Oldham Athletic v Southend United: National League playoff final
Update:
Date: 2025-06-01T13:06:04.000Z
Title: Team news
Content: Oldham Athletic starting line-up: Matthew Hudson, Reagan Ogle, Mark Kitching, Tom Pett, Manny Monthé, Mike Fondop, Joe Garner, Charlie Raglan (C), Corry Evans, Vimal Yoganathan, Joe Pritchard. Substitutes: Tom Donaghy, Shaun Hobson, Tom Conlan, Jordan Rossiter, Jesurun Uchegbulam, Kian Harratt, James Norwood.
Southend United starting line-up: Nick Hayes, Gus Scott-Morriss, Nathan Ralph (C), Jack Bridge, Noor Husin, Harry Taylor, Cav Miley, Ben Goodliffe, Tom Hopper, Keenan Appiah-Forson, Charley Kendall. Substitutes: Nathan Harness, George Wind, Macauley Bonne, Josh Walker, Joe Gubbins, Leon Chambers-Parillon, Oli Coker.
Update:
Date: 2025-06-01T13:00:14.000Z
Title: Preamble
Content: Oldham and Southend are 90 minutes away from returning to the Football League. It would be an incredible achievement for either club, having both come back from the brink. In recent years the clubs' very existence has been threatened, so to be at Wembley is a huge achievement.
The Latics breezed through the playoffs, winning their two matches against Halifax and York by a combined score of 7-0. They have found form at the right time and possess a lot of experience among their ranks. From Charlie Raglan to James Norwood, there is no shortage of quality in the squad, not to mention young loanee Vimal Yoganathan.
Southend, on the other hand, snook into the final playoff spot, proceeding to require extra-time to eliminate Rochdale and a penalty shootout at Forest Green. Things have not been easy for the Shrimpers but they are used to doing things the hard way and it should put them in good stead for this game.
Let's hope for a cracker.
Kick-off: 3pm BST.
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The Independent
44 minutes ago
- The Independent
England Women's Euros squad 2025: Guide to every Lionesses player
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England Euro 2025 squad Michelle Agyemang Position: Forward | Age: 19 | Caps: 1 | Number: 17 The youngest player in the England squad, who scored just 41 seconds after coming off the bench to make her England debut in the defeat at Belgium in April. A former ballgirl at Wembley, and a lifelong Arsenal supporter who has been at the club since the age of six and made her first-team debut aged 16, Agyemang has timed her run to the Euros to perfection. Her impact against Belgium shows she has an eye for goal and she offers a physical presence in attack. 'Those strengths, it's things that we don't necessarily have,' Leah Williamson said. 'And the reason that she's here.' Aggie Beever-Jones Position: Forward | Age: 21 | Caps: 7 | Number: 19 The frontrunner for PFA Young Player of the Year after finishing Chelsea's unbeaten WSL title campaign as their top scorer with nine, including the goal that sealed their unbeaten campaign at Stamford Bridge. Pacy and direct with an eye for a goal, the 21-year-old now is becoming just as important for England, too, and she became just the second Lionesses player to score a Wembley hat-trick in the 6-0 win over Portugal. Lucy Bronze Position: Defender | Age: 33 | Caps: 133 | Number: 2 Key to setting a winning mentality among the squad, Bronze is set to represent her country at a seventh major tournament. The 33-year-old's competitive edge is as sharp as ever, as shown by her impact in her debut season at Chelsea, and she remains just as important to England by providing energy and drive at right back. 'Sharing in the new players' experiences keeps you young, it keeps you excited,' Bronze said. 'I'm just doing that and enjoying it just as much as I've always enjoyed it." Jess Carter Position: Defender | Age: 27 | Caps: 44 | Number: 16 Often an unsung hero in defence, Carter played an important role at the last World Cup due to her versatility and can play in both at the left side of a back three and back four. Moved from Chelsea to New York-based Gotham FC last summer, reuniting with former Blues goalkeeper and fiancee Ann-Katrin Berger. There would be another reunion if England play Germany in the knockout stages as Berger is their starting goalkeeper. Niamh Charles Position: Defender | Age: 25 | Caps: 23 | Number: 3 The Chelsea full-back, who missed most of the first half of the season with a shoulder injury, faces a selection battle with former team-mate Carter but appears to have the edge. Her connection with club team-mate Lauren James on the left can be a bonus and Charles has showed her strengths as a willing runner in recent internationals around the outside and as a recovering defender. 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The Independent
44 minutes ago
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The Independent
44 minutes ago
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Who is Aggie Beever-Jones? From Lionesses hat-trick to Euro 2025 breakthrough
When Aggie Beever-Jones was invited to train with England 's senior team for the first time, the forward wasn't as nervous as some may expect. At 20, Beever-Jones was starting to get regular minutes at Chelsea, having broken into Emma Hayes' side and earning her place among a world-class squad of internationals. With England, there were some star names, but also many familiar faces from her club: it wasn't as big a step as many others face when they receive the call from the Under-23s. But that has also been the key to Beever-Jones making England's squad for the Euros, taking everything in her stride with an emerging sense of confidence. A year on, there is no question that Beever-Jones claimed her spot in England's Euros squad on merit. In 2022, the lifelong Chelsea supporter was at Wembley as a fan as England defeated Germany to win the Euros. Flash forward to 2025 and Beever-Jones is a contender for PFA Young Player of the Year, a treble-winner with Chelsea, and already has a Wembley hat-trick for England to her name. Sarina Wiegman was already convinced by Beever-Jones' ability to add versatility and depth to England's front-line, but the 33-minute hat-trick in the 6-0 win over Portugal certainly did no harm. For Wiegman, her mind was likely made up long before, given Beever-Jones' consistency and goal-scoring form for Chelsea in their first season under Sonia Bompastor. With Sam Kerr sidelined and Lauren James struggling with injuries, the 21-year-old stepped up and finished as their top scorer, with 13 in all competitions. 'She's a goalscorer,' Wiegman said after her hat-trick against Portugal. 'She scores goals very easy. She has such quick feet, takes good positions. When she's high up the pitch she's tight on the ball too. She played really relaxed.' Her rise came as no surprise to international team-mate Maya Le Tissier, the Manchester United captain who has come through the England youth teams alongside Beever-Jones. 'She's playing at Chelsea, there's so many world-class players but I'll go on to Flashscore and be like, 'Oh Aggie has scored again',' Le Tissier says. 'It's just sick - obviously she has been at Chelsea for so long and they're signing all these players for however much money - and you still see that Aggie is on the score sheet pretty much all the time. I think that's when you know - what a player.' Beever-Jones certainly bucks the trend as Chelsea's homegrown hero, in an era where the dominant Women's Super League champions can spend world-record fees on top internationals. From going to Stamford Bridge to watch games with her Grandad, Beever-Jones joined the club's academy at the age of nine, signing her first professional contract with the Blues when she turned 18. Beever-Jones gained experience of the WSL with loan spells at Bristol City and Everton before returning to Chelsea to make her breakthrough in the 2023/24 season. Hayes found a role for Beever-Jones as an impact substitute - using her pace and directness against tiring defences - and she scored five goals in five games in her first weeks as a Chelsea first-team player. 'Aggie is so raw. You just never really know what she's going to do,' Le Tissier explains when asked to describe her friend's strengths as an attacker. 'She's very unpredictable. It's kind of hard to defend against that. I feel like she always knows what she is doing, but it's really hard for the defenders to know what Aggie is doing. Obviously a very good finisher as well.' Beever-Jones' England debut came against the Republic of Ireland as the Lionesses qualified for the Euros. She returned to Chelsea to start work under Bompastor, who replaced the departing Hayes. Losing the figure who had given her the chance to shine for Chelsea could have been a challenge, but Beever-Jones impressed Bompastor, won her trust, and was a key part in their unbeaten domestic season under the French coach. Having worked her way through the England age groups, Beever-Jones has now shown Wiegman what she can bring to the senior side. While the forwards are the strongest area of the team, Beever-Jones met Wiegman's requirements as an explosive, versatile option who can bring some of that unpredictability to her attack either as a starter or a substitute. She can thrive as a runner in behind or finisher in the box. And, after taking her chance at Chelsea, Beever-Jones is not daunted by her first major international tournament. 'You're coming into a group of players that you idolise growing up, and then you've got to somewhat just show everyone what you can do and deal with that pressure,' she said. 'I'd like to say I definitely feel more comfortable now, but comfortable in a way where I'm still constantly pressuring myself every day in this environment and learning off some world class players.'
