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      Watch huge brawl break out following League One derby between former Premier League giants

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      WIGAN and Bolton Wanderers stars were embroiled in a huge on-pitch melee last night that saw both managers also get involved.The Latics claimed a 1-0 Lancashire derby victory over the Trotters thanks to Stephen Humphrys’ 69th-minute goal.
      The derby between Wigan and Bolton ended in a huge on-pitch brawlCredit: Getty
      Bolton boss Ian Evatt was spotted rowing with Wigan staff during the meleeCredit: Getty
      That was enough to seal Wigan a double over their promotion-chasing League One rivals this term.
      However, tensions boiled over after the full-time whistle between the neighbours when the celebrations from the hosts proved to be too much for visiting Bolton at the DW Stadium.
      And that led to a huge melee between players and staff from the two ex-Premier League clubs.
      The trouble started when Bolton’s Icelandic striker Jon Dadi Bodvarsson, 31, confronted opponent Jason Kerr before several other home team players rushed over to push him away.
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      Stephen Humphrys was also involved in shoving the Trotters ace away but the real row erupted several moments later on the edge of the area in front of the away supporters.
      The camera did not catch exactly what triggered it, but all of a sudden hordes of players from both Wigan and Bolton were pushing and shoving Callum McManaman, a member of the 2013 FA Cup winning Wigan side, looking to be in the centre of it.
      The argy-bargy continued as more people got involved, before Humphrys was eventually ushered away and things began to calm down.
      Both teams could now potentially face punishment from the FA.
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      Bolton boss Ian Evatt claimed afterwards that the row started due to Wigan celebrating and winding up the away supporters.
      He said: “We won’t accept one of their players celebrating in front of our supporters.
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      “Go and celebrate with your own fans, no issue with that, but not ours.
      “You certainly shouldn’t be celebrating when you are mid-table.”
      Meanwhile, his opposite number Shaun Maloney said: “I think their manager thought one of our players was over-celebrating in the far corner.
      “But there’s no hard feelings on either side, these are just emotional moments.”
      The result left Bolton third in the table and outside of the automatic promotion spots on goal difference.
      Wigan are 13th, 11 points above the relegation spots and 15 off the play-off places.
      Evatt accused Wigan’s players of over-celebrating in front of the away endCredit: Getty
      Bolton’s Jon Dadi Bodvarsson confronted Wigan players to kickstart the meleeCredit: Rex More

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      Crisis club Reading hit with THIRD points deduction of the season and fifth in three years

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      CRISIS club Reading have received their third points deduction of the season.The Royals were docked a point in August for breaching EFL regulations, with a further three suspended.
      Reading FC have been handed a latest points deductionCredit: Getty
      The following month they triggered their extra three-point deduction, after failing to deposit 125 per cent of their monthly wage bill into an account by a date agreed to by the EFL.
      Ruben Selles’ side will now now been docked an extra two points.
      During 2023 the Royals were late paying HMRC for over 100 days, with EFL rules prohibiting more than 80.
      The extra deduction has seen Reading fall to 19th in the League One table, just three points above the relegation zone.
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      Their points deduction is their fifth in the last three years.
      They have now been docked a total of 18 points, dating back to their time in the Championship.
      Reading fans have frequently protested against owner Dai Yongge this season.
      In September they had a match against Burton suspended after launching tennis balls onto the pitch.
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      Players were shepherded down the tunnel as the mess was cleared.
      In January a clash with Port Vale was abandoned after fans invaded the pitch en masse.
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      Dai previously owned Chinese Super League club Beijing Renhe, which folded in 2021 after falling into China League One.
      He purchased a 75 per cent stake in Reading in May 2017.
      The Royals lost 3-2 at home to Shrewsbury last Saturday.
      They are set to make the long trip to bottom-of-the-table Carlisle this weekend, and are expected to be backed by 1,300 travelling supporters.
      Reading fans have protested against owner Dai YonggeCredit: PA More

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      I grew up in paradise until volcano forced family to evacuate.. I may not have been footballer if not for scary eruption

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      DONERVON DANIELS knows a thing or two about beating the odds.And this time the Walsall skipper, 30, is only talking about a surge towards the play-offs, having lived through a true life-or-death drama.
      Walsall defender Donervon Daniels won the League Two’s goal of the month award with a solo stunner against Sutton on January 27
      The Soufriere Hills volcano spewed ash long after the 1995 eruptionCredit: AFP
      As a toddler, Daniels was part of a mass evacuation when a once-dormant volcano suddenly exploded back into life on the tiny Caribbean island of Montserrat, forcing thousands to flee.
      The Saddlers can draw level on points with seventh–placed Harrogate if they win at the EnviroVent Stadium today — and centre-back Daniels knows he can handle the pressure.
      January’s Sky Bet goal of the month winner said: “We are a young side and we were in a stalemate for a while back there but now we’re going places.
      “Two games ago we beat Mansfield, who are second and, remember, had just scored nine against Harrogate.
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      “Look at our league position and we’re actually below mid–table but we’re one of nine teams within three points of a play–off position.
      “Make no mistake, there’s a growing belief that we can be the ones who can break through because we are developing real momentum.
      “This is a club that was a mainstay of League One — it is just where we belong, at least, and I’m convinced that we can get back there this season.”
      Daniels often heads back to the scene of that terrifying volcanic eruption as part of Montserrat’s international squad, now managed by former Birmingham and Charlton boss Lee Bowyer.
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      Daniels claims play-off hopefuls Walsall deserve to return to League OneCredit: Alamy
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      There is nothing Daniels loves more than exploring the island he had to leave so quickly in 1995, when the Soufriere Hills volcano became active and left half of Montserrat uninhabitable.
      He left with mum Helen and five siblings for Hackney in London’s East End but paradise was not lost to him.
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      Daniels, who has three caps, explained: “My mum was born in the UK but she moved out to Montserrat when she was young because she still had a lot of family there.
      “After the eruption, a lot went to America. She came back here but she always pleaded with me to one day try to play for Montserrat.
      “She would go there every summer to see relatives and it was down to her that I did get capped.
      “Everybody knows everybody over there and she got to know the person who ran the Montserrat FA and I started playing for my adopted country in 2021.
      “It’s strange to think that had it not been for the volcano, I might never have become a footballer or played for Montserrat.Donervon Daniels
      “Sadly, mum passed away five years ago and so never got the chance to see that — but I know she’s looking down and proud.”
      Daniels, who began his career at West Brom and joined Walsall from Crewe in 2022, added: “It’s sad, too, that my first home is no longer there.
      “We lived in the island’s capital of Plymouth but it was wiped out.
      “But I still have her family there when I go over. I love to explore the place and it’s beautiful.
      “It’s not far from Antigua and the habitable part of the island is just like paradise.
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      “It’s strange to think that had it not been for the volcano, I might never have become a footballer or played for Montserrat.
      “Now I’m proud to do so thanks to my mum and, hopefully, there will be more pride here at Walsall come the end of the season.” More

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      EFL fans say ‘the game’s well and truly gone’ as Wycombe reveal bizarre reason star got a yellow card

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      EFL fans declared “the game has gone” after Wycombe star Luke Leahy was booked for a bizarre reason.The midfielder featured for the Chairboys in their 1-0 victory over League Two Bradford in the EFL Trophy semi-final.

      Luke Leahy cheekily dried the ball on a steward’s coat prior to his throw-in
      The midfielder was booked as players are not allowed to dry ballsCredit: Rex
      Wycombe are now through to the Wembley final where they will meet Peterborough, thanks to Matt Butcher’s last-gasp winner which broke Bradford hearts.
      But the game also caught the eye for another, unexpected reason.
      With five minutes of the match remaining Wycombe won a corner deep in the Bradford half.
      Leahy, 31, picked up the ball and decided to dry it off given the stormy conditions in West Yorkshire.
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      But the only method available to the former Shrewsbury player was to dry the ball on a steward’s coat.
      The steward did not seem to mind but referee Tom Reeves did as he brandished Leahy with a yellow card.
      Rules state players are not allowed to dry the ball so the ref was left with little choice, but that did not prevent uproar from fans.
      One reacted saying: “Game has well and truly gone.”
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      Another added: “I’m just glad he won’t miss the final for that because that’s a joke of a card.
      And a third wrote: “Players are now genuinely being booked simply for drying a football
      “Yeah, this sport is well and truly dead if you are being booked for that, pathetic!”
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      ‘I have no words’, says shocked fans as on-loan Arsenal keeper Okonkwo appears to push the ball over his own goal-line

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      ARSENAL fans watched through their fingers… as their on-loan goalkeeper let the ball through his. Arthur Okonkwo, 22, is spending the 2023-24 season with Wrexham as Ben Foster’s replacement.
      Arthur Okonkwo escaped after an almighty blunderCredit: Alamy
      He messed up a routine catch away at MK DonsCredit: X
      The ball bounced towards the lineCredit: X
      He dived back and got his gloves back on the ballCredit: X

      And the youngster made a very lucky escape in the League Two clash against MK Dons on Tuesday night.
      Okonkwo suffered a goalkeeper’s nightmare when a routine catch went horribly wrong.
      Instead of clutching on to the ball, he somehow spilled it backwards, sending it bouncing towards the goal.
      The former Crewe and Sturm Graz loanee desperately scrambled back and made a last-ditch dive to grab the ball before it crossed the line.
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      He ended up seemingly pushing it on to – if not over – the line.
      And plenty were convinced Okonkwo should have been penalised for his blunder because they were convinced the ball went in.
      Some even sensationally insisted this was the latest in a series of dodgy decisions to go Wrexham’s way as part of a bigger conspiracy theory.
      One said: “I have no words.”
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      Another wrote: “Clearly a goal wtf.”
      A third typed: “Did we get away with Okonkwo bringing the ball into the goal and the goal not given? Yes.”
      Some of the best saves from Arsenal youth goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo since his u18 debut
      A fourth quipped: “We got away with that Okonkwo save hahahaha.”
      And a fifth added the “pretends to be shocked” meme.
      Others, though, were not convinced due to the lack of available camera angles.
      One responded: “Tbf, there’s absolutely no way you can say, conclusively, that’s over the line.”

      Another replied: “It doesn’t look great but you’re right, you can’t say for certain.”
      It is not the first time this season Okonkwo’s goalkeeping has been in the spotlight.
      Against Blackburn in the FA Cup last month, the England Under-18 star – who had just returned from jaw surgery – came rushing out of his penalty area, gifting Rovers an easy finish.
      That prompted cutting comments like “he’s lost the plot”, “yikes” and “lettuce hands” online.
      Credit: X
      Credit: X
      Credit: X
      Other than the nervy heart-stopping moment when the ball wriggled free from his grasp, Wrexham fans were absolutely delighted with Okonkwo’s performance at MK Dons as he made a string of massive saves, including in injury time.
      The Red Dragons – co-owned by Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney – headed back to North Wales with a 1-1 draw.
      James McClean fired the visitors in front but Dan Kemp levelled four minutes later before both sides had a man sent off after the break.
      One Wrexham supporter said: “Arthur Okonkwo, what a guy.”
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      Another commented: “Thank goodness for Okonkwo. What a gem.”
      And a third declared: “Arthur Okonkwo is my man crush. Decent point. We move on.”
      Okonkwo scrambled back desperatelyCredit: X
      MK Dons players and fans were convinced it went inCredit: X
      The Arsenal loanee breathed a huge sigh of reliefCredit: X
      Okonkwo made a string of important saves in the 1-1 drawCredit: X More

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      Forgotten Premier League star joins League One promotion chasers Derby on free transfer after three weeks unemployed

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      PROMOTION chasers Derby County have signed veteran striker Dwight Gayle until the end of the season.The 34-year-old was a free agent after leaving Stoke City when the transfer window closed at the start of this month.
      Dwight Gayle has joined Derby on a free transferCredit: Getty
      Rams boss Paul Warne has added him to his squad in the hope that he will supply the goals which will earn Derby promotion to the Championship.
      Gayle started out in the Arsenal academy.
      But he cut his teeth at Dagenham & Redbridge before his goals for Peterborough earned him a move to Crystal Palace in 2013.
      The former Eagles, Newcastle United and West Brom striker has bagged 147 goals in 389 career appearances.
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      Of those, 34 strikes came for the Magpies during his six-year stay at St James’ Park.
      Despite being a regular starter for Stoke City last season, former FA Cup finalist Gayle fell out of favour under Stephen Schumacher.
      He only made ten league appearances for the Potters this season.
      Gayle’s last appearance for Stoke was on January 1 in the goalless draw at home to Ipswich Town.
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      Derby currently sit second in League One.
      They are six points off leaders Portsmouth having played a match less.
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      However, Bolton are hot on their heels in third, three points behind Derby with two games in hand.
      Peterborough are the division’s top scorers.
      But the addition of Gayle could change things as Derby try and secure a return to the second tier following their 2022 relegation under Wayne Rooney. More

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      Forgotten ex-Leeds star scores ‘quickest goal ever’ after netting just TWO SECONDS into non-league match

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      RYAN HALL scored just 2.31 seconds into Croydon FC’s clash with Cockfosters at the weekend.The former Leeds and Crystal Palace ace, 36, took aim straight from kick-off.
      Ryan Hall had a go straight from kick-offCredit: https://twitter.com/Croydon_FC
      The ball sailed through the South London airCredit: https://twitter.com/Croydon_FC
      Hall, 36, was mobbed by his amazed team-matesCredit: https://twitter.com/Croydon_FC
      To even his amazement, Hall’s shot looped over the helpless goalkeeper and in.
      Fans in the crowd were left stunned, believing they may just have witnessed the quickest goal ever.
      After the game Croydon tweeted: “The goal was timed at 2.31 seconds, which we understand to be the fastest goal in senior football in the world.”
      They then tagged Guinness World Records, asking if they could confirm whether it was in fact the quickest-ever goal.
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      Croydon did receive a response, with Guinness World Reciords writing: “What a hit son, what a hit.”
      They did not, however, confirm whether it was the world’s quickest goal.
      Saudi Arabian striker Nawaf Al Abed scored in 2.4 seconds during a match between Al-Hilal and Al-Shoalah in a Prince Faisal bin Fahad Cup match.
      Amazingly the goal was subsequently not recognised by Fifa, as Al-Hilal were claimed to have fielded too many players over the age of 21.
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      Scot Gavin Stokes did score 2.1 seconds into Maryhill’s clash with Clydebank in the West of Scotland Super League First Division in 2017.
      While it may not quite have been the world’s quickest goal, Hall’s strike did set Croydon on their way to a 3-0 win.
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      The Trams currently sit eighth in the Southern Counties East Football League.
      Hall only joined Croydon from Beckenham Town earlier this month.
      The Trams are the sixth non-league team the winger has played for since his last EFL stint with Luton back in 2016.
      His most notable spell came with Southend between 2010 and 2013, when he earned a move to Leeds by scoring 23 goals and laying on 39 assists in 105 appearances.
      Hall previously starred for Southend United among othersCredit: PA:Empics Sport More

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      EFL chairman to raise season tickets prices and cost of beer in blunt series of tweets with club in ‘million pound hole’

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      THE chairman of League Two side Accrington Stanley has raised season ticket prices and the cost of beer to fix a “million pound hole.”Andy Holt made the blunt reveal to fans through a series of posts on X.
      Accrington Stanley have raised season ticket and beer prices to make ends meetCredit: Getty
      Chairman Andy Holt said the club was looking at a ‘million pound hole’Credit: PA:Empics Sport
      Accrington were relegated to League Two last season after finishing second-bottom.
      As a result, their finances have taken a huge hit.
      And with promotion back to League One looking unlikely, 12th-place Accrington are finding other ways to beat the pinch.
      Holt confirmed on social media that the first course of action was to raise season ticket prices, generating an extra £34,000.
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      Telling fans to “remember we’re in a million pound hole”, Holt revealed that “matchday ticketing will also increase, bringing in a further £145k.”
      But punters will have to cough up more for drinks and snacks too, with beer and concessions for ALL events at the Crown Ground rising to bring in an extra £70k.
      That amounts to a grand total of £249k, with Holt adding: “If you don’t want to buy a Wispa off the club, I can do nothing about that.
      “It’s your club, as I’m reminded often and agree with. First team costs will fall by a minimum of £250k. This is our future.”
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      Holt went on to reveal that some “forever injured players” are costing Accrington a small fortune.
      He said: “Saturday’s squad of 18 cost the club a total of £621,395.20 a year, out of £1.6million being blown on forever injured players and some that are having operations for long-held injuries.
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      “Some of which they had when they were signed, knowing full well they are not signing a new contract at the end of the season.
      “On top of that we have the cost of physio, medical etc. It’s not good enough. I don’t accept we’re just unlucky.”
      In October, Holt sensationally put Accrington Stanley up for sale on Twitter.
      And after spelling out his plan to receive more income through TV deals, “increased commercial activity” and sell-on fees, Holt provided an update.
      He added: “There is ZERO hope of me funding football losses of over £1m again.
      “I don’t mind investing in facilities. It’s unlikely there will be a sale of the club.” More