Stevenage sign Plymouth defender Earley
Saxon Earley played three times for Lincoln during a loan spell last season [Getty Images]
Stevenage have signed defender Saxon Earley from fellow League One side Plymouth Argyle for an undisclosed fee.
The 22-year-old returns to the Lamex Stadium on a permanent deal after a loan spell with the club in 2022.
Advertisement
He is the second player to swap Plymouth for Stevenage in a week following midfielder Jordan Houghton on Friday.
Earley joined the Pilgrims in January 2023 and made 11 appearances in his first season, scoring twice, before spending 2024-25 on loan with Lincoln and Wycombe.
He played 27 times for Stevenage during their promotion-winning campaign to League One during a loan spell from former club Norwich City.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
40 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Jalen Brunson breaks silence on Knicks' shocking Tom Thibodeau firing
Jalen Brunson has finally spoken. Kind of. The superstar guard reacted Sunday on Instagram to the Knicks' firing of head coach Tom Thibodeau on Tuesday. Brunson posted a photo of him with Thibodeau with a heart emoji, and another emoji of fingers crossing. Brunson had publicly endorsed Thibodeau, who had three years left on his contract, last week after the Knicks were eliminated in six games by the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals. Advertisement It was the Knicks first trip to the conference finals in 25 years, but despite being the betting favorite ahead of Game 1, they failed to advance. Jalen Brunson has publicly stood behind in support of Tom Thibodeau. NBAE via Getty Images Asked if Thibodeau is 'the right guy' to take the Knicks to the next level — presumably a championship or at least the NBA Finals — Brunson appeared taken aback that the question had even been considered. 'Is that a real question right now? You just asked me if I believe he's the right guy,' Brunson said following the Knicks' 125-108 Game 6 loss to the Pacers on May 31. 'Yes. Come on,' he added. Thibodeau, hired ahead of the 2020-21 season, was fired despite serving as the Knicks' most successful head coach this century. Jalen Brunson posted this photo on Instagram, acknowledging Tom Thibodeau's firing. Getty Images He coached 400 regular-season games with the Knicks, the fourth most in the organization's history, and became the first head coach to lead the team to at least four playoff trips within a five-year period since Jeff Van Gundy. Advertisement Thibodeau's four playoff trips are tied for the fourth most in Knicks history. Also, his 24-23 playoff record gives him the fourth-highest post-season winning percentage for the organization at 51.1 — the best mark of any head coach to not lead New York to the NBA Finals. Only Red Holzman, Pat Riley and Van Gundy have definitively more decorated Knicks coaching tenures since the franchise's inception in 1947 with the introduction to the NBA, though some might also fight for the success of Joe Lapchick, who coached the team from 1948-1956. The Knicks head coaching search is expected to pick up steam in the coming days as Thibodeau's eventual replacement is set to fill a void with immensepressure at the helm, unlike any we've seen from the franchise in at least a quarter century.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
How Carlos Alcaraz broke his own limits - and Jannik Sinner - to win astonishing French Open final
In his ascent to becoming a four-time grand slam champion at the age of 22, there was one thing that Carlos Alcaraz had yet to manage: in eight attempts, the Spaniard had never before come from two sets down to win a match. He had certainly never come from three championship points down. As Jannik Sinner, the World No 1, stood on the brink of extending his winning streak to a third grand slam title, the odds of Alcaraz beating his young rival looked impossible. But Alcaraz held a super-power up his sleeve: in an astonishing, five-hour, 29-minute epic, the deeper the trouble Alcaraz faced, the higher the level he produced, and the further he soared. When Sinner stood with three championship points in the fourth set, at 5-3 0-40 on the Alcaraz serve, the Spaniard licked his lips, wiped his brow, and got to work. He saved all three, whipping his arms and roaring around Court Philippe-Chatrier - alive. Advertisement And from being that close to defeat against the dominant World No 1, Alcaraz pulled off his most astonishing escape yet, winning 4-6 6-7 6-4 7-6 7-6 (10-2) in a match tiebreak to end one of the greatest grand slam finals ever played. He defended his Roland Garros crown on the Paris clay, winning his fifth grand slam title while, somehow, remaining undefeated in major finals. He did so after saving those three Championship points, then as Sinner served for his third consecutive grand slam, and then as he raced away with a one-sided final tiebreak. Alcaraz consoles Sinner after winning the French Open final (Getty Images) Funnily enough, Alcaraz had already told us how this French Open final would unfold. A month ago, just after he had defeated Sinner to win the Italian Open in Rome, Alcaraz told the world where any match against Sinner was going to be won and lost. 'If I don't play at my best, 10 out of 10, it's going to be impossible to beat him,' Alcaraz said. This was a final that was decided by surges: Sinner hitting the front, Alcaraz roaring back, Sinner raising his level again. When Alcaraz faced the end in the fourth set but stayed alive, that, right there, was when the Spaniard's dial hit the red and exploded off the charts. Because when Alcaraz opened his wings and locked in, there was nothing Sinner could do to stop him. He won 15 of the final 19 points in the match against the top seed, going from 15-30 as Alcaraz served at 5-6 in the final set, to 10-2 in the championship tiebreak, all while hitting an extraordinary series of shots that had Court Philippe-Chatrier losing its mind; leaving reasonable, measured people screaming with their head in their hands. Advertisement That is the irresistible, unstoppable power of Alcaraz: from the dipping backhand winner crosscourt to reach the tiebreak, the plucked volley on the run in the decider, and the backhand down the line that left Sinner standing helplessly with his hands on his hips. Then, on match point, the forehand winner down the line before dropping to the clay. (Getty Images) On the other side of the net, the 23-year-old Sinner suffered what is by far the most painful defeat of his life. The sport's undisputed, unflinching No 1, who had smothered and subdued Alcaraz and his shot-making to take a two-set lead, was instead dragged into the depths of a fight that he was not prepared for. But, to his immense credit, Sinner did not sink. Even when he looked broken, with his legs pulled from underneath him, Sinner levelled the fifth set as Alcaraz served for the title, the astonishing drama continuing. And yet, Sinner who lost in a grand slam final for the first time, has now lost all seven matches he had played that have gone over the four-hour distance. Alcaraz won the match when he forced him to go there, with Alcaraz now also winning five matches in a row against his young rival, but how he even got to the fifth will defy belief. Advertisement Cornered, Alcaraz came out swinging bigger than before, forcing Sinner into three consecutive forehand misses on the three championship points, the first long, the second into the net out right, the third into the middle of the net. From 0-40 down, Alcaraz won 12 of the next 13 points, breaking Sinner to love when he served for the title at 5-4. Ruthlessly, when Sinner was at his most vulnerable, Alcaraz crushed his resilience with a series of drop shots that sucked the soul from the Italian. (Getty Images) At the same time, Alcaraz plugged his electric spark into the crowd and conducted them into a frenzy: alternating from either standing like a statue, with his finger to his ear, or dancing around the back of the court like a prize fighter in the ring. When Alcaraz was on a surge, there is nothing else like him. In the third-set tiebreak, he went from 0-2 down to 7-1. For the first time in the match, he hit back-to-back aces, painting the lines on both sides. And yet, Sinner did not allow Alcaraz to pull away. He had two break points as Alcaraz served at 2-1, but the Spaniard held in a 10-minute game. It is highly unusual to see Sinner show signs of frustration on the court, but there was nowhere for the Italian to hide as Alcaraz pulled off another delicate drop shot to force his heavy legs into another sprint from the baseline. Advertisement Alcaraz had been a break down in the third, too. Importantly, even though he had lost the second-set tiebreak, Alcaraz had managed to find a groove for the first time in the final and returned there to dig in his claws and pull himself back into the match. With Sinner serving at 4-5, Alcaraz then played his best return game of the match to win four consecutive points against the Sinner serve, sending the Italian left and right and then moving through the court to dispatch the volley. (Getty Images) While he had never come from two sets down in his young career, Alcaraz had battled over the five-set distance numerous times, compiling an outstanding record when matches have gone over the four-hour mark, including to win last year's French Open final against Alexander Zverev. Even at 22, his fifth-set record is already outstanding, and Alcaraz jumped into the lead when he broke Sinner in the third game. But the jeopardy of the final set became clear when Sinner broke to level the set as Alcaraz served for the title. Sinner somehow reached an Alcaraz drop shot, flicking the pick-up over the net. As the clock ticked to five hours, Alcaraz netted and Sinner, incredibly, was back within a game of it, then within two points as he got to 15-30 and deuce. But Alcaraz had already survived. For one last time, he took off towards the finish line, and did not look back.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Monday Leaderboard: Phil Mickelson unleashes one more thrill on eve of U.S. Open
Welcome to the Monday Leaderboard, where we run down the weekend's top stories in the wonderful world of golf. Grab an Arnold Palmer, pull up a chair and get ready for Phil to take one more ride … Phil Mickelson throws it back, throws it close If it's June, it's time for Can-Phil-finally-win-the-big-one stories. Granted, Phil's chances of finally winning the U.S. Open and completing the career grand slam are only marginally better than yours at this point. But every so often, Mickelson — who's played in near-anonymity on the LIV Golf tour for the last four seasons — reminds us of what used to be, as he did on Sunday at the LIV Golf Virginia event. Mickelson has indicated that this week could be his final U.S. Open. His star has dimmed substantially in the last few years, but he remains one of the most compelling, significant and polarizing figures in golf history. And shots like that — the willingness to attempt them, the ability to pull them off — are a large reason why. The game's a little less lively now that he's not around as much. Fox on a run in Canada Talk about getting in just under the wire. Ryan Fox took four playoff holes to win the RBC Canadian Open Sunday and earn the final spot in this week's U.S. Open. Fox outlasted Sam Burns, who had posted a final-round 62 to hold the clubhouse lead at -18. Fox needed to hole a 17-foot birdie on the 18th to force the playoff. The extra holes were not exactly a heavyweight fight; both players let opportunities slip away. But on the fourth extra hole, Fox uncorked a brilliant approach that sealed the win: Another LIV tourney, another Joaco victory Earlier this year, Mickelson deemed Joaquin Niemann the best player in the world. That was characteristic Mickelson overhype, but it's pretty tough to argue that Niemann isn't the best player in LIV right now, Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau included. Niemann has won four times in eight tournaments this season, his latest coming Sunday in Virginia, a one-stroke victory over Graeme McDowell and Anirban Lahiri. Niemann's LIV success hasn't exactly translated to success in majors — Niemann has exactly one major top-10 in his career, a T8 last month at the PGA Championship. He'll get another shot to prove Mickelson correct this week at Oakmont. Maybe if he plays the majors in shorts and has some pulsing music around … Joaquin Niemann, a winner again. () (Alex Goodlett via Getty Images) Kupcho rebounds from confusion, frustration to win ShopRite 'I don't know what I'm doing. I don't know how to swing a golf club. I have no idea how to do this anymore.' That was Jennifer Kupcho, 2022 Chevron Championship winner, earlier this year. After some hard conversations with her inner circle, Kupcho found something that worked — she rode a final-round 66 to a one-stroke victory in the ShopRite LPGA Classic in New Jersey. It's Kupcho's first victory since 2022, and it comes just a week after she missed the cut at the U.S. Women's Open at Erin Hills. Not a bad turnaround, both for a week and for a career. Hide your scorecards, the U.S. Open has arrived And here we are — the toughest week of the year, if you're a pro. Since you're probably not, it's one of the best weeks of the year. The U.S. Open tees off later this week at Oakmont, one of America's truly great courses, and early reports are calling for carnage. Like, for example, Ben Griffin's on-site video of the rough: This is going to be a lot of fun. Well, not for the players, but definitely for the rest of us. We'll be reporting live from Oakmont all week, bringing you every par, bogey and (occasional) birdie from Western Pennsylvania. You ready? This week: PGA Tour/LIV Golf/PGA Tour Champions: U.S. Open (Oakmont), LPGA: Meijer LPGA Classic (Michigan).
