Oldham thrash Halifax to set up York play-off semi-final showdown
Oldham roared into the Vanarama National League play-off semi-finals with a 4-0 win over Halifax.
They raced into a three-goal lead after just 12 minutes, with Joe Garner converting from a corner in the third minute.
Mark Kitching struck in the 10th minute after Mike Fondop headed a free-kick back across goal, and two minutes later Fondop nodded in the third.
Joe Pritchard fired home the fourth midway through the second half to book a semi-final against York next Tuesday.
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The Herald Scotland
8 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
Scotland have suffered a system malfunction
Losing goalkeeper Angus Gunn early on and having to bring on the uncapped Cieran Slicker to replace him was far from ideal for manager Steve Clarke. Still, Andy Robertson and his team mates could have no complaints about the final scoreline. This was another dire display and a wretched result. Here are five talking points from a bitterly disappointing night for Scotland. Nightmare debut The last thing that Clarke, who had been at pains to point how few goalkeepers Scotland have playing at a decent level when he named his squad for this double header last month, was to see his first choice goalkeeper pick up an injury. But that is exactly what happened. In just the third minute too. Gunn was clattered by Andri Gudjohnsen as he tried to pluck a high ball out of the air and landed awkwardly. He failed to respond to medical attention and hobbled off with the help of a physio. It was a devastating setback for a man who has not had his problems to seek fitness wise this term. Read more: The 15-times capped 29-year-old had not featured in an international since the narrow Nations League loss to Portugal in Lisbon back in September and he was eager to make amends for lost time and stake a claim for a start in World Cup qualifying. It was not to be. Gunn's knock meant an unexpected debut for Slicker of Ipswich Town. The 22-year-old, who is eligible to represent Scotland because of his Glaswegian father, made just one appearance in the season which has just finished. He came on for the final nine minutes of an FA Cup win over Bristol Rovers in January. His lack of game time showed. He played the ball straight to Stefan Poroarson shortly after taking to the field. The Iceland midfielder nodded down to Gudjohnsen who did superbly curl a left foot shot into the top left corner. The son of former Barcelona Chelsea star Eidur is a chip off the old block. It was hard not to feel sympathy for the newcomer. But he settled the nerves he would inevitably have been feeling when he saved a long-range Jon Dagur Porsteinsson attempt. His distribution improved thereafter too. Not that it could have got any worse. Could Slicker have done better at the visitors' second goal on the stroke of half-time? Possibly. But the Albert Gudmundsson corner came off John Souttar, Grant Hanley and finally Lewis Ferguson before it trundled over his line. It was a comedy or errors. The Oldham-born keeper, too, flapped at the header Victor Palsson got on target at a Gudmondsson free-kick and failed to keep it out. There was a lengthy VAR check to see if the scorer had been offside. The defender, though, was on when the ball was played through to him. System malfunction With Kieran Tierney considered fit enough to start once again, Clarke reverted to the five man defence which had served him so well during the opening games of the Euro 2024 qualifying campaign. He positioned the Celtic full-back on the left of three centre-backs and deployed Robertson at wing back outside him. (Image: Jane Barlow) It did not work, either defensively or offensively. Yes, the hosts created a few chances and levelled when John Souttar held off Mikael Egill Ellertsson and nodded a Max Johnston corner home. But the players looked uncomfortable in the system and there were far, far too many open spaces for their opponents to exploit. Billy Gilmour, Scott McTominay and Lewis Ferguson, who have picked up silverware in Italy with Napoli and Bologna respectively this term, started together in midfield for just the third time. But they proved incapable of turning things around. Clarke needs to have a rethink. Tierney and Robertson and have played in a flat back four together at international level in the past and can do so again in future if required. At this moment, a move to a 4-2-3-1 or a 4-3-3 is worth trying. There is no point persevering with a system which functioned effectively in the past if it is not working now. Scotland switched to a back four when Clarke made a triple substitution in the second half and looked better for it. Bright Hirst It may take Scotland supporters a little time to get used to a striker called Hirst playing up front for them even if his surname is spelt differently from a certain former England centre forward. But members of the Tartan Army may have to get used to the Ipswich Town man George, who was preferred to Che Adams, James Wilson, Kieron Bowie and Tommy Conway up front, leading the line for them. Clarke is clearly an admirer of the former England age-group player, who qualifies to play for this country through his paternal grandfather, as this was the third game in a row he has fielded him. He came on in both of the Greece games back in March. Read more: But this was a first start for him. He showed why was given the nod despite failing to find the target during his time on the park. He headed a John McGinn chip over, forced a one-handed save from Elias Rafn Olafsson after meeting a Scott McTominay cutback with a first-time shot and had a goal, correctly, chalked off for offside. He received a warm round of applause when he was replaced by Adams. Rightly so. He showed he has much to offer despite the result. To the Max Johnston, who helped Sturm Graz to retain their Bundesliga title in Austria this season, caught Clarke's eye in training at Lesser Hampden this week and started at right wing-back ahead of both Anthony Ralston of Celtic and the returning Nathan Patterson of Everton. He had some good moments and set up the Scotland goal. It was also nice to see Lennon Miller, the teenage Motherwell midfielder, make his first appearance for his country. He came on for Tierney as Scott McKenna replaced Hanley. Patterson later took over from Johnston and Tommy Conway came on for McTominay. But none of the replacements made a significant difference. Tartan Army boo boys The boos and jeers which rang out at the half-time and full-time whistle told a story. The Scotland supporters were furious with the insipid performance they had witnessed. A vast improvement against Liechtenstein in Vaduz on Monday is now needed to get the fans back onside ahead of the World Cup qualifying opener against Denmark.
North Wales Chronicle
11 hours ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Tornado Alert has Bin Suroor hopeful he can take Epsom by storm
Lammtarra put Bin Suroor in the spotlight at Epsom in 1995 and with the old mantra of fourth in the Guineas, first in the Derby set to be put to the test once again – after Generous so gloriously did in 1991 – the multiple Classic winning-trainer is confident this year's candidate will excel now upped in distance. 'The further he goes, the better he will be. He is a nice and relaxed horse,' said Bin Suroor. 'Oisin Murphy is going to ride him, he has been in a few mornings to ride him and he's been happy with him. I'm looking forward to seeing them together in a race. 'The first three were a little in front of him at Newmarket, but he beat Wimbledon Hawkeye who is a good horse. 'He has done everything right since the Guineas and it is exciting to be going to another Classic with him.' Ralph Beckett is still awaiting his first victory in the premier Classic and holds a strong hand with York hero Pride Of Arras and Stanhope Gardens. The former bids to become the 12th horse to do the Dante/Derby double, with the Kimpton Down handler happy his York scorer ticks plenty of boxes. Beckett said: 'I think he's tightened up for the Dante and he's on good terms with himself. We're going there with our best foot forward, that's for sure. 'He's got more speed than I imagined he would have, having trained his dam and his brothers and sisters, so that is a positive, and his half-sister and half-brother both won at Epsom, which gives us encouragement. 'Soft ground isn't a concern, he has a soft ground pedigree and it's been a bit of a surprise to me he handles quick ground as well as he does.' Stanhope Gardens, meanwhile, was only a neck behind Aidan O'Brien's Delacroix in the Autumn Stakes in October and made a foot-perfect return at Salisbury. 'Going into the winter this horse was always the one I thought was most likely to show up here,' added Beckett. 'He had the form with Delacroix and he was still pretty inexperienced that day, just his third run having won at Beverley and finished behind Ruling Court on his debut. 'He's a very well-balanced horse, very light on his feet and it's likely he will be suited by Epsom. 'He's a very straightforward customer, the reason he didn't make a trial is because he galloped away from home in mid-April and pulled a muscle in the back of his ribs which forced him to miss two weeks, so he's done pretty well to get here.' Damysus has come a long way since winning on debut at Southwell in December and after catching the eye of many observers when second to Pride Of Arras in the Dante, he could give John Gosden his third Derby and first in conjunction with son Thady. The Clarehaven team will also saddle the Juddmonte-owned Nightwalker, a staying-on fifth behind his stablemate at York, with Thady Gosden expecting both to thrive at a mile and a half. He said: 'Their pedigrees suggests they will stay and also the way they travel during a race points to that as well. 'The Dante was an interesting race. There were a few little things to take out of it, but these are two horses we think will suit Epsom well. They were both doing their best work late on at York and it was a hot trial, but off that performance they've both shown that they deserve to come here.' As well as Nightwalker, the Juddmonte team will be represented by Henri-François Devin's New Ground, one of two French raiders supplemented for the race alongside Francis-Henri Graffard's unbeaten Midak, who will fittingly sport the colours of the late Aga Khan in a race named this year in his honour. Nemone Routh, French racing manager for the Aga Khan Studs, said: 'Every time we have run him he has improved and he has also improved physically through the year, so we would be hopeful he could run well. 'He's not going there devoid of hope and has done nothing wrong. It's an open race and he goes there with a sporting chance.'
Leader Live
13 hours ago
- Leader Live
Tornado Alert has Bin Suroor hopeful he can take Epsom by storm
Lammtarra put Bin Suroor in the spotlight at Epsom in 1995 and with the old mantra of fourth in the Guineas, first in the Derby set to be put to the test once again – after Generous so gloriously did in 1991 – the multiple Classic winning-trainer is confident this year's candidate will excel now upped in distance. 'The further he goes, the better he will be. He is a nice and relaxed horse,' said Bin Suroor. 'Oisin Murphy is going to ride him, he has been in a few mornings to ride him and he's been happy with him. I'm looking forward to seeing them together in a race. 'The first three were a little in front of him at Newmarket, but he beat Wimbledon Hawkeye who is a good horse. 'He has done everything right since the Guineas and it is exciting to be going to another Classic with him.' Ralph Beckett is still awaiting his first victory in the premier Classic and holds a strong hand with York hero Pride Of Arras and Stanhope Gardens. The former bids to become the 12th horse to do the Dante/Derby double, with the Kimpton Down handler happy his York scorer ticks plenty of boxes. Beckett said: 'I think he's tightened up for the Dante and he's on good terms with himself. We're going there with our best foot forward, that's for sure. 'He's got more speed than I imagined he would have, having trained his dam and his brothers and sisters, so that is a positive, and his half-sister and half-brother both won at Epsom, which gives us encouragement. 'Soft ground isn't a concern, he has a soft ground pedigree and it's been a bit of a surprise to me he handles quick ground as well as he does.' Stanhope Gardens, meanwhile, was only a neck behind Aidan O'Brien's Delacroix in the Autumn Stakes in October and made a foot-perfect return at Salisbury. 'Going into the winter this horse was always the one I thought was most likely to show up here,' added Beckett. 'He had the form with Delacroix and he was still pretty inexperienced that day, just his third run having won at Beverley and finished behind Ruling Court on his debut. 'He's a very well-balanced horse, very light on his feet and it's likely he will be suited by Epsom. 'He's a very straightforward customer, the reason he didn't make a trial is because he galloped away from home in mid-April and pulled a muscle in the back of his ribs which forced him to miss two weeks, so he's done pretty well to get here.' Damysus has come a long way since winning on debut at Southwell in December and after catching the eye of many observers when second to Pride Of Arras in the Dante, he could give John Gosden his third Derby and first in conjunction with son Thady. The Clarehaven team will also saddle the Juddmonte-owned Nightwalker, a staying-on fifth behind his stablemate at York, with Thady Gosden expecting both to thrive at a mile and a half. He said: 'Their pedigrees suggests they will stay and also the way they travel during a race points to that as well. 'The Dante was an interesting race. There were a few little things to take out of it, but these are two horses we think will suit Epsom well. They were both doing their best work late on at York and it was a hot trial, but off that performance they've both shown that they deserve to come here.' As well as Nightwalker, the Juddmonte team will be represented by Henri-François Devin's New Ground, one of two French raiders supplemented for the race alongside Francis-Henri Graffard's unbeaten Midak, who will fittingly sport the colours of the late Aga Khan in a race named this year in his honour. Nemone Routh, French racing manager for the Aga Khan Studs, said: 'Every time we have run him he has improved and he has also improved physically through the year, so we would be hopeful he could run well. 'He's not going there devoid of hope and has done nothing wrong. It's an open race and he goes there with a sporting chance.'
