics to his team-mates
      Toney has not done his initiation song yet but has been told he will have to do it.And he is promising to sing a Diamond classic and said: “With a deep voice like mine, I try to hit the high notes. I don’t mind singing.
      “I’ll go for Neil Diamond because you have to know your dressing room. I get the feeling there are quite a few of his fans in there. I just hope they all join in so I’ll be let off lightly.” More

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      Ben Amos was oblivious to real world in Man Utd bubble… but has found his feet ELEVEN clubs later at Charlton

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      BEN AMOS has learned so much since leaving the cosy surroundings of Old Trafford.
      And the keeper says the biggest of the lot has been: “There is a big world outside Manchester United.”

      Ben Amos won the SkyBet League One player-of-the-month for his top form

      Ben Amos during his early professional playing days at Manchester United

      Sir Alex Ferguson gave him his debut at the age of 18.The keeper played seven times for United – once in the Premier League, five in the League Cup and once in the Champions League.But after the legendary former manager retired in 2013, Amos never got a look-in under either David Moyes or Louis van Gaal.Amos, now 30, is making his mark at Charlton – having played for ELEVEN different clubs.And he said: “The big thing I’ve learned since leaving is there’s a world outside Man United.“I was going into proper men’s football week in, week out. At United I had been getting a little taste of first-team football and then I’d be out.“I’d sit and wait and wouldn’t be allowed out on loan. It was difficult to get a flow of first-team games.“So what I learned was the Saturday-Tuesday-Saturday grind of men’s football.”Amos admits he was inside a Manchester United bubble – oblivious to the sometimes harsh realities of the game outside of it.He said: “I wasn’t aware of it at the time. You expect everywhere to be held to the same standards of the Ferguson reign.“But you learn there is life outside of that. It’s not necessarily better or worse. Places are just run differently. It’s part and parcel of growing up.”Ferguson clearly rated Amos to have given him chances. The then rookie keeper held his own too.
      In those seven outings, he kept three clean sheets and conceded five goals and the team won five, drew one and lost one.

      Sir Alex Ferguson gave Amos seven first-team starts at Manchester United

      Ben Amos working with David De Gea in training at Manchester United
      And Amos said: “Sir Alex had faith in me and gave me opportunities at 18. I’ll be eternally grateful for that.“He kept a distance from his players. He worked on that fear factor – including with the senior players.“But, at the same time, he could crack a joke with you.
      “Sir Alex kept everyone guessing and you were always on your toes – even if you were a world-elite footballer.”

      Ben Amos has been in inspired form for Charlton in League One this season
      Amos is in his second spell with the Addicks having had a season on loan in League One from then parent club Bolton three years ago – and the team reached the play-offs.He signed permanently last year after a loan at Millwall but had a frustrating first season on his return – finding himself second-choice to Dillon Phillips and picking up an finger injury that kept him out for four months.So he had to watch from the sidelines as the Addicks were relegated from the Championship.
      Amos said: “It’s part and parcel of being a keeper. I was expecting to play. but joined just 10 days before the season so Dillon started and to his credit he did well. I didn’t get a look-in.“I then had an operation on my finger and that was the best part of four months out.“That is your season done at that point. I did get back at the end of the January. But by that time Dillon was in his groove.“That was great for him – but, thinking selfishly, it was frustrating for me.“But, first and foremost, Dillon and I are friends – we’ve been away on holiday together. We had healthy competition.“I didn’t overthink it. I couldn’t control what Dilon was doing on a matchday so just did my bit every day and was ready if called upon.”Phillips left the club in the summer to join Cardiff, which has enabled Amos to claim the No1 position.And he has had a superb start to the season – and went 575 minutes without conceding before Che Evans beat him twice in two minutes in Charlton’s 3-2 win at Fleetwood before the international break.That has coincided with Lee Bowyer’s men winning six matches on the spin and unbeaten in seven.Amos rates the clean sheet in the 0-0 draw against promotion rivals Sunderland before the six-match winning run as his most satisfying.He said: “We’d just lost back-to-back games against Doncaster and Lincoln – and that result against Sunderland put us back on the right track. Hopefully we can continue that form.”
      Thomas Sandgaard’s takeover of the club has been pivotal to Charlton’s change in fortunes – after an entire season of unrest off the field.

      New owner Thomas Sandgaard has brought a feelgood factor back
      The American-based Danish businessman has given the club some calming stability – and crucially backed Bowyer in the transfer market.In total, he has sanctioned TEN signings – defender Ryan Inniss, Chris Gunter, Ian Maatsen, Akin Famewo, midfielders Ben Watson, Andrew Shinnie, Marcus Maddison, Adam Matthews and strikers Paul Smyth and Omar Bogle.

      Amos said: “Everything he promised he has delivered on so far – and all the things I’m hearing and seeing has been good – long may it continue.“He even has been sending us special medical equipment that his company distributes – so is going over and beyond to help us be successful, which is welcome after what happened in previous months.“The feel-good factor is ultimately driven by results but the stability is need as a springboard to be successful.“We have strength in depth all across the pitch and I don’t think we’ve got going yet. We have loads more in us to kick on, really gel and put in better performances.”

      BEN AMOS FANS’ Q&A

      BEN AMOS answers questions sent to SunSport by Charlton fans.

      MICK McCORMACK: What aspects of your game do you feel you have improved over the last 12 months?BEN AMOS: My distribution definitely. I’ve been working non-stop on that. I try to make gains every day with coach Andy Marshall, he pushes me with tiny little details that we can polish and work on. There isn’t one thing. It’s fine tuning.
      BEN CHURCH: How did you manage the backwards hand save in the play-offs against Shrewsbury? I still can’t get over how you did that.BEN AMOS: Just instinct. I’ve always got that desire to keep the ball out of the net and at that time I found myself with my back to the player and the shot came in. I kept my eyes on it and with pure desperation to keep the ball out I managed to make the save.
      RAY STOWER: Being in goal in empty stadiums at the moment, does that take the pressure off you as a keeper?BEN AMOS: Not for me personally. The pressure is trying to win the game, keep clean sheets and do your best. I focus on myself. If I do that I sleep easier than if I hadn’t.THOMAS SANDGAARD: The back four have a lot of trust in you – how much have the experienced defenders helped you?BEN AMOS: They’re good lads first and foremost. We’re always speaking to each other about the game where they are enthusiastic to learn and have the desire to keep the ball out of the net.That is the first thing I want as a goalkeeper. They have helped me in that respect because there becomes a trust with more games we play. We speak so much how to keep the ball out of the net. More