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This tense, well-fought match continues to intrigue, with Durham pulling slightly ahead on the second day.

John Ward at Chester-le-Street24-Apr-2009
ScorecardMichael Vaughan fends at a ball from Steve Harmison and is given out•Getty ImagesThis tense, well-fought match continues to intrigue, with Durham pulling slightly ahead on the second day. Amid a number of renowned players, though, the name of Gerard Brophy was perhaps most prominent on this occasion, as he followed up an impressive wicketkeeping display with a fighting innings that saved Yorkshire from real trouble after Steve Harmison won his duel with Michael Vaughan.Durham, starting the day on 303 for 7, decided like the county champions they are to seize the initiative from the start. Phil Mustard and Callum Thorp were the men at the crease and against some loose bowling from Tim Bresnan and Deon Kruis began to prosper. But just as the home team looked to be on their way to a formidable score Matthew Hoggard achieved the critical breakthrough. First he had Thorp playing back and giving him a return catch for 42, then Graham Onions (4) edged a ball to give Brophy his sixth catch behind the stumps.Mustard, though, was approaching his century , including several successful reverse sweeps, but ran out of partners on 94 as the last man, Harmison, fell lbw to Adil Rashid for 3 and the innings closed for 362. Hoggard finished with 4 for 82, but the most impressive bowler over the course of the innings was Bresnan, whose three wickets cost 63.As Yorkshire began their innings, most interest centred on the batting of Vaughan and the bowling of Harmison. The latter was into action first and was for the most part quick, with an occasional wild delivery and every now and again a superb ball. It could be called a four-star bowling performance, but it may be that a five is required to win him back his Test place. Jacques Rudolph played himself in well, in overcast conditions less amenable for batting than on the first day, and then played some fine strokes. The opening partnership realized 40, of which Andrew Gale made 11 before he played over a ball from Onions that kept a little low.This brought in Vaughan, ten minutes before lunch. He got off the mark by nudging a ball from Onions through the slips for four, and followed it with a characteristically magnificent drive to the cover boundary. More classic strokes followed after lunch from a man who looked in form as he played a superb straight drive for four off Harmison, later followed by a pull for four. But controversy was to rear its ugly head. Harmison produced a brute of a ball which reared past Vaughan’s chin as he tried to play it, and umpire Nick Cook hesitated before raising his finger for a catch at the wicket. Vaughan, on 24, was clearly unimpressed by the decision, and the general feeling was that he had been unlucky.That may prove to be a major turning-point of the match, as Yorkshire had been going well at that stage on 83 for 1. It galvanized Harmison, who raised his game to perhaps a four-and-a-half, finding greater speed and some more vicious deliveries. Soon afterwards Rudolph, after reaching 51, tried to glance him down the leg side only to give Mustard a catch. However, Harmison tired while Liam Plunkett and Thorp were unable to maintain the same degree of pressure. Brophy, coming in at five as Joe Sayers had injured himself in the field, rose to the occasion and enjoyed some bursts of fine strokeplay. He hit Plunkett for four and six off successive deliveries, and later drove Benkenstein through the covers – his favourite stroke – for three fours in four balls.Anthony McGrath mistimed a leg-side chip and was caught at midwicket for a useful 24 just before tea, while shortly after the break another fine cover drive brought Brophy his 50. Bresnan enjoyed several slices of luck and secured quite a number of runs with edges behind the wicket, but he is always a fighter and proved a valuable partner for Brophy in a partnership of 105. But Brophy became bogged down in the seventies and in the end threw away his chance of a century, as he took a risk against Ian Blackwell and was stumped for 75. In the following over Bresnan, on 40, drove at a ball from Plunkett outside the off stump and edged it on to his stumps without a change to the score.This left Sayers and Rashid to rebuild the innings and they stuck it out with determination to the close, with Yorkshire still 98. The home side hold a reasonable advantage, but much will depend on how well they bat in their second innings.

Former Newcastle United defender Steve Howey believes that the Magpies need another defensive midfield player amid speculation that the club are linked with Amadou Diawara at Roma.

Diawara featured for AS Roma on 28 occasions last season in all competitions, scoring one goal, and according to Corriere dello Sport,Tottenham, Leicester and Newcastle were all keen on the defensive midfielder this summer.

Journalist Ekrem Konur has reported that Wolves had begun talks with Roma over a one-year loan move for the 24-year-old, so it appears there is currently plenty of competition for his signature.

And Former Magpie Howey believes that Newcastle need to sign another defensive midfielder, exclusively telling Transfer Tavern: “I think we need another defensive midfield player.

“Yeah, just someone to sit in front. I like Hayden, I think he does a good job there, I think he played in three positions against West Ham, but it will be nice for him to maybe have somebody alongside him to help and I think if you’ve got that back four, stroke five and then two, one can maybe drift up a little bit. 

“At least you’ve got that protection if Newcastle are on the attack and then you can actually show the other lads a bit further forward to give a little bit more help to Callum Wilson, because sometimes I feel as though he is just too isolated, so another defensive midfield player will be ideal.”

Newcastle have made one summer signing during this transfer window, with Joe Willock joining the club permanently from Arsenal after an impressive loan spell last season.

Steve Bruce’s side have lost both of their Premier League fixtures so far this season, conceding six goals in the process, and are preparing to host Southampton at St. James’ Park on Saturday afternoon.

Beat Delhi and follow up with another victory in their final league game against Kolkata and Rajasthan are through to the semis; lose, and the race shifts to net run-rate, how the other top teams fare, and plenty of crossed fingers

The Preview by Jamie Alter16-May-2009Match factsMay 17, 2009
Start time 16.45 (14.45 GMT, 20.15 IST)
Big PictureYusuf Pathan will need to repeat his heroics from the last time these two teams squared off this year•AFPRajasthan Royals are placed fourth on the points table, but with only two more games to play, they still haven’t cemented their place in the semi-finals. The simplest permutation would be to win this game and the next, to save relying on the outcomes of other fixtures and net run-rate alternatives. Beat Delhi Daredevils and follow up with another victory in their final league game against the Kolkata Knight Riders and they’re through; lose, and the race for that semi-final spot shifts to net run-rates, how the other top teams fare, and plenty of crossed fingers. Considering their opponents have been virtually unstoppable, Rajasthan will need to bring their A-game to the OUTsurance Oval.Virender Sehwag may still be smarting from the defeat suffered at Centurion in the second week of the tournament where his batsmen were tied down and the bowlers failed to go for the jugular when Rajasthan were faltering. That loss snapped Delhi’s winning run at three but now, barring a sweeping drop in form, they are pretty much safe for the semi-finals.The two teams have had interesting journeys so far: Delhi began in style, winning three in a row, then lost one, won the next, lost again, only to take four on the trot before slipping up against Kings XI Punjab. Rajasthan started poorly, but despite a revival, haven’t been able to stitch together a run of victories like the six they managed in 2008. They won three in a row but then dropped two, coming back with an electric last-over success in their last game. Rajasthan haven’t been as strong as last season and need to get the right combination. What they can do for starters is analyse win against Delhi at Centurion, one in which three central figures combined to script perhaps the most amazing turnaround of this tournament.Form guide (completed matches, most recent first)Delhi Daredevils: LWWWW
That Delhi have done so well despite Sehwag flopping and missing four games through injury, and Gautam Gambhir having an average tournament, is down to the roles performed by a few clutch players. Delhi have won most of their tight matches and each time someone has stood up to be counted for – Dirk Nannes with his pace and swing, Ashish Nehra with his accurate bowling at the death, and AB de Villiers and Tillakaratne Dilshan with the bat. In 2008, Delhi suffered because of their middle-order blues but Dilshan and de Villiers have been stand-out figures.Rajasthan Royals: WLLWW
In the absence of two spearheads, Shane Watson and Sohail Tanvir, the relative disappointment of Graeme Smith, and injuries and chucking concerns, Rajasthan have still impressed to stay in the top four. Chalk that down to Shane Warne the captain and Yusuf Pathan the batsman. Yusuf’s bat has featured in almost all their wins, and Warne employing his accurate spin at the start of an innings has proved successful. Rajasthan have won four tight games, indicative that old man Warne’s genius has enthused yet another rag-tag bunch.Watch out forYusuf Pathan: His last big contribution with the bat was a rollicking unbeaten half-century against Delhi on April 28, and Rajasthan need him to produce an encore. On that occasion Rajasthan were 65 for 5 and needing 80 off nine overs when he walked in. Yusuf’s brute strength sealed a remarkable five-wicket win.Virender Sehwag: Delhi’s most destructive batsman – nay, the world’s – has been a phantom of himself in South Africa. Sehwag has yet to cross 38 in this tournament – and seven innings have added up to only 107 runs. Not once have the bowlers earned his wicket; each dismissal has been down to poor, ill-conceived shot-making. Sehwag is one batsman who needs time at the crease before the semi-finals. It is time to deliver.TeamsDelhi dropped the Australian opener David Warner for the last game, and brought in Sri Lankan allrounder Farveez Maharoof. Maharoof flopped with the bat, bowled off the last ball of a Brett Lee wicket-maiden over at the end of Delhi’s innings, and served up too many no-balls even though he took two wickets. They may want to try out Warner again in the hope that he, Sehwag and Gambhir all fire. Pradeep Sangwan had a miserable last game, so there could be a recall for Avishkar Salvi or Dirk Nannes, who could also take Maharoof’s place.Delhi Daredevils : (probable) 1 Gautam Gambhir, 2 Virender Sehwag (capt), 3 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 4 AB de Villiers, 5 Dinesh Karthik (wk), 6 Mithun Manhas, 7 Farveez Maharoof, 8 Rajat Bhatia, 9 Daniel Vettori, 10 Pradeep Sangwan/Avishkar Salvi, 11 Ashish Nehra.Rob Quiney’s spirited half-century as opener means he will stay on, though doubts linger on Johan Botha, who jumped into the game right after being allowed to resume bowling. He didn’t get a wicket, which puts his place under pressure from the likes of Tyron Henderson. Siddharth Chitnis, a bowler, didn’t turn his arm over and failed when promoted to No. 5 so he’s unlikely to get another look-in. Swapnil Asnodkar could take his place.Rajasthan Royals: (probable): 1 Graeme Smith, 2 Rob Quiney, 3 Swapnil Asnodkar, 4 Yusuf Pathan, 5 Ravindra Jadeja, 6 Naman Ojha (wk), 7 Johan Botha/Tyron Henderson, 8 Abhishek Raut, 9 Shane Warne (capt), 10 Siddharth Trivedi, 11 Munaf Patel.Stats and triviaSehwag, despite playing only seven innings and failing to ignite, has the highest strike-rate for Delhi – 152.85.Nehra is joint second on this season’s highest wicket-takers tally with 16 at 17.43.The opening stand of 135 between Smith and Naman Ojha is the best of the tournament.Rajasthan are the only team to cross 200 in 2009. Their 211 for 4 is the best score this season. Head-to-head recordDelhi and Rajasthan played each other thrice last season. Delhi won the first encounter easily by nine wickets, but lost the next two. Rajasthan clinched a home victory by three wickets in the second league game before winning the semi-final by a whopping 105 runs in Mumbai. In their previous match this season a brutal innings from Yusuf, a more sedate but no less important knock by Smith and another typically inspired tactical tweak from Warne downed Delhi.

West Bromwich Albion manager Valerien Ismael has dropped a promising hint on the future of Albion goalkeeper Sam Johnstone.

What’s been said?

In recent comments cited by Birmingham Live, the Baggies boss revealed that he is confident Johnstone will put pen to paper on a new deal at The Hawthorns, despite the reported interest in the 28-year-old’s services from the Premier League.

When asked about the current progress of the England international’s contract talks, the Frenchman said: “I don’t think it will be a short-term story. We need more time with him, but we are talking and this is the most important thing. He’s open, he’s happy, he’s shown from day one since he came back that he has the right attitude.

“We saw in the games already his quality, and he has a perfect environment to improve. I think our way to play is perfect for him. He needs to cement altogether that feeling – at the moment, communication is the most important thing for all parties.

“It’s a good feeling that we’re still talking, everything can happen and we have a good chance to extend his contract.

“It’s a key position, but we must accept the situation. He has one year left on his contract and now we try to extend it. We need to see in the next few months which position we’re in, because the more we win, the more we stay where we are, the more we have a chance of extending his contract.”

Fans will be buzzing

With Ismael’s comments providing a very clear message regarding the future of Johnstone at The Hawthorns, in that the closer Albion are to the top of the Championship table and subsequently nearing a return to the Premier League, the more chance the club have of tying the goalkeeper down to a new deal, the fact that West Brom have enjoyed a fantastic start to their 2021/22 campaign will have left fans of the club buzzing.

Indeed, with the 28-year-old’s deal expiring next summer, in theory, the Baggies have plenty of time to convince the £7.2m-rated man to remain at the club beyond his current contract.

And, should West Brom indeed go on to secure promotion come next May, retaining the shot-stopper would certainly appear to provide Ismael with a much greater chance of keeping his side in the top flight in the following campaign.

Indeed, over his 37 Premier League appearances for Albion last season, the £28k-per-week ‘keeper kept six clean sheets and made a rather remarkable average of 4.5 saves per game.

These returns saw the man Micah Richards dubbed an “exceptional” goalkeeper earn an average SofaScore match rating of 7.03, ranking him as Albion’s second-best performer in the league.

Johnstone has continued this impressive form so far this season, having kept two clean sheets and averaged a SofaScore match rating of 6.83 over his four Championship appearances.

As such, with it very much appearing as if promotion is the key to keeping the 28-year-old in West Brom colours beyond next summer, Ismael’s side have all the more motivation to go on and secure a top-two finish in the Championship this season – something that seems a very real possibility after picking up 13 points from their opening five games.

In other news: West Brom set to swoop for “talented” £1.8m-rated beast, Ismael will be buzzing

MS Dhoni has said India are missing a bowling and fielding coach

Nagraj Gollapudi in Mumbai01-Jan-2010Indian captain MS Dhoni has admitted that the absence of a specialist bowling coach is hurting the team’s performance. Dhoni said it was “tough” for the bowlers and especially head coach Gary Kirsten to perform at optimum levels, and that ideally he would like the vacancy to be filled soon.”To some extent it does hurt not having a bowling coach. If you have a specialist coach he is always interacting with the bowlers and trying to get the best out of them,” Dhoni said on the eve of the Indian team’s departure to Bangladesh.Though India ended 2009 at the top of the ICC’s Test rankings, they have struggled to make a consistent progress in ODIs. After the early exit at the ICC World Twenty20, they were knocked out of the Champions Trophy in South Africa even before the tournament reached the second week. In a desperate move, the Indian board sacked Venkatesh Prasad and Robin Singh, the bowling and fielding coaches respectively. No explanation was given with the assumption being both coaches had been under the scanner after the World Twenty20 debacle.Dhoni said that decision had only increased the burden on Kirsten, who he felt was submerged under extra duties. “He [Kirsten] has to look after everything: he has to sit and talk to the batsmen, bowlers, fielders, build strategies and look after team building,” he said, adding that the BCCI could reduce the pressure simply by naming replacements who could closely work with the bowlers and fielders.The inconsistency in the fast bowling department has remained a concern for India right from the World Twenty20. In England, Zaheer Khan had aggravated the shoulder injury he picked during the IPL in South Africa. His inability to go full throttle exposed the younger lot like Ishant Sharma and Praveen Kumar, and though Ashish Nehra was around he was just finding his own feet, having made a return after a long time. Things did not improve during the Champions Trophy, and India’s problems were exacerbated during the home ODI series against Australia, which they lost 4-2. But things have started to improve after Zaheer’s return.Zaheer will lead the fast bowling department in Bangladesh which comprises Nehra, Sreesanth, and the rookie Sudeep Tyagi. During the recently concluded Sri Lanka series the Indian fast bowlers were lukewarm even if they improved on their death bowling. A good example could be the difference in their performances in Rajkot and Kolkata, for the second and fourth matches. In the first instance, after Tillakaratne Dilshan and Kumar Sangakkara’s blistering innings, India recovered admirably to clamp down the batsmen in the final ten overs. But in Kolkata, abetted by some shoddy fielding, the bowlers got distracted and allowed Upul Tharanga and Sangakkara to build a solid platform.Dhoni’s reaction to Mohammad Yousuf’s statement on Twenty20 hurting Pakistan

It is quite similar to the review system [UDRS]. If the decisions are in your favour you are OK with it but when they go against you don’t really feel it is working. It is the same case with Twenty20 format. I don’t think it would be great to blame the format. It is a mental approach that needs to change. The change of mindset is important. The basics remain the same.

Though Dhoni felt that a bowling coach would be able to discuss with the youngsters and build their confidence, he put faith in his squad. “It is a matter of time before they return to form. In Rajkot we bowled really well,” he said, “but we haven’t bowled consistently well in the death overs. It is a bit of a worry. But if we can do it in patches I don’t see why we can’t do it consistently.”A twin headache has been the fielding. Embarrassingly in the two Twenty20s and the first ODI of the Sri Lanka series, India dropped 12 catches. In the second ODI in Nagpur, when the match was still hanging in the balance, in the penultimate over Zaheer’s misfield cost them the match. By the time they reached Kolkata their ground fielding improved a lot but they still dropped Tharanga and Sangakkara when the batsmen were yet to get off the blocks. The pair built a valuable partnership of 171 runs. In the abandoned final game another simple catch went down.Dhoni was blunt in his appraisal once again. “We need to improve our fielding because in a close game avoiding the fielding errors can save us at least 15 runs,” he said. “We have a mix of safe fielders with some brilliant ones like Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.”He also praised Mike Young, the former Australian fielding coach, who spent time with the Indian team as a consultant during the limited-overs series. Though Young didn’t rush in with some innovative stuff, Dhoni said it had been “interesting” to spend time in his company. “He didn’t come with lots of ideas. He just wanted to see what was happening and where we are positioned. He worked really slow and came up with few basic techniques. It is important to take that forward.”Young will not travel with the squad to Bangladesh.

Aston Villa centre-back Mungo Bridge sealed a deadline day loan move to FC Annecy.

And a number of Villa supporters were quick to share their thoughts at the transfer news on social media.

The 20-year-old’s only senior Villa appearance came against Liverpool in the FA Cup last season, and he’ll now be gaining first-team experience in the French third-tier after completing a season-long loan move.

Bridge, who will turn 21 later this month, became the 11th and final Villa Under-23 to leave Bodymoor Heath on loan, shortly after Dominic Revan’s switch to Northampton Town was completed.

Villa’s loan player development coach, Mile Jedinak, looks set to be a busy man during the season, with Bridge another player he’ll now be keeping a close eye on.

Villa fans react

Villa shared news of Bridge’s move to FC Annecy on their official Twitter page on Thursday evening. This is what these Villa fans had to say in reply, with one labelling it as ‘great’.

“Wow, save a back up lol”

Credit: @2122newsvillab

“Oh my god, you can’t keep doing this to us”

Credit: @GreaseSZNN

“That’s massive for him. Will be a special player for us soon”

Credit: @tom_avfc1

“This is great. But boy, the squad is gonna feel so small”

Credit: @Claireellism2

“We love loans at this club”

Credit: @catrinavfc

“Weird move this.”

Credit: @Richard_Meakin

In other news: ‘Are you mad?’, ‘Not happy with this’, ‘Pain’ – Many AVFC fans fume as ‘stupid’ news confirmed.

Former Leeds United full-back Danny Mills has said that he would be ‘very surprised’ if Helder Costa played for the club again. 

The lowdown

The 27-year-old secured a season-long loan move to La Liga outfit Valencia on the final day of the transfer window. The agreement contains an option, rather than an obligation, to buy come the end of the season.

Costa made only 13 Premier League starts last season, and the £25m arrival of Dan James could limit his long-term Elland Road prospects even further.

In total, he has contributed seven goals and seven assists across 65 appearances for Marcelo Bielsa’s side between the Championship and the Premier League (via WhoScored).

The latest

Mills believes that the loan move to Valencia suits both parties,and fully expects Costa to move on permanently come next summer.

The 44-year-old told Football Insider: “He’s done OK but you can’t look at it and say it has been a hugely successful time for him at Leeds United.

“On the basis of that, it works out for both. The club needed to move him on and he needed a new challenge. That’s what has happened.

“I would be very surprised, especially with the arrival of Dan James, if he was to come back and feature again for Leeds.”

The verdict

It’s probably fair to say that Costa’s move to Leeds hasn’t exactly worked out how either party would have wanted.

The Whites paid £16m for the permanent signing, and you’d think they’ll make a considerable loss if Costa is to leave. Indeed, he is now rated at just £9m by Transfermarkt.

With Ian Poveda loaned to Blackburn, it’s clear that Marcelo Bielsa was anything but happy with his reserve options out wide. As Mills has said, James’ big-money arrival could well be the death knell for Costa’s future at Elland Road.

In other news, David Norris says Leeds have pulled off a ‘huge’ feat.

The Indian board has agreed to invite representative Zimbabwe sides to play in its key domestic tournaments in an effort to help in the redevelopment of cricket in Zimbabwe

Cricinfo staff24-Jan-2009The Indian board has agreed to invite representative Zimbabwe sides to play in its key domestic tournaments in an effort to help in the redevelopment of cricket in Zimbabwe. Peter Chingoka, the Zimbabwe Cricket chairman, met with Shashank Manohar, the BCCI president, and N Srinivasan, board secretary, in Mumbai on Friday to discuss details.A Zimbabwe President’s XI will participate in this season’s Deodhar Trophy, an inter-zonal one-day tournament, starting in March. The team will also play in the Duleep Trophy, the inter-zonal first-class tournament, from next season.Visiting Zimbabwe players will be allowed to make use of the facilities at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore and a team will participate in the invitational Buchi Babu tournament, hosted by Tamil Nadu, next season.

Ravi Bopara has warned the England selectors that he could yet join the Indian Premier League if his county form for Essex is not rewarded with a recall

Andrew Miller21-May-2008
Thanks, but no thanks: Ravi Bopara has his sights trained firmly on England © Getty Images
Ravi Bopara believes that he will return to international cricket a stronger player after the trials and tribulations of his first year of England action, but he has warned the England selectors that he could yet join the Indian Premier League if his county form for Essex is not rewarded with a recall.Bopara endured a chastising run of Test form during his maiden series in Sri Lanka last winter, scoring 42 runs in three matches including ducks in each of his last three innings in Colombo and Galle. He was not required for the tour of New Zealand that followed, but has launched himself back into the reckoning with 416 runs at 104 in three first-class matches for Essex this season.”The series in Sri Lanka didn’t go how I wanted it to go, I’m the first to admit,” said Bopara. “But that’s made me a better player now. I went back home and worked on some things I knew I had to work on, and I can see the changes already. I’m glad it’s happened and happened this early in my career.”One man in the Essex set-up who could sympathise with Bopara was his batting mentor, Graham Gooch, who famously made a pair on debut against Australia in 1975, before going on to become England’s leading runscorer in Test cricket, with 8900 runs in a 20-year career. “I spoke to Graham, and he said if you go through your bad times now you become a better cricketer at a younger age,” said Bopara. “I agree fully with him.”And yet, Bopara’s loss of form did not affect his reputation as a player with bags of potential. Last month, he hit the headlines with his decision to turn down a six-figure IPL contract – a decision that was welcomed by the England & Wales Cricket Board. And yet, should a similar offer arise next year, Bopara might not dismiss it out of hand.”The decision I made this time around was just based on what I wanted to do this season,” he said. “I understood that the team was going to pick itself for the beginning of the summer, unless there were injuries, because we won in New Zealand and the batters did well. To get back in that team I had to play four-day cricket for Essex and I didn’t want to miss any games. The decision was a gut feeling and it wasn’t too hard to make really.”Next year, however, it might be a different story. “I don’t know what my decisions will be in the future, and I think it’s too early to look at it now,” he said. “I look only at today or tomorrow, and I’ve been busy with my own stuff, but the tournament looks good fun. The pitches are tiny, so people are half-hitting the ball for six!”Bopara’s first target this summer is a recall to the England one-day squad for the series against New Zealand in June, and to that end he has been working hard on his bowling, in particular his armoury of slower balls. “I’ll never have the pace to outpace any batters, so I have to be more skilful,” he said. “I am optimistic, because I’ve had a good start to one-day cricket so far, but I’m not looking too far ahead.”I’m very hungry, very thirsty for runs,” he said. “I want to get back into that England side and I’d do anything to do that. But for the moment, I’m just concentrating on what we can do with Essex. We want to win a one-day trophy, and we want to get promotion in four-day cricket. That’s all that I am aiming for.”Bopara was speaking at the Royal Exchange in the City of London, at the launch of the Big Run Chase, a fundraising scheme for the Chance to Shine project, which is helping regenerate cricket in state schools across the country. “It’s nice to be outside in the summer, with the kids running around,” said Bopara. “Cricket taught me to be who I am, and it’s good for kids, especially around London, to have something to focus on.”

Sunderland have kicked off their season in style with back-to-back wins in the 2021/22 campaign, beating both Wigan and Port Vale.

The Black Cats beat the Latics 2-1 on the opening day of the League One season, before progressing through to the second round of the Carabao Cup by defeating Port Vale by the same score.

They now travel away to face an MK Dons side who recently lost their manager Russell Martin to Swansea and have conceded eight goals in their first two matches – five to Bournemouth in a 5-0 Carabao Cup loss and three to Bolton in a draw in their first league outing.

On the Chalkboard

Despite Sunderland’s strong start to the season, Lee Johnson has a major issue within his side. Young central midfielder Dan Neil has been deployed as a left-back and struggled against Wigan last weekend whilst playing out of position.

Neil received a tame WhoScored rating of 6.40 as he failed to win a single tackle and only made one clearance in the 90 minutes. He also completed 62% of his passes – the third-lowest in the team – and did not create any chances going forward from the back.

This suggests that the experiment of playing him at full-back has not been successful for Johnson, which means that a natural defender should take his place in the team against MK Dons. Prior to this week, Sunderland did not have a natural full-back option to slot in, but they have since announced the signing of Dennis Cirkin on a permanent deal from Premier League side Tottenham.

Johnson hailed the 19-year-old as a top talent upon his arrival at the club. He told Sunderland’s official website: “To get a player of Dennis’ quality at 19 speaks wonders in terms of what we’re trying to do because he is a top talent and he’s very highly regarded within the game.

“We have been really happy with the signings we have made so far and we will bank this one, but we will continue our work quietly and efficiently to try and get a couple more over the line.”

This shows that Johnson rates the defender highly and that is why he should be thrown straight in at the deep end against MK Dons. Whilst there is not much evidence to prove that he will be a quality option immediately, as he has not made his debut in senior football as of yet, it is worth the gamble as Neil has shown that he is not up to the task of playing out of position.

Therefore, Johnson may not have any other choice but to risk it and hand Cirkin his debut on Saturday. Hopefully, the exciting young full-back will be able to repay the faith shown in him by the club and demonstrate why he is so highly-rated, as it would give the former Bristol City coach a specialist left-back option instead of having to put square pegs in round holes.

AND in other news, Alan Nixon drops claim on £13k-p/w Sunderland “leader”, Lee Johnson will be relieved…