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      Former Arsenal and Liverpool starlet wakes up a free agent after ripping up contract with League One club

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      FORMER Premier League star Ovie Ejaria is unemployed after seeing his contract ripped up at Reading.The 26-year-old came to an agreement with the League One club to mutually end his deal ahead of the January transfer window.
      Ovie Ejaria is now a free agentCredit: Getty
      Ejaria has not played this season due to injury problems and managed just eight league games last term.
      His contract was set to end this summer but it has been “amicably” terminated early.
      Reading have been keen to reduce expenditure and they will now save money on his wages.
      Ejaria was tipped for big things as a youngster and was on the books of both Arsenal and Liverpool.
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      He made eight senior appearances for the Reds and his debut came in 2016.
      The midfielder was subsequently loaned out to Sunderland, Rangers and Reading.
      He then moved to the Royals permanently for £3.5million in 2020.
      Ejaria also earned one cap for England’s Under-21s back when he was dubbed a wonderkid.
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      And he was part of a star-studded Under-20s squad that won the World Cup in 2017, which featured the likes of Dominic Solanke, Fikayo Tomori, Ademola Lookman and Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
      Reading are currently 23rd in League One and are in the midst of a relegation battle. More

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      I was kicking about in League Two in 2021, now I’m dreaming of the Premier League with high-flying Ipswich

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      VACLAV HLADKY dreamed since he was a young boy in the Czech Republic that he would become a Premier League keeper.And after Ipswich’s storming first half to the Championship season, the 6ft 4in stopper admits he has dreamt even more about following in the footsteps of legendary countrymen Petr Cech and Ludek Miklosko.
      Ipswich keeper Vaclav Hladky has been one of the great stories of the club’s season so far in the Championship
      While the Tractors Boys’ rapid journey from mid-table League One fodder to now having a big chance to win promotion to the Premier League has been remarkable — so have the change in fortunes for Hladky.
      Just over two years ago he was plying his trade for Salford in League Two.
      And the Czech ace, 33, could barely get into the Ipswich team in the third tier — having not started a league game since December 2021.
      But since first-choice and last season’s League One Golden Glove winner Christian Walton got injured days before the season, Hladky has played every single minute.
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      His string of superb performances have helped the team into second, building an impressive 10-point lead over third-placed Leeds.
      And he told SunSport: “I’m not going to lie, I’m over the moon with how it’s gone. It’s been fantastic. I’m enjoying myself — not just me but the whole team is.
      ‘We want to carry this on. We know where we are and know our strengths. We know we can do a lot more too.”
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      This weekend they entertain bitter rivals Norwich in the East Anglian derby — the first time the teams have met since February 2019.
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      When Hladky joined Ipswich they were two divisions below the then Premier League Canaries but today sit nine paces and 21 points above their foes.
      The Czech star deserved his opportunity after being so patient playing second fiddle to Walton.
      What is important is what you learn from losing. If you lose in a bad or an unfortunate way you always must learn and not repeat the mistakes you make. After a defeat we bounce back stronger.”VACLAV HLADKY
      He said: “It was a tough one to be sure. Every keeper wants to play especially with this manager and in a team that’s doing well. 
      “When you see how much progress this team has made during the last two years, you want to be involved. 
      “But I’ve enjoyed working with the other keepers, the coaches and the rest of the team on the training pitch. Now it’s great I can put it all to good use on the pitch.”
      No serious pundit tipped Ipswich to be an automatic promotion contender in the summer. In fact, you would have been hard pressed to find one that gave them a chance of challenging for a play-off spot.
      But the Tractor Boys — along with Leicester — have been quite breathtaking. 
      There were question marks about the depth of their squad and how they would cope after suffering setbacks — but after losing to Leeds and then West Brom they have just bounced back by going on good winning runs again.
      Vaclav Hladky has produced a string of top performances for the Tractor Boys
      Hladky said: “The Championship is hard and we knew we weren’t ever going to win 46 games. You’re always going to lose matches.
      “That’s the nature of football. There’ll be runs where you don’t win but what is important is what you learn from losing.
      “If you lose in a bad way or an unfortunate way you always must learn and not repeat the mistakes you make. We’ve done well and always when after a defeat we bounce back even stronger.”
      But surely even Hladky must be surprised how well the team have done in the Championship considering they were in League One only in May?
      He said: “We played Burnley and Rotherham in the FA Cup last season and proved we could match those teams.
      “So I wasn’t surprised because we knew in those games that we could have done even better. It’s all about the process and getting the basics right. 
      “That is what we’re trying to do. We know we are up in the table. There is a lot more we can deliver.”
      Boss Kieran McKenna has been rightly winning lots of plaudits for the incredible job he has done at Portman Road since taking charge in October 2021.
      The Northern Irishman is being linked already with some top jobs and aged 37 there is little doubt he is the brightest young manager in English football.
      Hladky previously played for Salford and St Mirren as well as Slovan Liberec and FC Brno back home.
      And he said: “Kieran is the best manager I’ve worked with. I can say that clearly.
      “He’s been so enjoyable for every single player — even for those who don’t play regularly. I was one of those and he was fantastic to me then, as he is now.
      Kieran McKenna has been getting huge plaudits for the job he is doing at Ipswich
      “The manager just treats people well on and off the pitch. It’s simply a pleasure to work for him.”
      Having played for the Suffolk club for two-and-half years, Hladky knows how much this derby means for Ipswich fans.
      And it kicks off a mouthwatering set of fixtures for the Tractor Boys, who travel to Leeds next Saturday before hosting Leicester in a top-of-the-table blockbuster on Boxing Day.
      He said: “Norwich is a big game. For the fans, it’s massive. I understand. But for us as players, it’s three points and we want to get them.
      “These are all exciting games. It’s a brilliant time. I’ve got my family coming over from the Czech Republic to watch the games too so we’re all looking forward to it.”
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      And for a keeper who was playing League Two just two and half years ago, there is excitement back home that next season Hladky might become the latest Czech keeper to reach the Premier League.
      He said: “I’m dreaming about it since I was a child. But I’m dreaming even more now when I go to sleep, thinking how it could be. It’s exciting and something we all want to be involved in.” More

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      Charlton vs Cambridge chaos as stadium hit by WATER shortage and 27,000 fans without food or toilets for League One game

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      CHARLTON’S League One clash with Cambridge has been thrown into chaos due to a water shortage at The Valley.An official statement on the Addicks’ social media read: “We are currently experiencing a lack of supply of water to the stadium from our external supplier.
      Charlton’s clash with Cambridge has been affected by a water shortageCredit: Rex
      “The kick-off time remains unaffected but our catering and toilet facilities will be impacted.
      “We will provide a further update in due course.”
      The match started at 3pm as scheduled with the players unaffected.
      Fans were quick to joke about the incident on social media, with one person tweeting: “There’s a lack of supply of fit players as well.”
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      While another wrote: “Oh dear. No shower at full-time. No-one will want to work up a sweat.”
      Charlton currently sit 10th in the League One table, with Cambridge 18th.
      Cambridge appointed Neil Harris as first team manager on Wednesday following Mark Bonner’s departure.
      Speaking about the appointment, Charlton boss Michael Appleton said: “They’ll get a little bit of a lift and the new voice that you get from the manager coming in.
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      “I’ve come up against Neil many times, certainly when he was at Millwall as manager. I know what he’s about and I know how his teams play.
      “Whether he feels he’s got the personnel to do what he would normally want to do, who knows? That makes it a little bit more difficult as you’re second guessing how it might go.
      “Ultimately, I’ve just got to make the players aware and prepared that, from a mentality point of view, the first 20 minutes is going to be massively key.
      “They’ve got a new manager and they’re going to come out of the blocks, but we’re the team at home and we’ll do the same.” More

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      Meet the EFL star rivalling Premier League Golden Boot winner Erling Haaland to most English league goals scored in 2023

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      ALFIE MAY is rivalling Erling Haaland for a goalscoring record despite playing in League One.The Charlton striker has scored the same number of league goals as the Norwegian so far this year.
      Erling Haaland has competition in the race to score the most English league goals this yearCredit: Getty
      Alfie May is level with Haaland on 29 English league goals in 2023Credit: Alamy
      May and Haaland are out in front in the race to score the most English league goals in 2023.
      Following a brace for the Englishman on Tuesday night, the pair have both scored 29 league goals this year.
      Charlton snapped up May in the summer, signing the 30-year-old from Cheltenham, where he scored 67 goals in 165 appearances.
      Some 43 of those strikes came in League One as he became the Robins’ record Football League scorer.
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      May has also played in the EFL with Doncaster, having spent his entire career in non-league before joining Rovers in 2017.
      However, that has not slowed him down, with May currently the League One top scorer with 14 goals in 17 appearances this season.
      His latest goals, a brace against his old club Cheltenham on Tuesday, took his 2023 tally to 29 and drew him level with Haaland.
      The Premier League golden boot winner took his league total for the season to 14 on Saturday with a strike against Liverpool.
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      That goal was also his 50th in the top flight after bagging a record-breaking 36 goals during his debut campaign in England.
      He is on course to win the golden boot again this season as he sits four goals ahead of nearest challenger Mohamed Salah after 13 matches. More

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      Fans say ‘I have NEVER seen anything like this’ as Barnsley score ‘wild’ injury-time winner against Wycombe

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      A STUNNING twist of fate served up the most extraordinary end to a football game you are likely to see. Barnsley came by an injury-time winner in their League One match with Wycombe in circumstances one fan could only describe as “bizarre”.

      Cosgrove netted the ‘bizarre’ winnerCredit: Rex
      Cosgrove went over to Max Stryjek near the end of the gameCredit: Sky Sports
      Stryjek then spilled the ballCredit: Sky Sports
      Allowing Cosgrove to poke the ball free and pass the ball into an empty netCredit: Sky Sports
      The protests of Wycombe’s Stryjek fell on deaf earsCredit: Rex
      In the 91st minute of the game, Wycombe goalkeeper Max Stryjek had the ball at his feet following a drop ball.
      He was then closed down by substitute Sam Cosgrove to make him pick up the ball.
      Cosgrove gave Stryjek a little nudge in the process with the goalkeeper dropping to the floor.
      However, the ball then squirmed away from his grasp.
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      And Cosgrove did not need a second opportunity to get the ball and round the fumbling shot-stopper before passing the ball into an empty net.
      The match winner had fans online in disbelief.
      One fan said: “I HAVE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS.”
      A second said: “Barnsley’s 91st minute winner against Wycombe tonight was wild. Just when you think you’ve seen it all on a football pitch.”
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      A third said: “What is the keeper thinking??”
      A fourth said: “What am I seeing?”
      Another said: “Bizarre.”
      While a sixth added: “Serves the keeper right tbh. What was he doing.”
      Wycombe midfielder Harry Boyes was sent off for protesting the decision to allow the goal.
      It was Barnsley’s first win in League One since October and put them up to seventh in the league.
      Meanwhile, Wycombe’s third league defeat on the spin left them down in 15th in the table. More

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      Footie ace Cameron Beckles in critical condition after collapsing mid-match and being rushed to hospital

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      FOOTBALL star Cameron Beckles is in critical condition after collapsing during a match.The Corinthian FC ace was taken ill during a match against Larkfield & New Hythe on Saturday.
      Corinthian FC released a statement about Cameron BecklesCredit: Twitter @CorinthianFC
      Beckles was quickly treated by physios from both teams before being taken to Maidstone Hospital.
      As a result of the incident, the match was abandoned at 1-1 midway through the second half.
      Beckles was transferred to a hospital in London and had surgery that evening before undergoing further surgery on Sunday.
      Corinthian have since confirmed that Beckles is stable but is in a critical condition on social media.
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      A club statement read: “In the 40th minute of our Kent Senior Trophy match at Larkfield and New Hyth, our player Cameron Beckles collapsed.
      “The management, players and in particular the physios of both sides acted swiftly and with complete professionalism and we offer our thanks to Larkfield for this.
      “Cam was taken by ambulance to Maidstone Hospital and then transferred to a London hospital for surgery on Saturday night.
      “He then required further surgery on Sunday afternoon and he is currently in a stable but critical condition and will continue to be monitored closely over the next 48 hours.
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      The world of football has come together to pray for BecklesCredit: Twitter @CorinthianFC
      “All of our thoughts and prayers are with Cam and his family, and we as a football club continue to support them in any way we can.
      “The match, which was level at 1-1, was rightly abandoned and will be replayed at a later date.
      “Our league game with Stansfield this weekend has also been postponed.
      “We will provide further updates as and when his family wish for this information to be shared.”
      The Kent FA County Cups match between Corinthian and Larkfield & New Hythe will be replayed at a later date.
      Meanwhile, the match that Corinthian were due to play this weekend against Stansfield has also been postponed.
      Croydon FC have led messages on social media wishing the player a quick recovery.
      The club posted: ” All at Croydon FC would like to wish Cameron Beckles a speedy recovery. Our thoughts and prayers to you and your family.”
      Cray Valley PM FC commented: “Our thoughts are with you all at this time! Best wishes for a full and speedy recovery Cam!”
      Royston Town FC wrote: “Sending the thoughts and prayers of everyone at Royston Town to Cameron and all concerned. Speedy recovery!”
      Faversham Town FC said: “The whole of Faversham Town FC are sending best wishes and prayers to Cameron 🙏💚.” More

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      Fan who upset girlfriend by travelling 660 miles to watch EFL side on their weekend off does it again – and goes FURTHER

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      A FAN who travelled 660 miles to watch his side instead of seeing his girlfriend has done it again and this time gone even further.Charlton supporter Tom Morgan went viral in 2021 after making the trip to watch his team away at Morecambe.
      Upset girlfriend Sash has revealed her partner Tom is again travelling hundreds of milesCredit: X/sash_marie_
      Tom went viral in 2021 after making the 660-mile trip to MorecambeCredit: X/sash_marie_
      His girlfriend Sash was left furious on social media as she revealed the couple had not seen each other for a week despite living just eight miles apart.
      She added that she had been eager to see him on their weekend off, only for Tom to instead travel over five hours each way for the football.
      Meanwhile, fellow fans hailed him a “legend”, with Tom witnessing his side throw away a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 at the Mazuma Stadium.
      Two years on, Sash has now confirmed the pair are still together as they both reacted to the anniversary of the incident.
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      She also revealed Tom is going even further this weekend to watch the Addicks.
      He is set to make the 800-mile round trip to Brunton Park for their clash with League One strugglers Carlisle.
      “Ironic, tomorrow Tom is travelling to Carlisle and back in a day…” Sash wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
      “Which is also our rare weekend off together… nothing changes. Oh did I mention, Carlisle is an 800 mile round trip…”
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      Sash confirmed Tom is travelling 800 miles for Charlton’s visit to CarlisleCredit: X/sash_marie_
      She also revealed the pair now live together two years on from the incidentCredit: X/sash_marie_
      She also added: “Good job we live together now.”
      Charlton are currently 11th in League One and are hoping to claim their seventh win of the season this weekend.
      Their opponents, however, are third bottom of the table and three points from safety after 17 matches. More

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      Pep Guardiola sensationally claims he’d STAY if Man City got relegated to League One but old words come back to bite him

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      PEP GUARDIOLA has claimed that he would STAY at Manchester City even if the club faced relegation to League One.The treble-winners are in danger of facing a huge punishment if they are found guilty of breaching Financial Fair Play rules.
      Pep Guardiola claims he would remain with Man City if the club faced relegationCredit: PA
      City were charged with 115 FFP breaches earlier this year, but claims suggested that it could take up to four years for the investigation to conclude.
      However, following Everton’s shock 10-point deduction for breaking profit and sustainability rules, Premier League officials could potentially settle on a punishment as soon as next year.
      Some reports have even suggested that the reigning Premier League champions could face relegation.
      But Man City boss Guardiola has claimed that he will likely stay at the Etihad – even if his team are relegated all the way down to League One.
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      The Spaniard said: “You are questioning like we have been punished. And in the moment we are innocent until guilt is proved.
      “I know the people want it. I know, I feel it. I will wait. Wait and see it and after the sentence has been done we will come here and explain it.
      “But absolutely I will not consider my future (if) it depends being here or being in League One. Absolutely.
      “There is more chance to stay if we are in League One than if we were in the Champions League.”
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      Guardiola’s recent comments appear to contradict what he originally said about his future when Man City were first charged.
      In February the City boss said: “I said to our people, ‘Tell me’ about the suspicions. I looked at them and believed them 100 per cent from day one so I defended the club because of that.
      “I did say, ‘If you lie to me, the day after I am not here. I will be out and you will not be my friend any more’.
      “I like to represent a club that is doing things properly. In the end it’s not about winning the Champions League or Premier League, it’s about always doing it well, for our people and our fans.”
      Chelsea are also in danger of receiving a punishment for FFP rule breaches.
      The Blues have admitted to breaking rules during the Abramovich era — but hope the fact a new regime is now in place will protect them. More