Penybont lose luggage, boots and all, ahead of European tie
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Belfast Telegraph
an hour ago
- Belfast Telegraph
Larne ace on why he's eager to make up for lost time by helping Invermen hit League Phase jackpot again
Ryan Nolan is keen to make up for lost time when it comes to realising his European dream. The well-travelled defender arrived at Larne in September 2024, but international clearance didn't come through in time for him to be part of the squad that took part in the club's historic UEFA Conference League campaign.
The Sun
4 hours ago
- The Sun
These two countries have the cleanest waters in the world and they're less than 3 hours away from the UK
WHEN it comes to water quality, Brits are becoming much more vigilant before diving head first into the sea. With increasing news of sewage pollution, it can be tough to know where is safe to swim, and where to avoid - but here are the two countries with the cleanest coastal waters in the world. 4 Slovenia and Lithuania have tied for first place for the cleanest coastal waters in the world. This is according to the European Environment Agency (EEA), in cooperation with the European Commission which has released their European bathing water assessment for the 2024. Bathing waters across 22,127 sites in the 27 EU member states, plus Albania and Switzerland were analysed. Both Slovenia and Lithuania tied for having the cleanest waters by the coastline, and luckily for Brits, neither country is hard to get to. Brits can fly directly to Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia in 2hr15 from London Gatwick. You can get a one-way flight to Ljubljana from £37 with easyJet. When it comes to the most popular beaches in the country, these are Moon Bay, Svetilnik Beach, and Piran Beach. Compared to the rest of the country, the Slovenian coastline is very small and is only 29 miles long. One writer explored Slovenia where she enjoyed a five-course meal for less than £50 - and she was overlooking one of the most famous lakes in the country. To get to the coastal city of Palanga in Lithuania, holidaymakers can get a direct flight from London Stansted from just £17. The European city break with two unmissable day trips 4 The flight only takes two hours and 20 minutes. Palanga has white sandy beaches with blue waters and scattered along the shoreline are cafes, restaurants, bars and local shops. Lithuania is also Europe's cheapest city break destination where you can get £2 pints and cocktails for £3.26. That's what one writer found when she took a trip to Vilnius – the capital of and largest city in Lithuania. She even found accommodation for £13 a night and discovered tasty potato dishes. If you're heading to Lithuania for a swim, though, the most popular bases for coastal holidays are Palanga, Neringa and Klaipeda. It's important to note that both Slovenia and Lithuania, while rated most highly, also had a relatively small number of sites tested. 21 were tested in Slovenia and 16 in Lithuania, but the sites cumulatively gained top marks. The report further revealed that Cyprus, Bulgaria, and Greece had the highest percentages of bathing waters classified as excellent. Cyprus had 99.2 per cent of its bathing waters meeting the "excellent" standard, followed by Bulgaria with 97.9 per cent and Greece with 97 per cent. The assessment said that 85 percent of the European locations met the stringent standard of 'excellent' bathing water quality, while 96 percent met the minimum quality standards. The sites include beaches, rivers, lakes, and swimming holes, which are all tested by national and local authorities for bacterial contamination." The quality of coastal bathing waters which is defined as waters "situated on the sea or transitional water coastline", was found to be generally better than that of rivers and lakes. Here are the world's 50 best beaches, and where to find the two in England that made the cut. And the three UK beaches named the best in Europe by Tripadvisor this year.
Scotsman
7 hours ago
- Scotsman
Tomas Bent Magnusson set to fly to Scotland to join Hearts
Icelandic midfielder will be the ninth summer signing at Tynecastle Sign up to our Hearts newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Valur Reykjavik officials are today finalising transfer a transfer deal with Hearts for midfielder Tomas Bent Magnusson. The Icelandic club have agreed terms with Tynecastle officials, and 22-year-old Magnusson is preparing to fly to Scotland this week. He will undergo a medical before putting pen to paper on a long-term contract in Edinburgh. Valur left the player out of their Besta Deild Karla league win against Hafnarfjordur on Sunday in the knowledge that he has played his last game for them. Hearts made an official approach for Magnusson last week as head coach Derek McInnes looks to strengthen their midfield options ahead of the new Scottish Premiership season. Provided there are no late setbacks, he could be signed and registered in time to make an SPFL debut in Hearts' opening Premiership match in seven days' time. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Speaking exclusively to the Edinburgh News, the Valur football chairman Bjorn Steinar Jonsson explained that the six-figure deal with Hearts is all close to being completed. 'It's more or less in place. We are just working on finalising that today,' he said. 'I met Tomas last night at our game and he was not sure which day he will go. Probably in the next few days he will travel to Scotland for a medical.' Magnusson is an energetic central midfielder who offers an attacking threat at set-pieces. He joined Valur after winning the Icelandic second division last year with IBV despite an opportunity to move to England at the time. After progressing quickly in the top flight and playing UEFA Conference League qualifiers this month, he is now destined for the Scottish Capital. Jonsson provided an insight into the player's attributes and character. 'In our team, I think he is best playing as a defensive midfielder in the No.6 position,' stated the chairman. 'That is where he has shown his best ability. He is primarily a defensive midfielder. Valur have a lot of possession in most games, they are a tough team, and he has moved forward with the team to score some goals. Partly that has come from set-pieces, where he can definitely be dangerous with his heading ability. He is also fighting for the second ball and winning it in those situations. 'Tomas has taken a big step with us this season. He only joined us after last season. He was playing with his hometown club, IBV, from the Vestmannaeyjar islands. He took a big step this season and has been an important player for us in domestic matches. He also played very well in our European Conference League games so far this year. If he continues and takes the next step, I think he can definitely be strong enough for Scotland. I would think it is a league that fits him well. He is a young player and he needs to take the next steps on his journey to be able to fight into the Hearts team. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad English transfer interest in Icelandic midfielder 'This transfer only came up a few days ago and it's an opportunity for him. When he was joining our club, he almost signed for a club in England and we just managed to sign him. We knew his dream was to take the next step and go abroad to test his skills there. Hearts is a big club and we have sold players to them before [goalkeeper Haraldur Bjornsson in 2005]. This is an opportunity we definitely want to see Tomas take and hopefully he will be successful at it.' Jonsson compared Magnusson to the former Iceland international defender Herman Hreidarsson, who coached the player at IBV last year. 'He had a great season last year when IBV won the second division here in Iceland and got promoted. He was one of the best players in that league,' explained Jonsson. 'We had recommendations from his coach there, Herman Hreidarsson, and he gave a very high recommendation as one of the favourite players he had coached. Tomas has similar abilities to what Hreidarsson had during his career - a fighter and a good team player. Hreidarsson was a defender, a bit of a different player, but you can definitely see some of the same qualities in Magnusson. 'Both guys come from the Vestmannaeyjar islands, so you definitely have some of the same characteristics in players. Tomas will fight and do all he can do for his team. With that, he builds good team spirit with his team-mates. He really helped us build a good team dynamic in the last few months. He came into our club as a new guy and fitted in well. He is unafraid, open, smiling, young, and he will fit in really well to a team. I think he will be an important part of the Hearts squad. He needs to adapt to a new country but he is an open, fun and energetic guy.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Hearts plan to sign Magnusson to harness his development over the next few years, with the potential to sell him for future profit. That appears to align with the player's ambition, too. 'Definitely. I think that's where his aspirations lie,' said Jonsson. 'He wants to go there, fit in, shine and take the next step. I think he definitely has all the ability for that to happen but he needs to put a lot of work in.' Hearts are hopeful of completing the signing of Burkina Faso international forward Pierre Landry Kabore as soon as possible. They working to secure all the paperwork to confirm Kabore as their eighth summer signing, with Magnusson to follow as the ninth. McInnes has already welcomed seven new recruits to Riccarton since pre-season began - Norwegian right-back Christian Borchgrevink, Greek winger Alexandros Kyziridis, Portuguese forward Claudio Braga, Irish midfielder Oisin McEntee, Belgian striker Elton Kabangu, Scottish centre-back Stuart Findlay and Albanian winger Sabah Kerjota. READ MORE: New Hearts transfer target
