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      Leeds fans say ‘EFL days have truly returned’ as club unveils ‘in case of emergency break glass’ sponsor

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      LEEDS fans think the “EFL days have truly returned” with the club unveiling their sleeve sponsor for next season.They were relegated to the Championship last season after three years in the Premier League.
      Leeds will be sponsored by Flamingo Land next seasonCredit: Leeds United FC
      The amusement park has rekindled it’s partnership with the clubCredit: Leeds United FC
      Leeds players had a great time there years agoCredit: Leeds United FC
      The EFL are allowing brands to be on the sleeve of kits for the first time this approaching campaign.
      And local amusement park Flamingo Land have taken the opportunity to be involved with the team again.
      Leeds’ academy was sponsored by them 13 years ago and during the season the players visited the attraction.
      The day out produced hilarious photos of manager Neil Warnock on a pretend motorbike, Sam Byram with a lemur on his shoulders and the squad on a rollercoaster.
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      Fans have reacted to news of Flamingo Land’s return with one saying: “Screams Championship.”
      Another added: “Leeds United are BACK, baby. We’ve reached peak EFL again.”
      More reacted: “The ‘in case of emergency break glass’ local commercial deal.”
      A fourth added: “I don’t think relegation had truly sunk in until I saw this.”
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      Others said: “To be fair supporting this club is a rollercoaster so makes perfect sense.”
      Fans also joked that the club should get a pink away kit in tribute to a flamingo’s colour.
      Leeds’ main shirt sponsor is boiler brand BOXT.
      And several players may not hang about to play in it with rumours suggesting that Wilfried Gnonto, Tyler Adams and Rodrigo will all leave the club this summer.
      Leeds fans have been left in hysterics at the newsCredit: Leeds United FC
      One fan called the sponsor “peak EFL”Credit: Leeds United FC More

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      Wrexham star Ben Tozer’s heartbreak as dad dies after brain operation following cancer battle

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      WREXHAM defender Ben Tozer has revealed the heartbreaking news that his father has died following a brain operation.The 33-year-old defender confirmed on social media that his dad found out on Saturday he had leukaemia.
      Ben Tozer confirmed the tragic news on TuesdayCredit: Getty
      He underwent a brain operation the following day, but on Monday he tragically passed away.
      Tozer said: “On Saturday, I was told my Dad has Leukaemia but it’s treatable.
      “On Sunday night, he required a brain operation, which went positively, then last night the unthinkable happened. 💔
      “Sadly, all of this happened because he had left it too late.
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      “Unknowingly, he was masking the fact he was [in] complete agony.
      “‘Go and get checked’ we regularly said.
      “He was just too scared of what it could be.
      “Thank you, Dad. Our last words together will live with me forever.
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      “I love you. I hope we have all done you proud.”
      Responding to Tozer’s statement, Wrexham said: “So sorry to hear this. Our thoughts are with you and your family. ❤️”
      And Hollywood owner Ryan Reynolds added: “Gut wrenching. Sending so much love to the Tozer family.”
      Fans of the club also offered messages of condolence for the centre-back.
      One said: “So sad for Ben and his family. At the same time I admire him sharing and thinking of others.
      “Men in particular can avoid going to a GP and hopefully this will make someone think differently.”
      Another added: “Condolences on your loss Ben 💔.”
      A third replied: “I’ve been there and it ain’t easy. Sending a bunch of love your way, gang.”
      And a fourth said: “Awful news, thoughts with Ben and his family ❤️.”
      Wrexham returned to League Two at the end of last season after 15 years in non-league football.
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      Reynolds and fellow actor Rob McElhenney have spearheaded the Welsh side’s upturn in fortunes.
      And Wrexham are already favourites to clinch promotion from the fourth tier this season. More

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      ITV make MAJOR shake-up to football coverage with three pundits axed for new-look EFL show

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      ITV are reportedly set to make big changes to their EFL highlights show.The new-look format will see the running time significantly reduced and pundits axed.
      Jules Breach will remain as a presenter on the new-look showCredit: Getty
      Hugh Woozencroft will rotate presenting duties with Breach as they did beforeCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
      Presenters Hugh Woozencroft and Jules Breach will stay on but will no longer host the show from a studio, claim The Mirror.
      Instead they will be pitchside at an EFL ground, with Woozencroft and Breach to rotate presenting duties.
      Highlights from all EFL matches will continue to be aired along with player and manager post-match interviews.
      But there will no longer be analysis provided by the likes of Sam Parkin, Dean Ashton and Jamie Mackie, all of whom worked as pundits in the previous format of the show.
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      ITV are heading into the second year of their two-year deal to host EFL highlights, with Quest previously airing the show.
      Interest in the league has grown significantly with 21.7million fans attending matches last season – the highest since 1953-54.
      That has helped EFL clubs agree a TV deal with Sky Sports worth almost £1billion.
      The agreement will see more than 1,000 live matches broadcast starting from the 2024-25 campaign.
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      In total, 1,059 league, EFL Cup — including all 93 ties — and EFL Trophy matches will be shown live on Sky or a streaming platform, replacing the iFollow service.
      Currently, Sky televises 138 EFL league games each season. More

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      Abandoned 25,500-seater stadium that rivalled Premier League sides now used as rugby pitch after £2million sale

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      THIS state of the art stadium constructed in 2003 has a 25,000 capacity and could rival some Premier League clubs.Yet it never saw football played at a higher level than the fourth tier.
      This stadium was meant to take the club it hosted to the Premier League, but never saw football played at a higher level than League TwoCredit: Alamy
      And to make matters worse, the capacity ended up being restricted to 10,000 by local planning regulations due to poor road access.
      In 2012, after the football club that had played there were expelled from the FA and forced to re-form in the eighth tier of English football, the stadium was left abandoned.
      For 120 years, the club had played its football at a rough-around-the-edges but much loved 8,500-capacity stadium called Feethams.
      But things would change forever when businessman George Reynolds bought Darlington in 1999 and declared his intention to take the club all the way to the Premier League.
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      Reynolds immediately started work on a 25,500-seater new stadium two miles out of town, which the ever-modest millionaire named the George Reynolds Arena.
      However, six months after the stadium opened he took Darlington into administration.
      Reynolds was then arrested on suspicion of money laundering in June 2004.
      In October 2005, he was sentenced to three years in prison for tax evasion while the money laundering charge was left on file.
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      Darlington previously played at the Feethams GroundCredit: PA:Press Association
      The Darlington Arena now hosts rugbyCredit: Getty
      The stadium would then become the Northern Echo Arena before being named simply, the Darlington Arena.
      But attendances throughout Darlington’s stay there would average between 1,500 and 2,000, with the stadium becoming more and more unpopular due to the association with Reynolds.
      With Darlington relegated from League Two in 2010 and the National League in 2012, the costs of playing at the Arena became unviable.
      Under fan ownership, the club secured a groundshare with Bishop Auckland.
      In 2016, they would move into Darlington Rugby club’s Blackwell Meadows stadium as the club returned to its home city.
      But the question after the footy club left was what to do with the unloved Darlington Arena.
      It was reported in 2012 that a deal had been agreed to turn the stadium into housing.
      However, it would eventually be bought by third tier rugby club Mowden Park, thus saving the stadium as a sporting venue.
      And that means it is once again slightly outsized for the competition it hosts.
      The second largest stadium in rugby’s League One holds 8,500 people, with some stadiums in the league holding less than 2,000.
      Despite spending years regretting the fact that the Arena was ever constructed, Darlington FC did make one bid to return to it.
      This was during Covid when the capacity at Blackwell Meadows was restricted to just 527.
      Darlington CEO David Johnston told BBC in 2020: “If we go down to 17 per cent [of Blackwell Meadows] we can’t even provide access for our season ticket holders, let alone any away fans.
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      “I have already asked the league to consider whether we could relocate to the Arena, which has a 25,000 capacity that would allow safe access and observe social distancing with the walkways, car-parking, everything.”
      Nothing would come of it however, and with the pandemic over, the club do not appear to have any long-term desire to return to the Arena. More

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      Wrexham star fears ban on ‘anti-football’ rule could ‘ruin my career’ as he says ‘I nearly had to hand in my retirement’

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      WREXHAM star Ben Tozer joked that the EFL are trying to force him into retirement by introducing a new rule.Tozer, 33, has developed a reputation as a long-throw in specialist throughout his career.
      Ben Tozer is well-renowned for his long throwsCredit: Reuters
      His incredible hoists proved to be particularly handy as Wrexham won the National League last season.
      In order to get the most distance possible on his throws, Tozer always ensures that the ball is dry.
      But with the EFL banning players from using towels during games, the defender’s throw-ins could be neutralised.
      Tozer joked that the powers that be are trying to “ruin” his career with the rule change.
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      But he was deadly serious when he insisted long throws are not “anti-football” – and merely part of the game.
      He said: “I might have upset someone in the EFL because they’re trying to ruin my career. I nearly had to hand my retirement straight away.
      “I understand it because some people see it as anti-football, but it’s part of football.
      “Throw-ins are just like a corner or a penalty, they are set pieces.
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      “We had a bit of an advantage but there are ways around everything and I’ve got the shirt that I’m wearing.
      “I can still dry the ball with that.
      “I’m sure there will be other ways around it as well but it’s just one of those things you just have to get on with.”
      Wrexham are set to jet out to the US for an exciting pre-season tour next month
      Tozer and Co will play Chelsea in North Carolina on July 19, before travelling to San Diego to play Manchester United a week later.
      Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney’s League Two new-boys will then host MK Dons on August 5 in their season curtain-raiser.
      Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds will see their side play in League Two on August 5Credit: PA More

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      You’re a genius if you can spot the hidden nickname in Gillingham’s badge and fans can’t believe they’ve just noticed it

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      FANS can’t believe that they’ve only just spotted the hidden nickname on Gillingham’s badge.The Gills came 17th in League Two last season, climbing away from the relegation zone after a flurry of January signings.
      Fans have noticed that the word ‘Gills’ features on Gillingham’s badge
      Neil Harris’ side have been out of action since the fourth tier’s conclusion in early May.
      But fans have still been chatting about the Gills online, after noticing the nickname on their badge.
      The Kent side’s crest features their full name written across the top, with black stripes on the left and a white prancing horse on the right.
      Previously unbeknownst to many casual fans, the horse’s mane features the word “Gills”.
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      Noticing this fact, EFL fanatic and podcaster Edward Walker tweeted: “I was today years old when I realised that the mane of the horse in the Gillingham badge spells the club’s nickname…”
      He then added: “Cannot fathom how it’s taken me this long to realise. Shameful.”
      Walker wasn’t the only one, with another fan writing: “Wow – I’ve never noticed either!”
      While a second tweeted: “Wow, that’s quite incredible. Never noticed that before.”
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      A third joked: “How do I unsee this?”
      And a further Twitter user wrote: “I’ve been lied to…”
      Another added: “I can’t not see it now it’s mad how did we miss it.”
      Fans ‘can’t unsee’ the nickname on Gillingham’s badgeCredit: Gary Stone More

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      Ben Foster reveals what Wrexham owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney did to convince him to sign a new deal

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      BEN FOSTER has revealed Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney “pinned him into a corner” to make him sign a new deal.The goalkeeper signed for Wrexham on a short-term deal last season and played eight games during the run-in.
      Ben Foster has penned a one-year deal with WrexhamCredit: Getty
      Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney were desperate for the keeper to sign onCredit: Getty
      He saved a last-minute penalty to secure a crucial win over Notts County which helped to seal automatic promotion.
      Owners Reynolds and McElhenney were desperate for Foster to continue his stay and initiated the idea of him staying during Wrexham’s promotion victory parade.
      Foster, 40, revealed the pair later set up a WhatsApp group to ensure he signed on for next season.
      He said on his Fozcast podcast: “They basically sort of like pinned me into a corner like right. ‘Next season, what’s happening next?’.
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      “I was like I don’t know and they were like listen ‘we want you to be back. We need you back’. And I went ‘yeah I’m going to have to think about it, I’ve loved it so much and I will put so much thought into it’.
      “It was a foregone conclusion, it really was.
      “I was actually out in Belfast with Boaz [Myhill] and Brunty [Chris Brunt] playing a bit of golf out there and out of nowhere a WhatsApp group just gets made on my phone and it was called ‘Hands of Fozz’.
      “There were three people in it and it was Rob, Ryan and it was me. Straight away it was like they just jumped on and go right Fozzy come on are we doing this or what.
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      “I’m like lads don’t worry about it ring me tomorrow if you want. Rob was like ‘I’ll ring you now’ so he’s there I’m like ‘yes mate don’t even worry about it we’ll sort it all’.
      “He was like ‘cool that’s gospel yeah like your word. You’re a man right if you’re saying it’. And I was like yep ‘cool we’re doing it don’t worry’.”
      The former Manchester United shot-stopper penned a new one-year deal earlier this month and is already targeting promotion to League One. More

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      Wrexham star Ben Foster reveals special condition Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney agreed to for him to sign new deal

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      WREXHAM keeper Ben Foster needed owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney to agree to a special condition for him to stay at the club.Foster, 40 came out of retirement to help the Welsh side clinch promotion back into the Football League after 15 years away.
      Ben Foster has agreed a new one-year deal with WrexhamCredit: Getty
      Ryan Reynolds, left, and Rob McElhenney convinced Foster to stay for another seasonCredit: Getty
      But it remained unclear even after their return to League Two whether Foster would stay for another year.
      Earlier this week, the ex-Manchester United shot-stopper put an end to speculation by confirming he HAD penned a one-year extension.
      However, he had previously spoken when negotiations were ongoing about how the club would need to be flexible around his schedule due to him living so far away.
      Speaking on The Fellas Podcast, he said: “They’d have to be flexible with me with sort of days off basically. Like I said earlier I live a couple hours away from Wrexham.
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      “So if I’m driving to training then that’s two hours and then I’ll train, and then to get home you’ve got to get through M6 through birmingham, take you three hours sometimes. 
      “In the six weeks I did the club were so good with me. They were so flexible. They gave me sort of extra days off. 
      ‘We would play on a Saturday, they’d give me Sunday and Monday off.
      “I’d train on Tuesday, we’d all have a day off on Wednesday anyway. i’d only be training really three days.”
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      Foster’s first stint at Wrexham came nearly two decades ago when he was on loan from Man Utd.
      He went on to play for the likes of West Brom and Watford in the Premier League, hanging up his boots at the end of the 2021/22 campaign.
      He then returned to football in March to help Wrexham return to the fourth tier – including saving a penalty in their crucial win over promotion rivals Notts County.
      And now Foster, who will play in Soccer Aid on Sunday, is targeting a second successive promotion in the 2023/24 campaign.
      After signing a contract extension, he told Wrexham’s club media: “At the end of last season it was obvious that I enjoyed being at the Club, I loved being part of the team and everything that Wrexham stands for. 
      “The fans took to me so warmly, Phil Parkinson is brilliant, Steve Parkin is top class, I love Aidan Davison to bits, and the Co-Chairmen are out of this world.
      “I’d decided before the end of last season I wanted to do it, because it feels like home. I’ve never joined a football club and felt at ease so quickly.” More