Hibernian 1-2 FC Midtjylland (agg 2-3): What Gray said
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Daily Record
7 minutes ago
- Daily Record
Jordan Smith relishing Hibs chance at history he thought would never come after elite Euro upbringing
The former Nottingham Forest youngster preparing to face FK partizan as David Gray does things differently Jordan Smith grew up at a club absolutely steeped in European pedigree. Now he's just grateful for the chance to play on the continent himself after thinking his chance had gone. The Hibs keeper has already had his first taste of Euro action, playing both legs of the Hibees Europa League second round qualifier against FC Midtjylland which ended in spectacular yet heartbreaking fashion. Now the Hibees are in Belgrade to take on FK Partizan in the third round of the Conference League qualifiers. The Serbs may be playing second fiddle to bitter city rivals Crvena Zvezda - Red Star Belgrade in old money, who finished on 100 points and 27 clear of Partizan last season - but they remain amongst the more recognisable names of European football. Smith learned his trade as a goalkeeper at twice European Cup winners Nottingham Forest. He might not be about to continue the tradition by lifting a European trophy, but that doesn't mean he can't help Hibs make their own history. 'I grew up as a youngster at Forest, where the older gentlemen around the place spoke with smiles on their faces about the great days when they won two European Cups,' he said. 'Those successes created so many great memories for everyone at that club and that's what we want for Hibs. The gaffer challenges us to make our own history and that's what we've given ourselves the chance to do. 'All the fans who travelled to Denmark with us last time were fantastic, it was special for them and for us. I've seen a few of them since and they're so proud to be following us in Europe again. 'We want to give them a result that makes them even prouder. We want them to come away with memories that get passed down through the years. 'At Forest, the photos and all the other reminders are everywhere, at the stadium and the training ground – and to be honest, it's quite hard to live up to that. As soon as new signings walk in the door, the first thing they show them is the replica of the European Cup. Then there's the two stars on the badge, all that kind of stuff. 'It's something everyone there can be very proud of and I was definitely proud to have worn that crest, to have represented them. I'm so glad they're back at the top level again. 'In all honesty, I thought at 30 my chance of playing in Europe had gone. 'I'd kind of got lost in the English system and spent a long time wondering what my level was going to end up as. 'The gaffer's spoken a lot about Dwight Gayle and what a career he's had, but playing at this level is something he never got to do, so you never take it for granted. 'We actually hoped the chance of European football might have tempted him back, but it didn't quite work. 'For me, though, as a 30-year-old, would I have expected it? No. So it's testament to all of us here that we've earned the right to represent Hibs here. 'I hadn't played first team football for a long time before getting my chance here and there's no doubt that doubts begin to creep in. You have to work hard to maintain confidence in yourself, so I can't sing the gaffer's praises enough for having that confidence, for sticking with me. 'I'd like to think I've repaid his faith with my performance since coming into the team at the end of last October – I'm quite proud of myself, I give myself a little pat on the back, but never forgetting that the attention's always on the next game and being at your best again. 'My game's changed massively since the gaffer brought me in. 'There's no pretending that when I came in the team wasn't in a dark place, so it was all about trying hard not to make mistakes that would make things worse. 'But since then we've been on a great run, so we all feel a bit better about ourselves and it means I can work on helping the defenders in front of me more, taking some of the pressure off them.' Hibs' preparations for their trip to Denmark didn't go to plan as major delays in Edinburgh threw them well off schedule. They still left with a 2-2 draw, but David Gray is taking no chances for the trip to Belgrade and they are doing things differently given the logistics of flying to the Serbian capital. "There is the element of that,' he explained. 'You want your flight to be on time. You want to take off at the right time and land at the right time, but sometimes it doesn't quite work like that. "We had a delay going over to Denmark the last time, and sometimes things are out of your control. That could quite easily happen again. "So if we get the work into the players in the morning, training-wise, we know if something was to happen and we didn't arrive until later on at night, we know we're getting there, having done the work, and the players can get a good night's sleep. If they don't go to the stadium, it's not the end of the world. "At least then everything's geared up and ready. They know exactly what they're going into and they can get ready for the next day, so it's about making sure you do everything you can to mitigate risk. "Denmark was a wee bit different with only being an hour and a bit away so we're playing this one slightly differently. There are challenges you need to throw in there."
BBC News
8 minutes ago
- BBC News
My 30-year-old world record 'not a good sign for athletics'
"I don't think it's a good sign for athletics as a sport that you have a record that stands for 30 years."Jonathan Edwards' pride in his triple jump world record is tinged with surprise at the fact no-one has surpassed the 18.29m he set on 7 August 1995 at the World Championships in Gothenburg."When you think of all the developments in sports science, nutrition, training methods, all of those things, I don't think it necessarily speaks to a really healthy and thriving sport, if I'm honest," Edwards, who is Britain's only track and field world record holder in regularly contested events, told BBC that plays down his own achievement. Only seven other men in history have surpassed the 18m if you subscribe to the view that records are there to be broken, then why is this one still standing? Edwards was 'remarkable' When Edwards arrived at Gothenburg's Ullevi Stadium, no-one had ever jumped beyond 18 metres in 'legal' wind the first two rounds of the competition, he had managed it landed beyond the measuring board with his opening-round jump of 18.16m and then added another 13cm to the record around 20 minutes later in what is one of British athletics' greatest was the event's form athlete that year, arriving in Sweden as the world record holder after jumping 17.98 to beat American Willie Banks' previous mark by one centimetre and had also recorded the longest jump in history of a wind-assisted has always described himself as a sprinter, rather than a jumper, likening his contact with the ground through the hop-step-jump phases to a pebble skimming the water and at 71kg was also lighter than many other had changed his technique that season, adopting a double arm action - rather than an alternate arm movement - that he said made him "so well balanced" through all of his nevertheless he was far from confident, admitting that he bought sunglasses at Gothenburg airport to hide his eyes when he was warming up so his competitors "wouldn't see the fear" he his rivals saw was very different."In our training sessions, we studied Edwards videos day in, day out," Jerome Romain, who took the bronze medal in Gothenburg, said. "It was just remarkable the things that he did."Silver medallist Brian Wellman believes Edward set the record because "he was the most efficient triple jumper out there". Athletics 'hasn't kept pace' with other sports Edwards believes part of the reason he still holds the triple jump world record is because athletics has not "kept pace with the professionalisation of sport", which means talented young athletes are choosing other sports instead because they can earn more money."It doesn't offer the same rewards as other sports," he said."If you're a talented young kid, you wouldn't necessarily pick track and field. You wouldn't certainly pick a field event where the rewards are less than on the track."When four-time Olympic champion Michael Johnson launched Grand Slam Track this season, where athletes compete for a top prize of $100,000 (£75,125) at each meet, the disciplines were limited to track in the sport has also been falling, with UK Sport cutting funding for athletics for the second successive Olympic cycle, announcing last year that UK Athletics would get 8% less for the 2028 Los Angeles Games than it had for Paris in track and field has also been falling, according to England Athletics, and youngsters are increasingly dropping out. Technology may not be helping Three of the five longest held men's world records in the most commonly contested events are jumps: the high jump, long jump and triple jump records were all set between 1991 and yet, technology has advanced since then, including in Edwards thinks the carbon fibre plates in today's running shoes may not actually be helping jumpers in contrast to the running events where records have continued to be broken."I wonder whether or not a carbon fibre plate is able to cope with the intensity of that impact and then offer anything on the rebound, because that's what I think we're seeing on the track."You're seeing athletes who are actually getting a spring effect, and that's why you're seeing some of the times that you're getting. But the forces are so extreme in triple jump, indeed long jump, even high jump when people take off and I'm not sure that that sort of trampoline effect is able to have the same impact."Dr Tom Allen, sports engineering expert at Manchester Metropolitan University and University of Canterbury Visiting Erskine Fellow, agrees that while the shoes offer gains in running economy, the impact of the shoes on jumping events is "likely to be small or negligible". Will the record ever be broken? The closest anyone has come to Edwards' record was 10 years ago when American Christian Taylor jumped world leading distance this year is 17.80m, while last year's Olympic gold was won with 17.86m."He [Edwards] can rest easy for a while," Romain said. "This is not an easy feat, I'm telling you."Edwards says he does not know how he will feel if his record goes."It's been a part of me for so long now," he said. "Actually it would be nice if it carried on."It would be quite a good funeral [if there was] something down the aisle - 18.29m."
BBC News
8 minutes ago
- BBC News
Backlash as travel operator tells Everton fans 'get your steps in'
There has been backlash from Everton fans after they were told to "get their steps in" by a transport operator and walk about 30 minutes to the club's new ground. Merseytravel has suggested supporters could walk to the Hill Dickinson stadium on Saturday for the friendly against AS Roma from Moorfields station in Liverpool town fans are expected to use Sandhills train station, which is closer to the new ground, but the operator has warned it would be "extremely busy".The suggestion of walking from further out has been met with ridicule online, with some calling it "embarrassing" and a "shambles". The friendly, which kicks off at 15:00 BST, is the final test event at the new ground and will be the first time the 52,769-seater venue will be operating at near full test events at the ground left many fans concerned at the lack of public transport and a parking scheme in streets around the ground has also led to confusion and a post on X Merseytravel said: "Heading to the Everton v AS Roma double-header this weekend? "Everton Stadium is just 30 mins walk from Moorfields station – a great opportunity to get your steps in for the day and soak up the atmosphere for the big game!" 'Only in Liverpool' The suggestion was called into question by a number of people on social media, who described transport issues with the new stadium as a "shambles" and "embarrassing".One person said: "This is all well and good for young people and those who are able to walk long distances. What about those who struggle to walk long distances?"Another said: "Get your steps in as if you're doing us a favour."Others joked: "Just a mere seven-hour walk from nearby Southport railway station", and "A great opportunity to swim across the Mersey"."Only in Liverpool does the travel service tell you to walk," another Director at Merseyrail, Neil Grabham, said a "robust plan" was in place with extra services and staff across the network, adding "customers should expect the network to be very busy on Saturday"."Like train stations near other major football stadiums across the UK, Sandhills station will be extremely busy on matchdays," he said."Customers can help us, to help them, by planning ahead, allowing extra time for journeys, and considering alternative routes in case of unexpected disruption". Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
