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James McClean has heaped praise on his Wrexham team-mate Paul Mullin and hit back at those who label the striker a tap-in merchant.

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McClean praises team-mate MullinFormer Premier League winger joined Wrexham in AugustMullin finding form after lung punctureWHAT HAPPENED?

McClean has been used to playing with Premier League-quality strikers during his career, but he has insisted that he rates Mullin very highly. The Republic of Ireland international only joined Wrexham in August, but has already struck up a good partnership with the 29-year-old striker. Last week he set up Mullin's equaliser before then scoring himself as Wrexham beat Port Vale in the EFL Trophy.

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In 2021 Mullin gave up the chance to play in League One with Cambridge United in order to play for Wrexham in the National League. Last season he scored 38 goals in 46 league games as the club owned by Hollywood duo Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney secured promotion to League Two. Speaking to the Leader, former Premier League star McClean shared just how good he thinks Mullin is.

WHAT JAMES MCCLEAN SAID

McClean said: "I rate him [Mullin] very highly, his record speaks for itself. He is a striker who can score all different types of goals; he is not just someone who scores six-yard tap-ins. We are very lucky to have him."

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MULLIN'S REMARKABLE RECOVERY

Mullin suffered a punctured lung and four cracked ribs during Wrexham's pre-season tour in the United States, but McClean feels that the striker is almost back up to top speed. "It was a serious injury but he is probably up to full-match sharpness now," McClean said. "That's great for us because he is starting to get that goal tally up which is good to see so long may it continue."

Virgil van Dijk has introduced team huddles to Liverpool as part of their pre-match routine, with that decision made as the club’s new captain.

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Dutch defender now skipper at AnfieldLooking to lead by exampleEager to get his message across before kick-offWHAT HAPPENED?

The commanding Dutch defender saw Jurgen Klopp pass him the armband ahead of the 2023-24 campaign as former skipper Jordan Henderson prepared to depart for Saudi Arabian outfit Al-Ettifaq. The Netherlands international was an obvious choice to take on leadership duties given the position he plays and the respect that he has earned down the years.

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Van Dijk was quick to put his own stamp on things, with the former Celtic and Southampton star making a point of herding his team-mates together before a ball is kicked on any given matchday. He has said of putting that rule in place: "It was something that we did when I was a Celtic player. And I always liked it because I thought it set the tone for the game and it also gave the crowd a signal that we were ready to go. It can also help the atmosphere with it being so close to the match starting, so if our fans want to join in by building up the noise and adding to the sense of anticipation I certainly won't complain, even if it makes it difficult for me to make myself heard."

WHAT THEY SAID

There has been plenty of change on the field at Anfield in recent transfer windows, with Van Dijk now forming part of Liverpool’s leadership group alongside Trent Alexander-Arnold, Andrew Robertson, Alisson and Mohamed Salah. He added on that pack: "This club has had some incredible captains over the years, leaders who would bring the best out of themselves and their team time and time again. So to be on the list with people like that is definitely not the kind of thing that I would have expected when I started playing. But the most important thing for me is that I am part of a team of leaders, individually, who find their own way to take responsibility no matter who is wearing the armband."

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Van Dijk is following in the illustrious footsteps of Steven Gerrard, Sami Hyypia, Ian Rush, Alan Hansen, Phil Neal, Graeme Souness, Phil Thompson and Emlyn Hughes as captain of Liverpool – with several of those iconic former skippers having filled the same centre-half berth that he currently occupies.

Deandra Dottin’s unbeaten 113-ball 84 helped West Indies women beat Sri Lanka women by five wickets in the first ODI in Colombo

ESPNcricinfo staff13-May-2015
ScorecardFile photo: Deandra Dottin hit nine fours during her unbeaten 84•WICB Media/Ashley AllenDeandra Dottin’s unbeaten 113-ball 84 helped West Indies women beat Sri Lanka women by five wickets in the first ODI in Colombo. Chasing 150, West Indies were rocked early as they were 41 for 4 in the 11th over, but a 70-run fifth-wicket partnership between Dottin and Merissa Aguilleira(30) put the game in West Indies’ grasp. It was followed by an unbroken 42-run stand between Dottin and Stacy-Ann King(18) which finished the match off. Eshani Lokusuriyage, who was appointed captain after an injury to Chamari Atapattu, picked up two wickets in one over but bowled only three overs.After choosing to bat, Sri Lanka got off to a solid start as Prasadani Weerakkody (42) and Lasanthi Madushani (23) put up a 70-run opening stand in 122 balls. However, their innings went downhill from there as they were soon reduced to 109 for 7, the next highest contributor being Sripali Weerakkody with 24. Hayley Matthews took three wickets and Anisa Mohammed finished with figures of 10-2-15-2. Sri Lanka’s innings also included four run-outs.

Arsenal and Manchester United traded a goal apiece in the space of 90 seconds at the Emirates, with Marcus Rashford and Martin Odegaard on target.

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Red Devils opened the scoringGunners hit straight backEntertaining tie in north LondonWHAT HAPPENED?

The Reds Devils opened the scoring after making a nervy start to proceedings in north London, with England ace Rashford delivering a clinical finish to a flowing counter-attack. The Gunners were not prepared to lie down, though, and hit straight back through club captain Odegaard.

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Rashford made the breakthrough in the 27th minute, with United finally springing into life. They had offered little to the contest by that point, but last season’s 30-goal top scorer produced a moment of inspiration after being sent sprinting into space down the left. Arsenal carved United open with ease a matter of seconds later, though, as Odegaard found room on the edge of the box and stroked the ball into the bottom corner.

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Only five players have scored more non-penalty goals than Odegaard in the Premier League since the start of last season – with the Norwegian midfielder up to 16. Rashford is the second Manchester United player to score in three consecutive Premier League appearances against Arsenal, after Robin van Persie.

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WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

Both Arsenal and United finished in the top three last season, allowing them to qualify for the Champions League, and harbour ambitions of piecing together title challenges in 2023-24 after spending big again in the summer transfer window.

Gio Reyna is seeing questions asked of his future at Borussia Dortmund, but the USMNT star reportedly has no desire to move in January.

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Midfielder remains a key man for his countrySeeing limited game time at club levelInterest shown ahead of winter windowWHAT HAPPENED?

The United States international has nursed his way through more injury problems in the 2023-24 campaign, making it difficult for him to make the desired impact at club level. He has continued to be called upon by his country, with the U.S. into another CONCACAF Nations League semi-final.

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Reyna has, however, taken in just 127 minutes of Bundesliga action this season – with only one start handed to him. His performances have been doing little to convince BVB boss Edin Terzic of his worth, leading to suggestions that a new challenge could be sought in the winter transfer window.

DID YOU KNOW?

are reporting, though, that Reyna has shown no interest in heading elsewhere. Several clubs are said to have cast admiring glances in the direction of the 21-year-old playmaker, but he is knocking all approaches back as he still wants to make his mark in Dortmund.

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Sky transfer expert Florian Plettenberg has said “the whole situation can change in the summer, then it depends on Reyna”, but for now the USMNT star is ready to stay put and fight for the game time he craves heading towards the 2024 Copa America that will be staged in the United States next summer.

West Indies turned what looked likely to be a nail-biting chase into a canter over the line as the evening shadows enveloped Kensington Oval to secure a hugely notable shared series

The Report by Andrew McGlashan03-May-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details1:24

Dobell: Young architects of West Indian win promise more

West Indies turned what looked likely to be a nail-biting chase into a canter over the line as the evening shadows enveloped Kensington Oval to secure a hugely notable shared series. Darren Bravo and Jermaine Blackwood, both reining themselves in from their natural preference to attack when the game was in the balance, formed the decisive partnership of 108 for the fifth wicket.Bravo played with great maturity for 82 off 148 balls, taking West Indies to the brink of victory with a flourish of boundaries only to pick out mid-off with four needed. Blackwood, given a life on 4, remained unbeaten and completed an outstanding Test – and productive series – by showing levels of restraint that had not always been on show at other stages of the three matches and lofted the winning shot down the ground. It was the stand-out period of batting in a game dominated by the bowlers, although showed up much of the batting that preceded it.Bravo and Blackwood came together with the innings teetering on 80 for 4 when Shivnarine Chanderpaul, looking a shadow of the player who has carried West Indies for so long, dragged on to James Anderson’s first ball after tea. With an eye to the future, it could be very significant that West Indies held their nerve without a major contribution from Chanderpaul. It might not be the end for him yet, but it can’t be far away.Shortly after his departure, with West Indies 87 for 4, came a crucial moment. Blackwood, in a moment of hot-headedness that would not become a hallmark of a very calm innings, charged at Joe Root, had a mighty swing and missed, but Jos Buttler could not gather the stumping. It was the last clear-cut chance that England had before the match was gone as Blackwood and Bravo became increasingly confident once the target was below three figures.Bravo has often been accused, with some justification, of too many lapses in concentration and there were moments in this innings when he could have succumbed but impressively battled through. Before tea, the score froze as England strung together six consecutive maidens – a period which brought the wicket of Marlon Samuels – and then when he moved into the 30s he was offered regular reminders by Buttler of his propensity to fall in such a position. Instead, he eased to a 116-ball half-century.Occasionally he came out of his shell, including hammering the first ball after tea from Root for six then twice launching Moeen Ali straight down the ground as the target came into view. The first of Bravo’s sixes off Moeen had been proceeded by 13 coming from an Anderson over (although two of the boundaries were byes and leg byes) which signalled there would be no final twist.Darren Bravo guided West Indies’ chase with a superbly controlled innings•Getty ImagesThe result is a huge tick for Phil Simmons at the end of his first series in charge. It is only six months since West Indies pulled out of the tour of India, which was followed by a poor World Cup (although better than England’s). History tells us that problems are often not far away but, barring the final day in Grenada, the fight they have shown in this series offers some hope.Quite what Colin Graves, the incoming ECB chairman who has been at this Test, will make of it remains to be seen. He branded West Indies “mediocre” before the series and said anything less than a series victory would bring serious questions. A few people may be sitting uneasily on the flight back to England.Alastair Cook’s job is unlikely to be under threat – helped by his first-innings hundred – but he will need to explain England’s collective batting failure in this match. They had the best of conditions after winning the toss but could only muster 257 and the way West Indies secured the win added much kudos to their bowling display to keep England to 123, as they added 84 more on the third morning in 21 overs.Cook was severely hampered in the field as he tried to defend 192 by the struggles of Moeen. Although Moeen removed Kraigg Brathwaite, courtesy of another fine slip catch from Chris Jordan, he again offered up far too many short deliveries. Cook could not trust him and was forced to turn back to Anderson. The way West Indies attacked Moeen is something he will have to be prepared for during the Ashes.Anderson’s removal of Chanderpaul left him on 397 Test wickets – 400 will surely follow at Lord’s in a couple of the weeks against New Zealand, the same ground and opposition where he notched 300 in 2013 – but there has to be more wicket-taking support. Broad’s spell before tea was impressive, and touched 90mph, but he could not conjure one of those magic bursts that have studded his career. Jordan was the pick of the other quicks, making the opening breakthrough when he trapped Shai Hope lbw with a full inswinger, and his first spell showed further evidence of a bowler developing.England’s 123 was their lowest Test total since being bowled out for 72 by Pakistan, in Abu Dhabi, on the tour in early 2012. The key lead being spoken about was 200 and in the end, after a dash from Buttler, they were not far away but although wickets continued to tumble with haste in the morning there was a hint of what could follow, with less on offer for the quicks than the wicket-fuelled second day when 18 fell.For 20 minutes England ticked over comfortably, but Veerasammy Permaul struck with his second delivery of the day when Gary Ballance played for turn which did not eventuate and edged low to slip. West Indies thought they had struck again in the next over when Buttler was given caught behind before he had scored, but the DRS saved him.Buttler and Stokes decided it was time for their natural game: attack. Buttler opened his account with an effortless straight six off Permaul while Stokes took up the challenge presented by the field to play the reverse sweep. But when Stokes drove Permaul to cover then Jason Holder removed Jordan and Broad in consecutive deliveries the innings was hurtling to a conclusion and, ultimately, England were well short. A few interesting weeks lie ahead of them.

Will Boyle has urged Wrexham fans to get the Racecourse Ground "rocking" as they prepare for the visit of last season's rivals Notts County.

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Wrexham and Notts County battled for promotion last seasonWelsh side pipped rivals to titleBoth teams earned over 100 pointsWHAT HAPPENED?

Wrexham broke a run of three successive defeats against Sutton United on Tuesday evening, winning 2-1, and they will now renew their rivalry with Notts County this weekend. The two sides engaged in a classic battle for automatic promotion in the National League last season; Wrexham won the title with 111 points, while County finished second with 107, and were ultimately promoted via the play-offs. As a result, Boyle has urged fans to ratchet up the noise levels on Saturday.

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Speaking to Wrexham's YouTube channel after the win ovr Sutton, Boyle said: "It’s Saturday-Tuesday now. We play the next two Tuesdays now. Lots of away games. So it's good for the spirit. We go again back to the Racecourse on Saturday and hopefully we can get that place rocking. So there's a lot of work still to do, we know that. But that was a good result for us."

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The two clubs have not been as close this season. Wrexham are currently fourth, six points behind leaders Stockport with a game in hand, while Notts County are seventh, and have taken a severe dip in form, failing to win any of their last five games.

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A Wrexham victory this weekend could see them move into the top-three, the automatic promotion spots, while a County victory would give them some daylight to eighth, as they currently occupy the final play-off place.

An Ashes series that began with his job on the line ended with Pat Howard sharing drinks with the players in Australia’s dressing room. The team’s performance manager, however, isn’t taking future success for granted

Daniel Brettig14-Jan-2014A sense of urgency – even emergency – coursed through Australian cricket’s veins in the lead-up to this summer’s Ashes series. The team performance manager Pat Howard has now warned that such energy must not be lost in the afterglow of victory over England if the team’s success is to be lasting.Howard’s role, outlined by the Argus review and bestowed by the Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland in 2011, made him ultimately accountable for the national team’s performance. He was thus in danger of losing his job had the Ashes stayed with England, and admitted as much at the start of the summer.A sweeping victory over Alastair Cook’s tourists brought relief to Howard and many others at CA, allowing him the privilege of a dressing-room invitation at the end of the Sydney Test to share a celebratory drink with the team – players and administrators have not always mixed so fondly. He could look back on numerous decisions, from the appointment of Darren Lehmann as coach and the return of Brad Haddin as vice-captain to the call-ups of Craig McDermott, Damian Mednis and John Davison to on-tour support staff roles, as key moments along the way.”We did collectively have a lot of faith coming out of England; the one-dayers confirmed that faith post the Test matches as well that we had the capability, and obviously it’s holding your nerve through what was an interesting period,” Howard told ESPNcricinfo. “I think a lot of people held their nerve and the players performed admirably.”There’s been a lot of things going on for an even longer period than that [England] but the things we see are what we call the shop window and the Test team and how that goes. There were 11 guys who performed brilliantly during that period of five Tests and a lot of backroom staff who kept them on the ground for that period and obviously the coaches that got the best out of them during that period.”There were structural adjustments too. The domestic season is now divided into four distinct blocks of matches, starting with the domestic limited-overs tournament, the Sheffield Shield, Big Bash League and then the closing rounds of Shield games. Pitches have been massaged to better advance batsmen and spin bowlers, while the age restrictions on the Futures League have been removed altogether. The fruits of many of these gambits will not be known for some years, but Howard is adamant that the changes ushered in during times of poor results must not be followed up by contented dithering. He is on guard against complacency.”Sometimes success can bring complacency and that’s why you’ve got to have a strategy and a document that drives you, either the CA strategy or the team performance review, the Argus review as it’s commonly known, and to keep trying to push processes forward and to innovate,” Howard said. “Some things work, some things don’t, but the continuing ability to keep pushing, keep assessing, and keep improving is important.”We’ve looked at longer-term projects like stuff coming out of our domestic changes or the pitches and things which we’ve been pretty vocal on this year, and you’re not going to see the benefits of those for a while. But we’ve seen a significant increase in the number of overs that spinners are bowling, as a consequence the number of overs the batsmen are facing of spin, and we’re going to continue to try to work with all the officials around Australian cricket to try to support the Australian Test, ODI and T20 teams.”But I’ve been really happy with progress. We’ve seen a significant rise in centuries, a significant rise in half-centuries, but there’s also areas like 50s to 100s [conversion rates] that haven’t improved as much as we’d want. So there’s all those changes that probably take more than half a season to wash through, and we’re going to have to be patient to try to get some batsmen really putting their hand up and giving the selectors even more choice.”It should not be forgotten that the Australian Cricketers Association is tabling a state-of-the-game report to CA that will offer plenty of frank commentary on the problems the players themselves still see in the system. The placement of the BBL in the centre of the summer is chief among them, an issue highlighted by Shane Watson before the Ashes began in Brisbane. Howard himself is not satisfied with the current marginalisation of the Shield around the BBL, and is discussing with CA how the balance can be improved further in 2014-15.”Change is always hard, and sometimes you’ve got to put your head down and get that change through,” he said. “We’ve had some positive and some negative feedback, and the negative feedback has been really constructive. So we’re looking to tinker, but none of that’s gone through yet. I think in terms of the blocks of season that’ll continue, where Ryobi will be played in a block again and we’ll see if we can get the balance right with the number of Shield games either side of the BBL and see if we can get that through.”It’s a really complex time of the year, absolutely no doubt about that. But we try to keep our thinking clear. For those the selectors identify we make sure we work from the first Test backwards and work in with the states and the BBL teams, make sure we can incorporate any training or workloads into competitive cricket as well as training. Those plans are in place, you get injuries along the way, you get pressure on performances and suddenly teams wanting to make BBL semi-finals etc. So there are lots of competing interests and it is complex, but it’s a great challenge.”The repealing of earlier regulations restricting the second XI competition to three, then six, players aged over 23 was the lowest-profile but arguably most significant change to the Australian cricket landscape. They had been put in place at the behest of Greg Chappell, who remains CA’s national talent manager, due to his fears about a lack of youth coming through. A subsequent exodus of senior players from club, state and national levels had consequences for the national team, and Howard said the need for greater balance was now appreciated.

“Change is always hard, and sometimes you’ve got to put your head down and get that change through”Pat Howard

“I think the state talent managers who play chairmen of selectors for each state have done a really good job with that,” Howard said. “In some states there’s a significant amount of youth playing at the state level, and as a consequence we look at the balance of not just the Futures League team for the second XI game but also how much youth is being represented at the top level. I think they’re doing a very good job generally at getting that balance right and getting the best growth out of those players.”We’re also trying to send a message to grade cricketers with aspirations that you can play in the next level, we want to be able to say if you though that’s closed off that’s not closed off. The presence of those players in premier grade cricket is important, so we’re trying to have that system which is deep and fosters talent all the way down. The importance of a young player playing with an older player in premier grade cricket I don’t think is lost on anybody.”Howard was reluctant to speak about the Ashes victory, preferring to let the players bask in their success. But he admitted to enjoying that moment in the dressing room, a place he has avoided crowding in the past. “I believe the dressing room is a sanctuary for players and those that are close, so it was very nice to be invited in,” he said. “I’d resisted for a while, but it was very nice to join them.”

Stuart Broad has admitted there is no certainty that he will remain England’s T20 captain after their group-stage exit in Bangladesh

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Mar-2014Stuart Broad has admitted there is no certainty that he will remain England’s T20 captain after their group-stage exit in Bangladesh and with his troublesome knee in need of increasingly urgent repair.Broad has been T20 captain since 2011, when he replaced Paul Collingwood, and was initially part of a trio of leaders until Alastair Cook became Test captain alongside the one-day job. He has not been able to lead England out of the group stage in either of the World T20s he has captained in, with the team putting up an abject defence of their title in Sri Lanka two years followed by their latest early departure in Chittagong.The next World T20 is again scheduled for the subcontinent – India in 2016 – and Broad conceded that there could be a new man at the helm. “I don’t know, there’s going to be a decision made on coaching staff so there might be a few changes in the next two months or so,” he said.A change could come as soon as England’s next T20, against Sri Lanka in May – the favourite to take over would be Eoin Morgan – depending on the route taken by England’s medical staff to deal with the patellar tendonitis which has troubled Broad for large parts of the winter.There are a couple of approaches that could be taken, ranging from a continued management of the problem which may mean Broad is sidelined of less time before, perhaps, utilising England’s reasonably quiet period from October to December, to a more substantial solution that may include surgery and a longer lay-off. It will be one of the key decisions for the new head coach – expected to be Ashley Giles – when that position is confirmed next month.”I’m probably going to be unavailable for the start of the season in one-day cricket to sort my knee out,” Broad said. “I need a rehab period on my tendonitis, which is generally about an eight-week period so whether I take just four weeks in April to play in May and then take a couple of months after the season I don’t know but it’s got to the stage where it’s really sore and I need it sorted out.”You know in international cricket you can’t perform at your best when you’re carrying an injury. We’ve managed it pretty well but it’s in the hands of the medical staff and a bit of negotiation with the head coach when that’s decided.”It appears fairly certain that Nottinghamshire will not see much of Broad early in the season. England begin their home season with an ODI against Scotland on May 9, followed by a one-off T20 and five-match limited-overs series against Sri Lanka. The first Test of the summer begins on June 12 then India then visit for a tour which includes five Tests, five ODIs and a T20.