Arriving at the back post

The African Cup of Nations had it all. From goalkeeper despair to penalty-saving heroics, forgotten names in the game are shining amongst some of the world’s best, but a lot of that has been covered. Ivory Coast were the victors but their journey to lifting the trophy was scattered with chaos, despair and then eventual joy, but it was a beautiful end for the host country. The Elephants were among the favourites to win the competition, but it wasn’t a tournament for the bigger nations on the continent. In fact, it was one to forget for most of them. Tunisia and Algeria departed at the group stage , but the biggest collapse would have been Ghana, and the players were left to know how disastrous their campaign was. Delali Phrank Awutey was covering The Black Stars at the event, and after Chris Hughton’s side bottled their two-goal lead against Mozambique, the Ghanaian press was not impressed. From a press point of view, it allows journalists from African countries to get cl...

The non-league side that have used relegation to battle back and are now aiming for Wembley. Lincoln United’s FA Vase match against Hallam is more than just a game it signifies the incredible turnaround the club has had since last year’s relegation. The 2022/23 campaign was tough for all involved in United and after a few near misses in previous years, the Whites finally saw their five-year stay in the Northern Premier League come to an end. Normally it is two teams that are relegated to the United Counties League Premier North division but after losing their Inter-Step Play-Off against Avro the Whites have succumbed to step five. FULL TIME ⚽️❌ Full Time and it ends in heart break for The Whites, we are relegated. The Management and players put their all into trying to stay up and we can’t thank them enough. We go again. One club. #TheWhites pic.twitter.com/naBHzPHljS — Lincoln United FC (@LincolnUnited) April 29, 2023 Sam Wilkinson joined the club halfway through last season ...

Bob Bradley departed and John Herdman came in but it looks as if the Englishman will have similar issues in his first-ever club job. T oronto FC Fans at Columbus Stadium in the game against Columbus Cre w ( Socceronly ) Toronto FC fans have had to endure some miserable seasons. Their maiden campaign in the MLS failed to promise hope for the future, the 2012 season was record-breaking for all the wrong reasons , then 2023 was a combination of both, but dubbed with far higher expectations. All the excitement that TFC fans bought into the 2023 season was quickly snatched, with lacklustre performances, impotent attackers and unimposing defenders all leading to them recording the least number of points in a season, the fewest wins obtained and a rock-bottom finish in the Eastern Conference. As they were racking up these dismal tallies, a toxic atmosphere at the club reaped through the BMO Field , with their two designated players somewhat responsible. The pair was Lorenzo Insigne and ...

The English coach who is leading the World's smallest nation island to their footballing debut Over my few years interviewing a range of people involved in football, there aren’t many who speak more passionately about the sport than Charlie Pomroy. After chatting for only 40 minutes on Zoom, I felt inspired to a new level in a sport I have played for half of my life, albeit a record of two goals in seven years probably shows my quality. Luckily for Charlie, he doesn’t have to coach a player that bad, but after moving to Cambodia 11 years ago, the Englishman does face different challenges. When the Stevenage-raised coach arrived in Asia, the national team was still on FIFA’s blacklist due to an investigation into match-fixing. Although over a decade on, Cambodian football looks completely different. In 2018, the national team even hired the former AC Milanplayer Keisuke Honda as their head coach . The Japanese international left his role last year, but during his stint as ...

The most exciting MLS players who could be heading to Europe in the transfer window Thiago Almada (left) and an Arsenal player during the 2023 MLS All-Star Game. ( David ) Over the past couple of years, European clubs have often turned to the MLS in the search of players, and with January now upon us and the MLS season wrapped up, it only means one thing. The European transfer window is upon us, and clubs will start swooping around the next best talent from across the Atlantic in the hope of boosting their season. Here are five players that could be on the move over the next month.   Thiago Almada Thiago Almada has had an incredible 12 months, from ending 2022 as a World Champion to then heading into 2024 as the MLS Young Player of the Year, and all this happened after he arrived at Atalanta United as the most expensive MLS player ever. But after recording 12 goals and 16 assists in 33 league games, the Argentinian midfielder has made it clear that his MLS chapter might be...