Pick of the stats: Norwich City v Portsmouth
With Norwich already looking ahead to next season, according to midfielder Anis Ben Slimane, Portsmouth might fancy their chances of taking advantage of side with little to play for over the next four games as Pompey try to seal their place in the Championship for next term.Four points clear of trouble, maybe one more win will do it - that's certainly the view of BBC Radio Solent's Andrew Moon on the latest edition of the Who Needs Mourinho? podcast.Here are the stats ahead of their Good Friday game (15:00 BST).Norwich City have won only three of their past 12 Football League games against Portsmouth (D5 L4), though are unbeaten in their last two meetings (W1 D1).After beating Norwich 2-0 in December 2010, Portsmouth could win successive away league games against the Canaries for the first time since September 1968.Norwich are unbeaten in their past four league games on Good Friday (W2 D2), winning each of their last two against Blackburn in 2023 (2-0) and Plymouth in 2024 (2-1).Portsmouth are unbeaten in their past nine league games on Good Friday (W5 D4), though did lose their last such game in the second tier 3-0 at Ipswich in 2003.Norwich's Josh Sargent (10 goals) and Portsmouth's Josh Murphy (10 – three goals, seven assists), are two of the four players to have 10+ goal involvements in the Championship in 2025.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Midfielder Field signs QPR contract extension
Queens Park Rangers midfielder Sam Field has signed a new contract to extend his stay at the Championship 27-year-old has made 179 appearances in four-and-a-half years with Rangers since initially joining on loan from West Bromwich Albion in February QPR have not disclosed the length of the new contract, Field told the club website, external he feels he still has plenty to offer as a senior player."I want to step into more of a leadership role, which I think I'm doing, and I'm enjoying that," he said."I think I've progressed a lot - I've still got a hell of a lot to work on, I'm not going to deny that, but it excites me what I've done, and it excites me what I can hopefully go on to achieve."
BBC News
2 hours ago
- BBC News
Octopush: The underwater world of snorkels and strategy
Octopush - or Underwater Hockey - was devised more than 70 years ago as a way to keep diving enthusiasts occupied during the winter. It has now grown to accommodate more than 1,800 players and almost 70 registered clubs across the UK, but just what is it?"It's a lot more active, a lot more engaging and a lot more fun than swimming or sitting in a bath, or other forms of being wet," Richard Allum tells me before he adjusts his snorkel and disappears underwater, with a flick of his a Friday evening at Archbishop Holgate School in York, and like many sports teams, York Octopush have met for their weekly training might be hard to believe there's any action taking place at first - there's a few ripples on the surface, but little else to see from the metres down, however, it's a different story. Like a shoal of fish, players surge along the bottom of the pool, brandishing small curved sticks in pursuit of a bright pink puck. This is Octopush, also known as underwater hockey; a fast-paced game not unlike it's land-based counterpart, which requires players to hold their breath while they try to score goals against the opposing unconventional sport can trace its origins back to Portsmouth in Blake, founder of the Southsea Sub-Aqua Club, invented the game to keep members active over winter, when conditions made open-water diving an unappealing prospect. The unusual moniker is derived from the original game set-up; eight players - hence the 'octo' - using a small stick or 'pusher' to manoeuvre a puck along the bottom of a pool. "Everyone starts from nothing, because nobody's played before, so it puts you on an even playing field," Steven Whitelock, from York Octopush explains."It's a team sport where there's room to make your own strategies around your team's strengths and weaknesses, because it's such a fresh environment [for everybody]." There are currently 68 underwater hockey clubs registered in the UK and an estimated 1,800 people play every year according to its governing body, the British Octopush Association. While not yet an Olympic sport, it is recognised by the International Olympic Committee, and made its debut at the Southeast Asian Games in people are constantly surprised by how intense and physically demanding it can be, says York Octopush's chairperson Sam Birt."Most people expect it to be quite slow-paced but people are always surprised how fast it is, you can flick the puck a couple of metres along the bottom of the pool," he says."It's also excellent fitness. It's a lot more entertaining than swimming lengths if you're a good swimmer."While billed as non-contact, the nature of the game means a certain amount of jostling for position takes gear includes gloves, swimming caps and mouth guards, although any flailing elbows are taken in good grace, according to Steven."There's no hard feelings if it's an accident, we're a friendly bunch. But it doesn't happen very often," he says. The modern-day game is played between mixed gender teams of six, in two 15-minute halves with five minutes rest in between. For many at the training session, this inclusivity is as much part of the appeal as the physical benefits of exercise."We're not just talking about the binary here but absolutely anybody and everybody and that's really important to me," member Rebecca says."There's a size diversity in Octopush too. For me, being able to walk into a sport and play with all different body types is fantastic."Now newbies have a chance to try it out for themselves, with a free taster session put on by York Octopush taking place club is eager to recruit new members of all ages and abilities - the only requirements are being a confident swimmer, and owning a costume and a pair of taster session is taking place at Yearsley Swimming Pool between 15:00 - 16:00 BST, where all the kit will provided. "People are always amazed when they see [the sport] for the first time, it's quite unbelievable," Sam adds."There's no pressure for you to keep coming, but I'd say come along to a session and find out more." Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
Scottish Sun
2 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Harry Darling battle heats up as Rangers boss Russell Martin battles old club and rivals in early test of spending power
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) NEW Rangers boss Russell Martin has competition from at least three Championship sides as he bid to bring Harry Darling to Ibrox. We told you at the start of the week how the centre half, who is a free agent as his contract expires at Swansea City, was high on Martin's wanted list. Sign up for the Rangers newsletter Sign up 4 Harry Darling of Swansea City in action Credit: Getty 4 Russell Martin Credit: PA 4 And with his contract expiring in Wales at the end of the month, it appears a decision on his destination could be close. Darling, 25, made 39 appearances for Swansea last season as they finished 11th in the Championship. He's a powerful centre half whose made more than 100 appearances for the Welsh outfit. He's a headline writers' dream and has an eye for goal too - even if he isn't the tallest. And he's worked with Martin twice, at both MK Dons and Swansea, where he knows all about his preference for his teams to be able to play out from the back. Back in his Swansea days, Martin said: 'He's very young and hungry and he possesses all the attributes you need to play at the very top, in my opinion, and it's up to us to help him unlock those now. 'He's got athleticism, mentality, technical ability and, first and foremost, he's a great character." Darling could be a key acquisition in an area where the Gers let Leon Balogun walk at the end of his deal - as major question marks remain over the future of Robin Propper. But the bad news for the Ibrox men is that they may have to push the boat out amid major interest in the player from one of Martin's former clubs, Norwich City - whose manager Liam Manning ALSO worked with the player at MK Dons. Manning said this week: "I had a terrific time with Harry a few years ago at MK, and I thought he was outstanding. And look, he's really excelled at the level. For me, I think he's someone that's showing what he's capable of at Championship level." Moment Ally McCoist interrupts live radio to congratulate his 'wee pal' on signing for Rangers Big-spending Birmingham City are interested too, as are ambitious Wrexham. Swansea City would clearly love to keep him but the chances of that are diminishing and director of football Richard Montague recently admitted the cub were desperate to avoid such scenarios from cropping up in future. Darling is not the first Swansea player in recent seasons to see his contract come to an end – and Montague accepts the club must look to avoid similar scenarios in the future. He said: "We want to keep our best players and we don't want to get in the situation where those players can do what Harry has been able to do, which is brilliant for Harry but less good for us as a club. 4 Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
