Latest news with #ThirdDivision
DW
24-05-2025
- Sport
- DW
Stuttgart beat Arminia Bielefeld 4-2 to win German Cup – DW – 05/24/2025
Third Division winners Bielefeld had their dreams dashed by Stuttgart, who lifted their fourth ever German Cup. The final proved one step too far for giant-killers Bielefeld, who beat Leverkusen en route to Berlin. Stuttgart survived a late scare against underdogs Arminia Bielefeld to win the German Cup final 4-2 at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin on Saturday night. The Bundesliga side had been cruising after going four goals up with over 20 minutes left to play. But Stuttgart were made to hold off a late fightback from the Third Division champions, who scored twice in the last 10 minutes. No fairytale ending for Arminia Nick Woltemade opened the scoring in the 15th minute to settle any nerves the Stuttgart fans might have been feeling against a Bielefeld side that had dumped out Bundesliga giants Bayer Leverkusen in the semi-final. Enzo Millot doubled Stuttgart's lead after 22 minutes, with Denis Undav underlining Stuttgart's superiority just six minutes later as he put the Bundesliga team 3-0 up with less than half an hour played. Millot added his second and Stuttgart's fourth after 66 minutes. Bielefeld did give their supporters something to cheer about, however, bagging two goals — a Julian Kania effort and an own goal from Josha Vagnoman — in the last 10 minutes to make the scoreline more respectable. Stuttgart clinched the trophy for the first time since 1997, as the Bundesliga club lifted their fourth German Cup title. Arminia Bielefeld prepare for first German Cup final To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Bielefeld's impressive run to German Cup final Despite the result, Bielefeld had plenty to be proud of having never previously made the German Cup final and became just the fourth side from the third division to qualify for the occasion. Since their first Bundesliga season in 1970-71, the club have bounced between the first and third tiers of German football. Their last spell in the top-flight was followed by successive relegations in 2022 and 2023. Bielefeld overcame four Bundesliga sides in their run to the final, beating Union Berlin in the second round, Freiburg in the Round of 16, Werder Bremen in the quarterfinals and Leverkusen in the semis. Although Berlin's Olympic Stadium holds 74,000, around 100,000 Arminia fans, roughly a third of Bielefeld's population, descended on the German capital for the historic occasion. Bielefeld won promotion to the second division earlier in May. They are just the fourth club in German Cup history to reach the final from the third division. Stuttgart find success after years in wilderness Even while their youth academy continued to churn out talent, Stuttgart had fallen away after winning their last Bundesliga title in 2007. Stuttgart had sat dead last in the Bundesliga and were staring at a third relegation in a decade, when they appointed Sebastian Hoeness in April 2023. Hoeness, the nephew of Bayern Munich powerbroker Uli, kept Stuttgart in the top-flight via a relegation playoff. A season later, he guided the club to second place, 40 points better than the previous season, and back into the Champions League. This season, Stuttgart finished in mid-table as they juggled European commitments and their German Cup run, but the future remains bright. Edited by: Alex Berry
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Port Glasgow boss proud of players' efforts despite missing out on league title
PORT Glasgow manager Tam Jamieson says he's proud of his players' efforts despite watching their bid for Fourth Division title glory fall just short on Saturday. Jamieson's men did what was required of them by sweeping aside St Peter's 3-0 at Parklea in their final match of the season in front of a bumper crowd. The Undertakers have known for some weeks that they'll be playing Third Division football in 2025-26, promotion having been secured with a 6-1 win away to Campbeltown Pupils on April 12. But those hoping to see the Undertakers snatch the championship trophy from under the noses of long-time leaders Knightswood saw those dreams dashed as the Glasgow side, who started the final day three points ahead of Jamieson's men, romped to the title with a 5-1 win at home to Eglinton. Missing out on the title, though, didn't dampen the Port players' moods too much, with plenty of celebrations when they returned to the dressing room after the final whistle. Missing out on the title didn't stop Port Glasgow's players celebrating promotion in style. (Image: alex craig) And Jamieson could only hail his troops for doing what was required as results elsewhere went against them. He told the Tele: 'We've said it for much of the season, we weren't going away and we've stayed there all year up until a final kick of the ball. 'Fair play to Knightswood for getting the job done and doing what was required when it mattered most. 'It's important we build now for next season and approach the Third Division as strongly as possible. 'We've finished off with three goals and a clean sheet. We can't really ask for much more. READ MORE: Port Glasgow boss wants home crowd to bring the noise for final day title decider 'The job's done. We've done what we set out to do which was to get the club back into the third division at the first time of asking. 'It was good for Wiggzy [Shaun Wigzell] to finish off with a clean sheet too.' After a goalless first 45 minutes, Port took the lead barely five minutes into the second half thanks to an inspired substitution by Jamieson: Kenny Mearns only had two touches of the ball since his introduction at the interval, but his third, fourth and fifth proved decisive as he picked up the ball with his back to goal before instinctively turning into space and driving the ball into the bottom left corner. Ronnie Wilson thought he'd doubled his side's lead with an hour gone; he did well to win the ball high and tee up Dylan McLaughlin, who saw his effort parried into the path of the stand-in midfielder, and though Wilson timed his follow-up run well, he could only find the side netting from close range. Dylan McLaughlin scored the Port's second and third goals. (Image: alex craig) Their second would come five minutes later after Mearns was scythed down in the penalty area, with McLaughlin refusing to leave anything to chance by rifling the resulting spot-kick into the bottom corner with his right foot. And McLaughlin completed the scoring when he doubled up in style 20 minutes from time thanks to some good work from full-back Josh McGilvarey, who teed up his team-mate nicely for a cool finish into the bottom corner. The win saw the Port finish on 73 points but with the proud record of the highest goal tally in any of the WoSFL's five divisions – a total of 110 across their 30 league fixtures. And Jamieson says that the win caps off the progress that the Undertakers have made over the course of the last 12 months to bounce straight back after their relegation to the bottom tier. He added: 'The progress we've made from the start of the season until now is night and say. Port Glasgow boss Tam Jamieson told the Tele he's delighted with the progress the club has made in the last 12 months. (Image: alex craig) 'Players have joined, players have left. We're delighted with the way the club is going if I'm being honest. 'We just need to add a bit more and hopefully we can kick on again next year.' Joining the Port and Knightswood in the Third Division next season will be Kello Rovers, who also bounced back in style after being relegated 12 months ago and who sealed their promotion with a 3-1 midweek win away to East Kilbride Thistle. The Undertakers' promotion also sets up the juicy prospect of an Inverclyde 'El Clasico' next season after Greenock Juniors missed out on promotion to the Second Division by an agonising one-point margin on the final day.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Greenock Juniors boss demands one last push as promotion battle goes to the wire
GARY FLEMING has urged his Greenock Juniors side to give it one last push to drag themselves over the line and seal promotion to the Second Division. Come full-time on Saturday, Greenock will either be celebrating promotion success or bemoaning a very near miss in a dramatic West of Scotland season finale. There are a lot of ifs, buts and maybes, but essentially the scenario is this. Firstly, and most importantly, Nock must win against Lugar Boswell on Saturday to stand any chance of gaining promotion. Fleming says it's all built up to this moment (Image: alex craig) They then need a favour either Kilsyth Athletic or Threave Rovers slip up in their final matches. Kilsyth, who are on an eight-game winning streak, will likely require only a draw on Saturday against Glasgow Perthshire to confirm their promotion. However a draw will not suffice if Greenock can don their shooting boots and win by eight goals or more, overturning Kilsyth's current goal difference advantage. Threave, who have made light of their fixture congestion with wins on Saturday, Monday and Wednesday, must win at home against the already relegated Vale of Leven to secure promotion. A draw or loss for the Castle Douglas club would open the door for Greenock. As it stands Nock are in fourth place, two points behind second placed Kilsyth and one behind Threave, who won away to Glasgow United on Monday evening and followed that up with victory on the road against another already-relegated side, Irvine Vics, just 48 hours later - with the latter result pushing Greenock out of the automatic promotion places. And Fleming insists his side have been working towards this moment since they reported for pre-season last June. He told the Tele: 'Saturday's game is the culmination of our season's efforts. With promotion on the line this is the moment we've been working towards since pre-season. "We need one final push for three points. Our performances recently have been excellent and the atmosphere in the camp is relaxed." Nock will need to have their shooting boots on (Image: Alex Craig) Greenock faced off against Lugar two weeks ago, and came away with all three points. After a difficult first hour, Nock found the quality required to record 3-1 win against difficult opponents, who appointed former Irvine Vics boss Stuart MacDuff as their new manager this week. Ideally they will want that quality to be on display from kick off as was the case last Saturday against Finnart. That performance brought home the fact that when Nock achieve the right balance between the intensity levels and the technical quality in the squad, they are as good as any team in this league - and an enjoyable watch as well. And Fleming wants his side to give it one last push to try and get his side over the line and out of the Third Division. "We need one last top performance and we'll see where we stand at the final whistle," he said. "But we can't underestimate Lugar. They have a striker who has netted over 20 goals this season and their team will get a boost from their new manager. "We need to be ready to meet and face this challenge head on." The squad will still missing Dec McCormick who is struggling to shake off a back problem and Ross Canavan who is still nursing an ankle ligaments injury. Ryan Corr, who had to be substituted on Saturday towards the end of the first half, should be fine for Saturday's squad. Kick-off at Ravenscraig is at 2pm. Greenock are sponsored by Saveheat, Keystore Cowal View, Safer Group, The Lighthouse Bar, McGills, ARC and Blairs.
ITV News
09-05-2025
- Sport
- ITV News
Witnesses to Bradford City stadium fire recall horror 40 years on
On 11 May 1985 56 people were fatally injured in a devastating fire at Bradford City's Valley Parade stadium. More than 250 others were injured. Forty years on, people who were there share their memories of that fateful day. 'It went from boring to horror in seconds' Commentator Tony Delahunty was covering what should have been a celebratory occasion at Valley Parade for Pennine Radio. Bradford City had already clinched the Third Division title and had paraded their trophy around the pitch before what was effectively a meaningless fixture against Lincoln. The crowd of 11,000 was almost double the average attendance for that season and there was a carnival atmosphere inside the ground as the home fans anticipated their return to the second tier of English football. More than 2,000 of those supporters were in the dilapidated main stand, which was made of wood and had already been condemned. It was due to be pulled down days later, to be replaced with a steel stand. At 0-0, and with a distinctly end-of-season feel, the match itself seemed destined to be one to forget. "There was nothing special about the game, it was after the Lord Mayor's show," Delahunty says. "The first half was boring. There was nothing very much at stake. But it went from boring to horror in seconds." At 3.44 pm, five minutes before half-time, John Helm, who was commentating on the game for a special Yorkshire Television programme to be broadcast later that day, noticed something was wrong. An orange flicker could be seen three rows from the back of block G in the main stand - opposite Helm's commentary position. Remembering that moment, Helm says: "With the naked eye I just saw a little glow." But then the flames took hold. As the ball went out of play, Helm remarked during commentary: "We've actually got a fire in the stand on the far side of the ground - and that looks very nasty indeed." The commentator said recalling it sent "shudders" up his spine. "Initially it was just a tiny little fire, and those were my words," he said. Neil Redfearn, who was playing for Lincoln that day, was on the same side of the pitch as the main stand when the ball was kicked out of touch. "As I turned and the ball went into the stand, I could see part of the fire starting to take shape," he said. "It was almost like an out-of-body experience, it happened that quick. "People went from thinking they were ok, to panicking." 'Things started to get ugly' John Hawley, who was playing up front for Bradford, saw smoke starting to spread. He said: "I could see a commotion in the stand and I remember shouting 'calm down, calm down, it's just a bit of smoke'. "A minute or two later I was picking somebody up and throwing them over my shoulder and onto the pitch." In the stand was 17-year-old Bradford fan Matthew Wildman, who was watching with friends. He had gone to the game on crutches as he suffered from arthritis. He said: "Because everyone was enjoying themselves so much it was as if we couldn't tune into the fact that something was wrong, so even when people were being told there was a fire and we needed to move, it seemed to take an age for everyone to take it on board. "When we had to move we moved into the back corridor. The back corridor quickly filled up because the doors were locked. As people started to realise they had to move away from them, there seemed to be a bit of a stampede. "The back corridor started to fill up with smoke. That's when things started to get ugly." The fire - later found to have been started by a discarded cigarette - spread quickly from the back of the stand to the front and in the void underneath, where years of rubbish had accumulated. The wooden seating and the highly flammable roofing felt turned the whole terrace effectively into a giant tinder box. Some fans were buried as burning timbers and molten materials fell from the roof. Lee Duxbury, a Bradford City apprentice at the time, was among those in the stand. "Within minutes it had got worse and worse and then people started moving up the stairs," he said. "By the time I got up and walked to the back alley, the flames were literally above us. It was impossible to think straight. There were people screaming, people pushing past people. "As you were looking back and helping people you could see some horrific sights, where people were already trapped at the back." 'Pouring water from the toilets over people to stop them burning' Minutes earlier Terry Slocombe, the police inspector on duty at the ground, had thought he was dealing with the start of a relatively harmless pitch invasion as the first fans started to move away from the seat of the fire and onto the playing surface. What he quickly became confronted with was an unfolding human tragedy. "It just got hotter and hotter," he said. "Dave Britton's hair caught fire - one of my bobbies. There was a lot of people going up and trying to help and pull people out. My jacket started burning. I lost one lady, I got her part way out and then she slipped back and it wasn't until later on that I was told someone else had got her out. "We saw three people who were stuck in the gents' toilets under the stand and we went in... and the groundsman was actually pouring water from the toilets over these people to stop them burning." Commentator Tony Delahunty initially carried on describing for radio listeners what he was witnessing. In increasingly panicked tones, he said: "They're running out of that end of the ground at this moment. It looks like there could be a situation of panic and all the time people are spilling onto the pitch and we can see flames going up into the air. People are running around all round us." He eventually abandoned his position in the stand. "I wasn't burnt, but my knee had turned brown," he said. "The jeans I had on had turned brown at the front." 'The skin on my hands was bubbling' Mr Wildman, meanwhile, was desperately trying to escape. He said: "I'm a short person, so I was under these towering men around me and when they started to choke from the smoke and people were being jostled in a very thick, heavy crowd I was pushed down to the floor. "That was actually helpful for me because as they were choking on the smoke above me I could breathe underneath everybody and as they started to get affected by the smoke they dropped onto me and I ended up being covered underneath other bodies on the floor." He managed to struggle to the front of the stand, where there was an 8ft drop from the top of the retaining wall to the ground below. "I looked down and found that the wall that I was stood in front of, all the paint was bubbling up," he said. "Then, as I had my hands on the wall, I realised that all the skin on the backs of my hands was bubbling up as well, so it was a case of... now or never. I shouted out and threw myself over the wall." Mr Wildman was caught by a fellow fan and eventually carried from the ground having suffered extensive burns. As the rush for the exits continued, John Helm's commentary encapsulated the horror of what was happening. "They came to celebrate the club's promotion to the Second Division for the first time in 50 years and now they're running for their lives," he said. Recalling his thought process, Helm says: "I tried to be selective in what I was saying. My own private thoughts were, who is down there? And when the stand had gone, my word, that was traumatic. "The first inkling I had [of the scale of the disaster] was when two little boys climbed up the banking to my commentary position and said 'there's two dead down there mister'." 'Some just sat there in the end' It took just four-and-a-half minutes for the entire stand to be engulfed in the inferno. Bradford defender Dave Evans, who had joined in the rescue efforts, quickly realised there were some who could not be saved. "I remember being stood by the goalmouth and watching people in the stand and it was horrible," he said. "People couldn't get out. In fact, some people just sat there in the end." On the pitch, some fans were singing and dancing in almost celebratory mood, oblivious to the scale of the developing tragedy. Terry Slocombe and his fellow officers struggled to get some to leave the ground. He said: "We just stood in the middle of the field and there were bobbies' helmets all over, and coats, and we just stood there and thought, what the hell has happened? "I've seen quite a few bodies during the course of my service, but this was off the scale. "You couldn't understand how it happened, but you thought you could have done better. You thought you hadn't done enough." Firefighter Ben Hanney, who was only in the ground to sell tickets for an upcoming charity football match, became part of a full-scale rescue effort. He said: "It was the first time we had actually seen people losing their lives. As firefighters we had been to many fatalities, but we had never actually seen people losing their lives. In that fire we witnessed people losing their lives and that stays with you. You never get over that. "Probably the worst day ever, I think that's how you could describe it." 'You think, could I have done more?' After the fire burned itself out, emergency workers were left with the job of helping survivors and then of sifting through the wreckage that was left. The human cost was profound - 54 Bradford fans and two from Lincoln died. Many others suffered lifelong scars. Mr Hanney said: "At quarter past five I went home just to tell my wife was ok and I remember saying, 'I just want to go to the bedroom', and I just sat on the edge of the bed and I cried for five or ten minutes." The shock of witnessing such devastation caused some to experience post-traumatic stress. Terry Slocombe, who was later awarded the Queen's Gallantry Medal for bravery, said he suffered nightmares for weeks afterwards. "I used to dream I was in a drainpipe, with fire at either end and I just couldn't get out," he said. "We did get offered counselling eventually, but like all stupid men we thought we're hard enough to deal with this, it's not a problem. Suck up and deal with it." Others blocked out the memories of what they had seen. John Hawley said: "I'm fortunate, I think, in that my mind doesn't remember hardly any of it. I got some really nice letters saying 'thanks for saving me' and stuff like that and I can't remember it at all." A memorial to the 56 who died now stands at Valley Parade. The fact that the figure is not far higher is testament to the bravery of the many people who risked their own lives to help rescue hundreds of others. People like Ben Hanney, who reflects that it was a "miracle" that the death toll was not significantly greater. "At first you think, could I have done more?" he said. "And then you realise, no you couldn't - you did all you could."
Press and Journal
25-04-2025
- Sport
- Press and Journal
STARTING XI: Caley Thistle legend Ross Tokely on Barry Robson's shocking attire, 'absolute madman' team-mate and country music
Record-breaking Caley Thistle star Ross Tokely's career spanned 15 years and almost 600 games – from Division Three to the SPL – and he is this week's Starting XI interviewee. The full-back played in many of the Highland club's major milestones – including Scottish Cup triumphs against Celtic and Hearts – racking up an unrivalled 589 ICT appearances from 1997 to 2012. With the Caley Jags, he won the Third Division in 1997 and two First Division titles in 2004 and 2010. He was also a Challenge Cup winner in 2003-2004. After leaving Inverness, Tokely also played for Ross County in the Premiership and starred for Highland League sides Brora Rangers and Nairn County, who he has also managed. Tokely was also victorious in the North Caledonian League with St Duthus, where he earned Football Times Cup and North Caledonian Cup medals. Here, he takes us through some of the highlights from his playing career. I don't remember my debut (which was a 1-0 League Cup loss at Clyde on August 3, 1996), but I was probably the youngest in the team and it started off a very successful season for me as we won the Division Three (now League Two) title. I travelled through from (from Aberdeen) with (former ICT striker) Iain Stewart for training – given I was still at school, Iain was the driver. There was also a Caley Thistle fan who lived nearby in Aberdeen and he would take us most of the time to home and aways games. On the game itself, I think I was played on the right-hand side, but if we lost 1-0, it wouldn't really be a big memory for me. One thing I do remember about that time was the level between the Highland League and the Third Division… it was a step up in terms of the pace of the game. Any trophy I won was always a highlight. The Third Division trophy in my first season with Caley Thistle set the tone for all the promotions which followed. Both Championship, or First Division, titles we won were unbelievable. I would also say, at the age of 45, winning the North of Scotland Cup in 2023 with Nairn County, beating Caley Thistle and Ross County in the semi-final and final, was right up there. I played with a lot of really top players, but the one for me who was untouchable for so long was (101-goal ICT forward) Dennis Wyness. My game was about getting forward a lot of the time, but also to pass the ball on to feet, and he trusted me to find him with the pass, and there were two or three years at Inverness where he was unplayable. He started off poorly, don't get me wrong – and there was maybe a song about him! But no, Dennis scored some amount of goals and he put away a great variety of goals – anything from 25 to 30-yarders to tap-ins. The way he glided past opponents… I seen him often put rival players on the deck with that dragging movement. Dennis was always a good friend, who stayed with me for a while, so I'd pick Dennis – although this was a tough question! Again, I played against some really good players, but the guy I always struggled with was (ex-Ayr United winger) Craig Conway… which maybe helped get him his move to Dundee United! Craig was left and right-footed and at times I would really struggle to get the better of him. He was always a tricky opponent. He went on to have a really good career down south as well (mainly with Cardiff City and Blackburn Rovers). In terms of my Highland League days, Fraserburgh's Scott Barbour was always a tough opponent. He's been a terrific Highland League player and I'm surprised that he never made it higher – he had the ability. Scott was hard as nails, and strong, quick and such a great finisher. I always had to be on my toes against him. It was always a challenge. Hands down, Barry Robson. I shared digs with (the former Caley Thistle winger) for about a year and he's a lovely guy, but his dress sense… He would come to training looking like a tramp – odd socks, tracksuits, everything mismatching and his hair all over the shop. He often looked like he'd been dragged out of bed! To be fair, when he was manager of Aberdeen he looked a bit smarter, so maybe management has upped his levels. Firstly, I wouldn't lose any sleep over it should it be negative. It's a case of 'what you see is what you get' with me. Maybe being too honest at times doesn't do me favours, but I think when I stepped on the pitch I'd be someone who could be relied on. My dad and grandad used to say whenever you had a bad game, make sure you're right at it for the next match. If you ever didn't do your best, just make sure you respond next time. Make sure you keep that shirt with consistent performances. I think I showed a fair amount of consistency over the years. I know other people say it, but Tynecastle for me is special because of its atmosphere and the stands being so close to the pitch. I had a lot of good memories of playing there. If I look at when I played in the Highland League, I enjoyed going to Fraserburgh. It could be quite noisy, even with the wind as well, and the atmosphere overall made it one of the noisiest Highland League grounds. Two contrasting venues and I enjoyed them both. I always recall my volley with the left foot against Hearts at Tynecastle in the Scottish Cup (in January 2002). I also scored a cracking overhead kick against Dundee United, but there's probably no footage about – that would be in the top five for me. I also scored two memorable goals for Nairn County against Banks o' Dee – one was a volley, the other was a free-kick. I never took many free-kicks in my career because I was down the pecking order. There's only one man for this – Liam Keogh (ex-ICT midfielder). He was an absolute madman. We were on many an end-of-season Magaluf trip and we room-shared, but if there was one man to get you off a desert island, he'd be my pick. He's not shy and a total character. I always enjoyed his company and he's such a good story-teller. I do a fair bit of running. Over the least five years, and certainly over the last few months, I have been heavy on the running. I love spending time with my grandson and enjoy the river walks with the missus as well. I'm actually also into my country music right now, so I've been going to a lot of gigs, which I'm really enjoying.
