'I couldn't believe it was in the back of the net'
Stoke City boss Mark Robins admits he had a feeling of disbelief at Luton Town's injury-time equaliser at the Bet365 Stadium.With the hosts looking on course for a third straight home win when Lewis Baker's free-kick was deflected in on 74 minutes, Luton substitute Millenic Alli was left alone at the far post to fire home from a tight angle."He should never be able to get any space," Robins told BBC Radio Stoke. "It's a slither of space. He should never be able to get it in. "I had to look twice, I couldn't believe it was in the back of the net."We're disappointed and, at the end of the day, Luton are celebrating as they haven't lost. But we should still have seen them off. "We'd dealt with everything they've had to throw at us - and they've thrown a lot. We'd scored and we should have got it done. "They've made the game really difficult. You've got to expect that. And the ball was in the air a lot more, which isn't ideal, but you've got to deal with it and we did that pretty well until the last bit."It just flattens everything. I'm really disappointed but, take the emotions out of it, we've got to take the point and make it into a better one at Cardiff on Saturday. "There's still a long way to go and we now have to be ready to go again."After Saturday's trip to the Cardiff City Stadium, the Potters host Sheffield Wednesday on Good Friday before two games in the space of five days against two of the top three - away to Leeds United on Easter Monday, a Friday night visit of Sheffield United and then the final-day trip to John Eustace's Derby County.
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Scottish Sun
2 days ago
- Scottish Sun
Ally McCoist sets off on gruelling charity ride around Ireland despite his bike BREAKING DOWN just days before
He's been joined by a few other famous faces on the six-day cycle GEARING UP Ally McCoist sets off on gruelling charity ride around Ireland despite his bike BREAKING DOWN just days before Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) ALLY McCOIST is back in the saddle for his latest charity cycle event – but only after dealing with a few worrying mechanical issues first! The Scotland and Rangers icon headed off from Belfast this morning to take on the 555-mile, six-day ride around Ireland as part of the Doddie'5 Lions Challenge. Sign up for the Rangers newsletter Sign up 5 Ally McCoist is taking part in the charity cycle around Ireland 5 But he had to deal with a few mechanical issues before he set off 5 And the group are doing it to help raise funds in memory of Doddie Weir Joining McCoist in the fundraising effort are Scotland rugby great Kenny Logan, his wife and broadcaster, Gabby, former rugby stars Mel Deane and Will Greene and actor Jamie Bamber. The group will cover up to 100 miles a day in memory of Scotland legend Doddie Weir, who sadly passed away in 2022, and to raise money for research into motor neurone disease. So far, the challenge has raised more than £300,000 for the My Name'5 Doddie Foundation and the Irish Motor Neurone Disease Association, with hopes of hitting the £500,000 mark before the final leg. The ride will finish in Dublin on Friday where the team will deliver the match ball to the Aviva Stadium ahead of the British and Irish Lions' clash with Argentina. Read More Sport NOTE TO SELF Fergie spots emotional 26-year-old letter he sent on tour of Rangers' museum Logan says McCoist – who also took part in the 2023 charity cycle from Edinburgh to Paris - will fill the role again of trying to keep everyone's spirits up during the gruelling ordeal. But he revealed his close pal nearly never made it all – because he kept fiddling with his bike's settings! Logan said: 'Ally's been out and about but his bike broke down the other day. 'I told him not to trust himself to check the batteries on his fancy gears – someone else needs to do that for him! 'We've lost a few to injury and it just shows how demanding this is going to be. 'I'm not going to lie – I've had my own aches and pains. Rangers legend Ally McCoist labelled 'Scotland's James Bond' as he takes an Easter dip in freezing cold loch 'No major injuries thankfully, but I've definitely been reminded why I probably shouldn't be moving this much at my age! 'I'm most nervous about the hills. 'I convinced myself Ireland was flat – it's definitely not. But nerves are good. 'I've always had them before a big challenge, and it means I care.' This year's event is both a tribute to Weir and a rallying cry to continue his legacy. 5 Former Scotland star Kenny Logan and his wife Gabby are part of the crew 5 And the group hope to raise almost £500,000 for two charities Logan added: 'The support's been incredible. 'We've still got time to push, and every penny counts. 'Since Doddie died, awareness has grown massively – but we still need to fund research. 'The Foundation has committed nearly £20 million already, which is phenomenal, but it's only the beginning. 'Doddie would be proud – but he'd be telling us to go further and faster. 'That's why we're doing this.' Seven Scots are in the Lions squad for the tour after Zander Fagerson withdrew due to injury. Logan admits he's disappointed winger Darcy Graham never got the nod – but thinks there might be time yet for the Edinburgh flier to make the plane to Australia. He added: 'I still think Darcy will go – there's a lot of rugby to be played between now and then, and there will be injuries. 'We've seen that with Zander missing out already. 'Overall it's great to see so many Scots in the squad – they'll be out to make their mark in Australia and put down a marker for the Test team.' All funds raised will support the Foundation's mission to find effective treatments – and ultimately a cure – for motor neurone disease. To donate or learn more, visit: Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
The Herald Scotland
2 days ago
- The Herald Scotland
Scots icon revered in Manchester just loved beating England
Elegant but belligerent, acrobatic but accurate, charismatic and courageous, he'd dive down among flailing boots – anything for a goal. Including bicycle kicks, of which he was a pioneer. Iconic (oops!) photos showed him leaping higher than clouds. His trademark of sleeve-covered hands was copied by wee boys up and down the land, though its cause was purely practical: 'My nose was always running.' Star of Manchester United, Manchester City and Scotland, he's the only Scottish player to have won the Ballon d'Or. Dubbed 'The King', 'Lawman' and 'Denis the Menace', he was part of the famous United Trinity, with Bobby Charlton and George Best. A 'pauper who became 'the King'', as a Herald obituary put it, Denis Law was born in Aberdeen on 24 February 1940 to Robina and George Law, a trawlerman who didn't much like football. In a granite council flat two miles from Pittodrie, some of the seven children slept 'three to a bed in Aberdeen and no pyjamas'. It was 'the classic spartan Scottish upbringing of the time', Law recalled. Clothes on tick, comb-and-paper music, a Dinky car and a tangerine for Christmas. Barefoot until he was 12, he wore hand-me-down shoes throughout adolescence. At 16, he got his first football boots, a second-hand birthday present from a neighbour. He supported Aberdeen and watched them when he'd enough money. Eschewed Aberdeen Grammar, because it played rugby, he attended Powis Academy instead. A bad squint earned him the nickname 'Cockeye', but he showed promise on the pitch and was selected for Scotland Schoolboys. TRIAL BY LAW SOON, he was spotted by a scout for second division Huddersfield Town, who invited the youngster to a trial ('12 bloody hours' by train from Aberdeen). At Huddersfield station, a club official greeted the small, slim, speccy 15-year-old: 'You're Law? Really?' The manager declared: 'The boy's a freak. Never did I see a less likely football prospect – weak, puny and bespectacled.' Still, they signed him on a wage of £4 a week (leaving £1 after digs and sending money home). They also got him an operation to correct his squint, enhancing his self-confidence. On his debut, Huddersfield's youngest ever player at 16, he scored in a 2–1 win over Notts County. Manchester United manager Matt Busby tried buying him for £10,000 (£300,000-odd today)] but Huddersfield turned him down. Later Huddersfield manager Bill Shankly wanted to take him to Liverpool with him, but the Merseyside giants couldn't afford him. Changed days. In 1960, Law signed for Manchester City for a then British record fee of £55,000 (about 1.7 million squids today), of which Law saw though 'precisely nothing'. He scored on his debut against Leeds but excelled himself with six goals in a cup tie against Luton. However, the match was abandoned with 20 minutes to go, so his six goals didn't count. Luton won the replay 3–1, Law scoring City's a year at Maine Road, he was sold to Italian club Torino for – yep – another British record of £110,000 (3 million-odd today). Crowds at Torino airport greeted him like a movie star, but Italy was a culture shock: luxury hotels, medical attention, sports science (though the captain smoked a pipe), obsessive media. And big money, though it was performance-related: feast or football was (is) dull, joyless, ultra-defensive. Denis was heavily marked and aggressively tackled. Soon, he put in a transfer request, which was ignored. He left anyway, flying home to Aberdeen and signing for Manchester United for – all together now – a new British record fee of £115,000. Not that Torino had been a complete waste of time. He returned with a range of operatic gestures, 'along with a liking for pink shirts and Pinot Noir'. Back in Manchester, Law boarded with the same landlady as before. He scored a hat-trick in a 5–0 win against his old club Huddersfield and the first goal against Leicester as United won 3–1 in the only FA Cup final of his career. He finished season 1963-4 with 46 goals, still a club record, and scored 28 the following season as Man U won the league. In 1968, United won the European Cup for the first time, but a recurrent sair knee meant Law missed the match and, indeed, almost all of season 1969-70. AMBITIOUS GOALS AFTER 11 years at United, during which he'd scored 237 goals in 404 games – placing him third in the club's history, behind Wayne Rooney and Bobby Charlton – Law signed for Manchester City the last game of the 1973-74 season, City played United, who were fighting relegation. On the 81st minute, Law back-heeled one in for City but refused to celebrate. As it turned out, his angst was academic. Other results means United were going down much for club football. Law's greatest love was pulling on a Scotland shirt – 'most of all against England'. His 'blackest day' was playing in a 9-3 defeat to the Auld Enemy in 1961. His happiest day was scoring in Scotland's famous 3–2 victory less than a year after England had become world champions in 1966 – a game Law didn't watch, playing golf instead. READ MORE: Robert McNeil: I detest yon Romans but I dig excavating their wee fortlets RAB MCNEIL'S SCOTTISH ICONS: John Knox – the fiery preacher whose pal got burnt at the stake Rab McNeil: All this talk about celebs and their neuroses is getting on my nerves In the 1974 World Cup, Law played in Scotland's first match against Zaire. It was to be his last. Scotland won 2-0 but he didn't score and was "very disappointed" not to be picked for the following matches against Brazil and Yugoslavia. He had played for Scotland 55 times and holds the country's record tally of 30 goals jointly with Kenny Dalglish. So much for posterity, which has deservedly been kind to him. In 2016, he became a CBE, taking command of the British Empire. And there are statues: two at Old Trafford and two in Aberdeen. At an unveiling in his home city in 2012, he choked back tears as he declared: 'I will always be an Aberdonian.' At the unveiling of a second city statue at Marischal Square in 2021, legendary Aberdeen and Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson told the crowd: 'He was the greatest Scots player of all time, no question.'
The National
3 days ago
- The National
The latest on Celtic's winger hunt amid 'number of targets'
The Parkhead club are 'expected' to sign versatile attacking midfielder Benjamin Nygren from Nordsjaelland, although it doesn't look like they will stop there. Indeed, Sky Sports claims that Celtic are on the hunt for a winger this summer, and that they have 'made contact' for a number of targets, including Sondre Orjasaeter of Sarpsborg and Royal Antwerp's Michel-Ange Balikwisha. Read more: The latter ended an injury-ravaged 2024/25 campaign by contributing to seven goals in 11 games. Balikwisha was linked with a move to Parkehad last summer, while Orjasaeter was said to be the subject of a £4.6 million bid from Celtic in January. He previously addressed his failed move: "I struggled to sleep," revealed Orjasaeter. "I didn't know if I was going to be in Norway or not. I could have moved at any moment. I had to carry my passport with me everywhere. "When the window closed, I felt a sense of relief. I came to the conclusion that I was determined to stay in Sarpsborg and play here, because I didn't know if I was ready to leave yet. "Going abroad now is another level up. It had become more professional and everything. There were many thoughts going through my head during that period. "If I get a little more time in Sarpsborg, I think I'll mature and be ready for it eventually. "Of course, you will have a better life after your career if you have more money in your account, but you only live once. For me, it is just as important to have fun along the way. It is probably even more important "I have a lot of friends to keep me grounded. I think if I only had football, my head would explode! "I'm not much of a fan of football, but I love having it as a job. I couldn't have a better job than what I have. "But when I see that my friends are going on holiday or to ski at Easter, I get jealous. I'm not going to lie. "I hope that those clubs understand that not everyone can be the same. At the same time, I have my serious side too. And I think that kind of thing comes a little with age."
