League Two

JUSTIN EDINBURGH’S family condemned Colchester fans for their “vile and hurtful” song about the late Leyton Orient manager.Edinburgh tragically died aged 49 in June 2019 after suffering a cardiac arrest.
Justin Edinburgh passed away in 2019 after a cardiac arrestCredit: Getty – Contributor
It came just weeks after the 1991 Tottenham FA Cup winner led the O’s to promotion from the National League.
His passing sparked a huge outpouring of love and support from the football community.
However, Saturday’s 2-2 draw was marred by the sickening chants by some of the away supporters at Brisbane Road.
Edinburgh’s son Charlie took to social media in a classy message for the “small-minded individuals”.
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He wrote on Twitter: “To the select individuals who sung my father’s name in a vile and hurtful song at yesterday’s game, I hope you will learn that hurtful and abusive words can have a lasting effect on people.
“Luckily, myself and my family are stronger and better than to let acts of this nature affect us.
“Football is a wonderful game enjoyed by many, but unfortunately there will always be a small minority who will take the time out to give the beautiful game and their respective club a bad name and reputation.
“I want to personally thank everyone who has sent wonderful messages of support to me and my family, and just to remember that these small-minded individuals will never win at anything in life.
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“My dad’s legacy and reputation will never be forgotten and that alone outweighs any negativity or abuse.”
Colchester, who scored in the 89th and 92nd minutes to rescue a point against the runaway League Two leaders, also released a statement to blast their own fans.
The U’s said: “Not for the first time this season a very small minority of those in the away section have acted in a shameful manner.
“This time making vile chants that no decent person would make and are in no way shared by Colchester United or the vast majority of Colchester United fans.
“We will co-operate with Leyton Orient should there be any further investigations.”
A Colchester fan group made a donation to the Justin Edinburgh Foundation, which was set up in his honour to empower people to react and equip them to step in when someone has a cardiac arrest.
Blue White Army said: “We hope this makes a small amends for the deplorable chants by a section of our fanbase.” More

BRADFORD goalkeeper Harry Lewis caught the ball miles outside his own box this afternoon… but was NOT sent off.The stopper was in action for his side as they travelled to Newport County in League Two.
Harry Lewis caught the ball with no one around himCredit: Sky Bet League Two via Twitter
Lewis, 25, caught a high ball several metres outside his box in a moment of madness on 21 minutes.
Much to Newport’s fury, the keeper was only shown a yellow card, despite his deliberate handball.
Their official Twitter account posted: “Absolutely unbelievable.
“Bradford keeper Harry Lewis catches a long ball miles out of his goal and only gets a yellow for it.”
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Newport share their Rodney Parade home ground with rugby teams Dragons and Newport RFC.
During today’s match, rugby lines were clearly visible on the pitch, and may have put Lewis off.
Fans believe that the reason he wasn’t sent off was that he didn’t directly prevent a goalscoring opportunity with his catch.
One wrote: “It was a yellow card as no one around him so not a goal scoring opportunity but agreed the lines aren’t acceptable at this standard.”
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A second tweeted: “Did it stop a goal scoring opportunity? No. Move on stop crying.”
Another disagreed: “That’s literally the worst decision I’ve ever seen a ref give in a game live.”
But a Bradford fan responded: “You know the rules don’t you? There’s no reason for a red, it wasn’t goal scoring.”
Newport were left even more furious 15 minutes later, when Andy Cook fired Bradford into the lead.
They levelled on the hour mark, however, via Liam Ridehalgh’s own goal. More

HARTLEPOOL UNITED have sacked Keith Curle as manager.Assistant manager Colin West also leaves the club with chairman Raj Singh thanking the pair for their efforts since taking over in September.
Hartlepool have sacked manager Keith CurleCredit: Alamy
Curle, 59, initially became interim boss following the dismissal of Paul Hartley.
He was appointed on a full-time basis in December after picking up two wins and two draws in his first ten games.
But he has been unable to guide Hartlepool away from the threat of relegation, leading Singh to make the “difficult” decision to sack him.
The chairman said in a statement: “This has been one of the most difficult decisions I’ve had to make at Pools. Keith and Colin in so many ways have improved the football club and our culture.
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“They are both consummate professionals and they have genuinely been a pleasure to work with. I will go on record with my thanks to them both and the way that they have conducted business.
“Unfortunately we have just not seen the required results and I feel we must act now to give the club a chance in the final part of the season.
“Following the transfer window we believe there is a group of players that can secure our place in the league. We will act swiftly and do all that we can to get an immediate and smooth transition in the manager position.”
Hartlepool made 11 additions in the January window but have picked up just one win in seven games.
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A 1-0 home defeat to struggling Newport on Tuesday proved to be the final straw for Curle with Hartlepool just one point above the drop zone.
They have played four games more than 23rd-placed Crawley and relegation is a very real threat with the team having won just six of their 33 league games. More