I felt awful, played on, scored the winner, but I'd had a heart attack
It's 3pm on Saturday, May 3, and AFC Wimbledon are lining up for a crunch, end-of-season tie at Grimsby Town; after a few setbacks in the latter weeks of the season, Wimbledon need a point to guarantee their play-off place in League Two. Their opponents know a win would send them into the play-offs instead. Wimbledon midfielder Sam Hutchinson, 35, tells us about an afternoon he'll never forget.
I don't usually get to bed early before games — I watch TV, chill out, play cards, but the night before this one I'd got my best night's sleep in ages. I'd had a little injury but was now back and feeling 100 per cent. We're a confident bunch, so we knew if we played well we'd
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
18 minutes ago
- Reuters
Italy already fear missing yet another World Cup after Norway nightmare
June 7 (Reuters) - Italy's World Cup qualification campaign has barely begun and already the country is worried about the shocking possibility of failing to reach the final tournament for a third consecutive time after a humiliating defeat by Norway. Norway already had two wins under their belt in Group I before Friday's match in Oslo, while Italy had yet to play, having been involved in the Nations League quarter-finals in March, losing out to Germany. A 2-1 defeat at the San Siro in the first leg left Italy chasing the tie in Germany and they found themselves 3-0 down at the break before staging a second-half comeback to salvage a draw, and some pride. It was the same story on Friday for Italy at the Ullevaal Stadium, at least as far as the opening act went. Norway roared into a 3-0 lead in the first half but this time there was no Italian fightback in a goalless second half. "Enough!" screamed the Gazzetta dello Sport front page on Saturday, after Italy suffered their third loss in a four-game winless run, with the newspaper adding that for Italy the "World Cup is already at risk". Next year's World Cup takes place in the United States, Canada and Mexico but in the two decades since Italy won the tournament for the fourth time, they have struggled to perform or, more recently, to even get there. Berlin 2006 seems a lifetime ago now, with Zinedine Zidane sent off for his head butt to Marco Materazzi's chest and Italy lifting the trophy after a penalty shootout win over France. The next two World Cups saw Italy exit at the group stage, and while they triumphed at Euro 2020, on either side of that success they missed out on the World Cup after playoff defeats to Sweden and North Macedonia. With Italy now playing catch-up and only the group winners qualifying automatically, La Repubblica's front-page headline "Azzurri humiliated in Oslo, the playoff nightmare returns" hints at the frightening possibilities ahead. Italy's loss came less than a week after Inter Milan's 5-0 mauling at the hands of Paris St Germain in the Champions League final and on both occasions the tired-looking losers were outclassed by a hungrier, more creative side. Italy manager Luciano Spalletti was spared following last year's dismal Euros but is now under real pressure and nothing but a convincing win at home to Moldova on Monday will do, with media and fans increasingly calling for a change of leadership.
Telegraph
22 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Thomas Frank ally is leading search for new Tottenham manager
Tottenham Hotspur have cleared the decks for Ange Postecoglou's successor to arrive with a new backroom team by dismissing three of the Australian's staff, but Johan Lange has remained as sporting director to lead the search for a new head coach. Assistant coaches Mile Jedinak, Nick Montgomery and Sérgio Raimundo have followed Postecoglou out of the exit. Senior assistant coach Matt Wells and goalkeeping coach Rob Burch have remained in position, although it remains to be seen whether or not that changes when a new appointment is made. Sources believe that Thomas Frank is interested in taking over from Postecoglou and that he would ideally want to take a number of members of his Brentford backroom staff with him to Spurs. As revealed by Telegraph Sport, Tottenham sacked Postecoglou and chief football officer Scott Munn on Friday, but Lange has not been part of the cull. His position remains unchanged and he is expected to be helped by Fabio Paratici. Paratici has remained a consultant to Spurs and chairman Daniel Levy, and is expected to return to a full-time post at the club this summer once his worldwide football ban is lifted. Spurs understood to be 'carefully assessing' options Frank is considered a leading candidate to succeed Postecoglou, although his exit fee – believed to be in the region of £10 million – may still provide a stumbling block and interest has existed in Fulham manager Marco Silva and his Bournemouth counterpart Andoni Iraola. Tottenham are said to be carefully assessing their options, with Levy aware of the expense involved in hiring Frank, and Lange perfectly positioned to assess his capabilities for the post. Lange and Frank used to share an office when they were coaching together at Danish club Lyngby, and are said to have maintained a good relationship. That could be a boost to Frank, although Lange may also be aware of any of the potential drawbacks in Tottenham replacing Postecoglou with a coach who has never managed in a full European competition and is yet to win a title. As well as presenting their preferred candidate for the head coach role to Levy and the Spurs board, Lange and Paratici are expected to take responsibility for the club's summer transfer window. That may include decisions over the futures of defender Cristian Romero, who is wanted by Atlético Madrid and captain Son Heung-min, who has left some players and staff with the impression he could leave Spurs amid interest from Saudi Arabia. Telegraph Sport reported that Levy is facing the threat of a Tottenham player revolt over the decision to sack Postecoglou and the way in which it was done, and Son has led a number of dressing-room tributes to the Australian. In a message posted on Instagram, Son wrote: 'Gaffer. You've changed the trajectory of this club. You believed in yourself, and us, since day one and never wavered for a second. Even when others did.
The Independent
30 minutes ago
- The Independent
England spinner Sophie Ecclestone taking break to ‘prioritise her well-being'
England spinner Sophie Ecclestone is taking a break from domestic cricket with Lancashire to 'prioritise her well-being' and rest a minor quad injury. The left-armer, ranked the number one one-day international bowler in the world, remains available for her country and is earmarked to face India later this month. Ecclestone has yet to feature under new head coach Charlotte Edwards due to a knee injury at the start of the season but has featured eight times for her county in the new tier one structure. The 26-year-old, who found herself criticised for refusing a television interview with former England player Alex Hartley during the Ashes whitewash at the start of the year, is now stepping away for the next three weeks. She hopes to return in time to join England's squad for the first T20 against India at Trent Bridge on June 28. Edwards said: 'Sophie has been managing a quad niggle over the past week but more importantly, she wants to take a step back from cricket for a short period to look after herself. 'We're totally behind that. We want to be able to select Sophie for the India series but the most important thing for her at the moment is that she feels in a better place. 'We all agree that a break now could be beneficial for her to achieve that.' A short statement from the England and Wales Cricket Board said: 'Sophie Ecclestone will take a break from domestic cricket in order to manage a minor quad injury and prioritise her well-being. 'She remains available for selection for England Women's upcoming series against India.'
