COVENTRY CITY’s Ben Sheaf is dreaming of a Wembley final in May.

However, the action-packed midfielder could just as well have prepared for his participation in the Olympic Games in Paris BEACH VOLLEYBAL – if he had followed the family tradition!

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“My mother Mandy represented Great Britain and England in beach volleyball and I went to a few European events and watched my brothers Jake and Luke represent GB when I was younger,” he said.

“Jake represented Great Britain in beach volleyball at the Commonwealth Games in Australia, but he is unlikely to make it to the Olympics this year as he now spends more time on the business side of volleyball.

“I chose football quite early in my career because it was the sport I loved most and it turned out to be a good choice.

“Also, my younger brother Max is a professional at Ross County in Scotland, while my father is a PE teacher, so we are a very sporty family.

“But I’d like to think I’d made a good attempt at going pro in a few other sports.

“I played volleyball as a kid and was decent and I was actually quite good at ping pong and tennis, as well as being Kent cross country champion four years in a row.

“I have played all sports and I would like to do well in any sport. Darts is my latest sport and I recently scored my first 180.

“But what I want above all is to establish myself as a Premier League player because I started at Arsenal and I aim to get back to that level.

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“Playing Wolves is a challenge we are all looking forward to as it gives us the opportunity to return to Wembley.

“We lost there in the Play-Off final last season and the memory drives us forward because we want to taste what it feels like to win at Wembley.

“The choice between playing an FA Cup final there or a Play-Off final is difficult, but I would go for the Play-Offs because our ultimate ambition is to play in the Premier League.”

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DWIGHT YORKE has revealed he has applied for the vacant Sunderland job.

Yorke played for the Black Cats during the twilight of his career, signing for them when he was 35 in 2006.

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The former striker was playing in Australia at the time and only signed after a phone call from then Sunderland manager Roy Keane.

On convincing Yorke to sign for Sunderland, Keane said: “Towards the end of his career, Yorke had a reputation as a bit of a party animal, but I knew Yorke loved the game.

“He was in Sydney and obviously he was their franchise player. I remember calling him from the training ground – I’m not sure what the time difference is but I called him and it was quite gloomy.

“I called him and said, ‘Yorkey, would you like to come to Sunderland?’ He said, ‘Are you serious?’ and I said yes.

“He had a penthouse on Sydney Harbour, but I said it would always be there, you could always go back to that.

“I said we have a big challenge here, but I knew deep down that he loved the game and I knew he was looking forward to it the challenge.”

Despite swapping Sydney for Sunderland, Yorke spent three years with the Black Cats, he said Ladbrokes Fan Zone it left a special mark on him.

Yorke said: “I’ve always kept an eye on Sunderland simply because I had a successful time there. Even though I was at the end of my career when I got them promoted and played a part in things, it was probably one of my greatest achievements, in the sense that my role as a player had changed.

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“I was surprised at how big the club was when I got there but the fan base is great. It’s a great stadium, it’s a great set up and I can only assume that things have improved even further in recent years in terms of of football.” the facilities.”

He also confirmed in the interview that he has handed in his CV to the club, with the hotseat vacant since Michael Beale was sacked.

“It’s a club I recently handed my CV to, if I’m honest, because I want the job. I know enough about Sunderland; I lived in the area for almost three years, so I understand the culture from the top down. there, and what the fans of that team want and expect.

It is very difficult to estimate what is happening behind the scenes if you are not there; you can only assume things. You can only assume things, and that can sometimes be a dangerous thought process.

“The most important thing would be to get in there and stabilize things. The most important thing is that I am a football fan through and through, so the football aspect is my main concern.

“You have to get the players to cooperate with what you are doing; you don’t know what the relationship is between the board and management, and what exactly is going on. But if you look from the outside, all you can do is look Let’s see what is happening on the field, and in my opinion they are underperforming opinion.

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“They should be much closer to the play-off spots if they don’t threaten the automatic spots.

“That should be the expectation at a club like Sunderland. You know you have a great fan base and a fantastic stadium and Sunderland is (or should be) a very difficult place to get a result when you beat the opposition are.” .

“There is a strong foundation to build on, and a club with a good track record of winning promotion.”

Sunderland currently sit twelfth in the Championship, eleven points behind Norwich in sixth place.

DI’SHON BERNARD has no regrets about leaving Manchester United to find his feet, just as a teammate emerged to find fame.

Defender Bernard, 23, scored an own goal in the Europa League in his only senior appearance for the Red Devils in November 2019.

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And while he is relieved to have joined Sheffield Wednesday on a free transfer last summer, he is excited about the talent of fellow Old Trafford academy player Kobbie Mainoo.

Bernard is happy to be a regular in the Championship after loan spells at Salford, Hull and Portsmouth.

And while United have a long history of being forced to move to progress, he is tipping 18-year-old Mainoo to become a long-term legend.

That’s a judgment that comes from Bernard’s own open-mouthed experience training alongside the England hopeful at United two years ago.

The Jamaica star told the Manchester Evening News: “I was like, ‘Who is this kid?’ You could immediately see from the things he did in training that he was going to be a top player.

“His dribbling was remarkable, he went through the players with ease and just walked like he wasn’t even trying.

“You could immediately tell he was one of those special players coming through the ranks and I’m proud to see him play for United and do what he does. He deserves it.”

Bernard added: “He’s one of those kids who doesn’t really talk much, he was a bit shy.

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“He just let his feet do the talking and you can still see that until now. He is a special talent.

“His mentality towards the game is like that of someone who has been playing for years; he is exactly that kind of professional.

“He is willing to learn, he is willing to work hard for the team and I think United need that.”

Midfielder Mainoo made his senior debut at the age of 17, while Bernard was a month short of his 19th birthday when his big day arrived: to Astana in Kazakhstan.

He said: “It was a very special moment for me… it was a long journey, very cold, but it was a moment that will stay with me forever.

“I was really buzzing. It was nerve-wracking, but I thought I did a good job.”

However, despite an early opener from Jesse Lingard, the minnows secured a famous 2-1 victory.

Dmitri Shomko leveled – before Bernard took an unfortunate deflection past his own keeper and fellow debutant Lee Grant.

Now he is focusing on rebuilding his career, taking a step back from the Premier League.

Bernard said: “Unfortunately it doesn’t work for everyone who plays for United, but that’s the way it is; everyone’s journey is different

“Unfortunately mine wasn’t at United and I just needed to get to a place where I could play a lot of games and build myself up again.

“I think Sheffield Wednesday was definitely the right place for me to do that. It’s been a mixed season but for me personally I’ve played a lot of games and shown everyone what I can do.”

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ACCRINGTON STANLEY fans have criticized the club’s “disgraceful” 43-word statement after sacking their long-serving manager.

The League Two side were thumped 4-0 at Wrexham yesterday, conceding all four in the first half in North Wales.

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This left the ‘Owd Reds 16th in the table after a third straight defeat as hopes of securing a play-off spot appear to be fading.

And it marked the end for Coleman, who had been boss since 2014, and his assistant Jimmy Bell.

Before this ten-year spell, Coleman had also managed Accrington from 1999 to 2012, taking them from the Northern Premier League to the EFL – a total of almost 23 years in the What Stadium dugout.

But despite his dedicated service to the club dating back to the last century, the 61-year-old’s departure was announced with a short, blunt comment from the club.

The statement said: “Acrington Stanley can today confirm that John Coleman and Jimmy Bell have been notified that their contracts have been terminated with immediate effect.

“Everyone at the club thanks them for their long service and we wish them all the best for the future.”

However, the ridiculously short press release sparked a furious response from irate supporters on social media.

One said: “Are you taking the p***? They deserve better than that after such a brilliant and long service.”

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Another wrote: “Is this statement for two people who have served the club for almost 25 years?”

A third added: “The way this statement is horribly thought out. Two paragraphs for almost 25 years of promotions from obscurity in non-league to their weight in the EFL really leaves a very bad taste. It’s the end of a bloody great era.”

A fourth fumed: “A truly ruthless statement. John Coleman, who has been at the club for 20 years, has the respect of many in the sport and deserved better than this sloppy paragraph.”

And one end user simply responded: “Shocking.”

To make matters worse, unpopular Accrington owner Andy Holt appeared to delete his X account immediately after news of Coleman’s dismissal broke.

Holt – who famously put the club up for sale on the social media platform – regularly got into arguments online.

That included a row with Boris Johnson during Covid and Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney’s Wrexham over ticket prices.

The Hollywood pair’s side were angry that Accrington increased prices for their fans’ visit to the Wham Stadium – and responded by cutting costs for yesterday’s return.

That led to Holt hitting out at Wrexham’s ‘stupid, mistimed statements’.

And just two weeks ago the controversial owner revealed on

FANS in stadiums will be invited to take part in a “five-second countdown” before time-wasting goalkeepers give away a throw-in or corner kick.

The radical trial could be used in the lower divisions of the EFL or the Football League Trophy from next season after it was backed by the game’s governing body, the International FA Board.

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Although the introduction of sin bins in professional football has been put on the back burner following a global backlash, Ifab leaders at their annual general meeting in Loch Lomond believe their latest idea will help reduce time wastage.

The current six-second rule, which is rarely penalized, is extended to eight seconds, but the referees then hold their hands up and count down to zero with five seconds left.

FA chief executive Mark Bullingham said: “So often we see the goalkeeper holding the ball for five or six seconds at 0-0 and then when they are 1-0 up they suddenly hold it for 25 seconds.

“That’s not right and people get frustrated.

“As soon as the goalkeeper has control of the ball and the referee raises his hand for the five-second countdown, you see the crowd react and so do the other players.

“In terms of how you give possession to the other team, the protocols discussed are a throw-in in line with the penalty spot or a corner.

“There are pros and cons for both. They are still working on that, but both will be tried.”

Other tests available from July 1 will see only captains allowed to speak to referees and the use of ‘cooling off’ periods, where feuding players are sent back to their respective penalty boxes until tempers have calmed.

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Asked whether that would spark discussions with the EFL and other leagues about introducing any of the ideas next season, Bullingham added: “I’m sure we will.

“We haven’t reached that point yet but I expect some players will be looked at at the lower levels of English football.

“What level we will look at is an open discussion, I am sure we will have that discussion with the relevant competitions.

“It is clear that we are not aiming for the top two leagues in any country. But we have so many options in England.”

The meeting took place hours after FIFA president Gianni Infantino issued a “red card to blue cards” as a way of identifying sin bins.

But Ifab leaders insisted they will not turn their backs on the sin-bin principle, even if it will be purely for dissent and not, as previously suggested, cynical ‘action-football-action’ offences.

Basic level trials will continue ahead of a possible future expansion.

Bullingham added: “We have focused on the area that is easier, which is dissent and encouraging referees to get into the game.

“It’s something that affects 90 percent of the game at all levels.

“The cynical wrong aspect is subjective and that makes its application potentially more difficult. Let’s get the sin bins in order first and then see if there is a broader application.”

Changes for next season will see the option of permanent concussion substitutions in the rules, as well as red cards for defensive handballs in the penalty area that deny scoring opportunities.

The Premier League and PFA have called for a trial of temporary concussion substitutions and Bullingham admitted: “Permanent substitutions are positive and there are medics who say this means there is no risk of an injured player being sent back onto the field .

“We operate in an environment where different opinions are expressed. English football believes that temporary substitutions are worth testing at some point, but we have made great strides forward.”

WIMBLEDON’s home game with hated rivals MK Dons has been postponed by 15 minutes.

The two sides were due to clash in League Two at 12.30pm.

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However, the kick-off had to be postponed due to the late arrival of the MK Dons team.

Their team coach did not arrive at Plow Lane until around 11.45am.

That was after being delayed in “traffic” in South West London.

It was then announced that the start of the showdown had been delayed by fifteen minutes.

The bad blood between the two clubs has existed since the formation of MK Dons in 2002, when the owners of the original Wimbledon FC moved to Buckinghamshire.

Angry supporters of the old club formed AFC Wimbledonand they worked their way up from non-competitive back to the professional game.

Since returning to the Football League, the two teams have faced each other on several occasions.

The first competitive match between them took place in December 2012 in the second round of the FA Cup, a match which MK Dons won 2–1.

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Today will mark the 15th time the two teams have clashed.

As well as that FA Cup match, they have met in the EFL Trophy, the League Cup and the Football League.

MK Dons have recorded eight wins, while AFC Wimbledon have won twice.

Furious fans also believe that the nickname is Dons of Wimbledon and that MK Dons is a completely separate club that should have no claim to the history of the original team.

This has even led to AFC Wimbledon getting into trouble for refusing to use MK Dons’ full name on their stadium scoreboard.

It was MK Dons who celebrated in January when they last met as goals from Dan Kemp, an own goal from Ryan Johnson and Warren O’Hara earned a 3-1 win over their rivals, who had two players sent off sent.

OMAR BUGIEL was called a 'P*** b*****d' during a League Two match last Saturday and said: “This is not the culture I want my two little girls to grow up in.”

The AFC Wimbledon star was racially targeted at Bradford and on the same day Birmingham's Juninho Bacuna was assaulted during their match against West Brom.

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Bugiel, 30, who has daughters Bria, four, and Bonnie, two, with wife Lauren, said: 'It's sickening to think someone would say something like that.

“I can't believe this is still happening in football – and especially in a multicultural city like Bradford.

“This is not the culture I want my two little girls to grow up in.”

Towards the end of the goalless draw at Valley Parade on Saturday, referee Ross Joyce stopped proceedings after a spectator heard him abusing the Wimbledon striker.

Bugiel said: “I went down after making a mistake and took time to get up because I got kicked in the shin.

“The home crowd became angry and noisy because they wanted the match to resume quickly.

“But just as we were about to take the free kick, the referee stopped to talk to one of his assistants.

“It wasn't until a few minutes later, when the match had ended, that the referee came to me and said: 'Omar, something racist has been said to you, the linesman has picked up on it'.

Even though I didn't hear the racist abuse on Saturday, it's disturbing to think that it was directed at me just because I look a little different.

Omar Bugiel

“It was then explained that an audience member had said, 'Get up, you bastard.'

“I was shocked because it is the second time that specific word has been used against me.

“When I was at Sutton we played Barrow in April 2022 and it was said to me face-to-face. That really shocked me because I had never experienced racism on a personal level.

“Although my teammate Coby Rowe was racially abused during a match at Crawley that season.”

Berlin-born Bugiel was raised in Germany by his Lebanese father Khaled and Polish mother Ewa. He moved to Britain at the age of 16 after his mother paid for him to study English in Chichester.

The winger, who fully embraced and enjoyed English culture, became a professional footballer for Forest Green, Sutton and the Dons after doing the hard work in non-league with Selsey, Burgess Hill, Bognor Regis, Bromley and Worthing.

He became the first Lebanese international to play in the EFL and score at Wembley – after scoring for Bromley in the 2018 FA Trophy final.

Bugiel, whose side faced Barrow on Saturday, said: “Even though I didn't hear the racist abuse on Saturday, it is disturbing to think that it was directed at me just because I look a little different.

“The language could have been heard by others of a certain ethnicity or by children in the crowd. It's very sad.

“At Barrow, a middle-aged man pointed the P-word at me.

“I immediately reported that incident to the referee. The perpetrator was arrested by the police for questioning and it turned out that he had been drinking.

“I completely understand that emotions can run high in football, but I don't understand how someone can then turn that into racist abuse.

“I would never even think of criticizing someone I've never met.

“The ironic thing about Saturday is that before kick-off they even showed 'Show Racism the Red Card' on the screens.”

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has called on clubs that have abandoned a match due to racism to abandon the match.

But Bugiel is not convinced that this is the answer. He said: “Nobody wants a match to be forfeited and I don't think that would necessarily work.

“However, if it gets to the point where the abuse from the terraces doesn't stop, they may have to play a game behind closed doors or have a points deduction if they continually step out of line.

“Ultimately it is up to the home team to keep the spectators under control.”

Bradford are working with West Yorkshire Police to identify the fan and confirmed that anyone found to be racist in their stadium will receive an immediate life ban.

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THE League Two match between Wallsall and Morecambe has been postponed due to a waterlogged pitch.

Some fans had already started their journey to the stadium when the announcement was made.

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Groundsmen had to wipe rain from the field in a desperate attempt to get the game started.

But after the referee's inspection, it was decided to postpone the match.

Supporters were unhappy at the late timing of the decision, with one raging: “Pathetic to call off the match while the fans have been off the ground for ten minutes.”

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YEOVIL TOWN have unveiled their new club badge – and the social media world is criticizing it.

The new badge will be used from the 2024/25 season and fans have compared it to Leeds United's failed rebrand.

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Yeovil are currently on course to return to the National League and are ten points ahead of second-placed Worthing.

The former Championship side were relegated to the National League South last season but their performances have impressed boss Mark Cooper.

However, their PR team was castigated by fans who strongly disliked the new logo.

The club said the new identity “pays tribute to our rich football tradition” and honors “the city's glove-making heritage.”

The latest design removes the 'achieve through unity' banner and replaces the iconic lions with a pair of gloves holding up a football.

Yeovil is called the Glovers, which is a reference to the city's glove-making history during the 18th and 19th centuries.

Despite the black and white video's attempts to evoke a sense of nostalgia and tradition, fans were left outraged.

One supporter wrote: “Looks like that badge took a GCSE student two minutes to make.”

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A second said: “What the hell is this? You must be joking.”

A third added: “Let's face it, it's awful. In any case, ask for the fans' opinions first.”

Another wrote: “Delete and reconsider. This is not a club badge. You're throwing away a lot of history for very little gain.”

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Their new logo has even brought back memories of the disastrous rebranding Leeds Tried 2018.

The former Premier League side were forced into a humiliating turnaround after their new badge met with a backlash.

Supporters created a petition to repeal the law, which attracted 72,000 signatures.

Pontus Jansson, the team's central defender at the time, reacted 'shocked' to the emblem on social media.

Meanwhile, cricket star and Leeds native Jonny Bairstow called it “absolutely shocking”.

This week I watched that hilarious episode of the hit TV comedy Alan Partridge, in which he had written his autobiography Bouncing Back.

It charted a would-be comeback from his disastrous broadcasting career and breakup from his wife.

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That got me thinking about football managers who have been sacked but returned.

And this season there have been five bosses who have been shown the door but quickly returned to management.

Here I take a brief look at the managers who bounced back.

MICHAEL BEALE (Sunderland)

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IF you're managing Rangers and Celtic are above you, you're always standing on quicksand and he was thrown out of Ibrox.

But the Londoner – who left QPR last season just weeks after pledging his committed loyalty to them – took over at the Black Cats in December.

Like Alan Partridge, his story could be quickly shattered if he loses his job at the Stadium of Light.

Mackems fans were unfazed by the three straight defeats halted by Saturday's crucial 3-1 win against Stoke.

TONY MOWBRAY (Birmingham)

Speaking of Sunderland, what were they actually playing with by sacking Tony Mowbray?

This likeable man did a fantastic job for the Black Cats, getting them into the play-offs against all odds last season and knocking them around those spots again this time.

But he has found himself in self-inflicted chaos at St Andrew's after they decided the Wayne Rooney project wasn't a good idea after all. No, Sherlock, John Eustace made them fly.

Mowbray has won one and drawn the other of his two league games so far, with his priority simply being to keep Birmingham up. Groundhog Day for blues fans.

DARREN MOORE (Huddersfield)

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MADCAP Sheffield Wednesday owner Dejphon Chansiri decided on the eve of the season to get rid of the manager who inspired his team to promotion.

Darren Moore had even helped his side come back from 4-0 down against Peterborough in the play-off semi-finals on the road!

The ex-West Brom boss took over at Huddersfield but has barely returned and finds himself in unreliable territory, having recorded three wins from 23 games so far.

MATT TAYLOR (Bristol Rovers)

After doing a good job at Exeter, he got a big break in the Championship when he was named Paul Warne's replacement at Rotherham last season.

Despite keeping the Millers in the second tier, they struggled this time and he was thrown out of the New York Stadium in November with the club's third bottom side.

But he quickly replaced gobby Joey Barton after his dismissal and made an immediate impact with four wins and a draw from his first six games. However, things have been tough since then and their 3-1 win over Oxford on Saturday ended a five-match losing streak.

GRAHAM ALEXANDER (Bradford)

THE Bantams boss has had some bad luck when it comes to losing his job at previous clubs.

Scunthorpe decided to get rid of him after he led them to the brink of the Championship, they are now in the National League North.

Numbnut Gary Neville madly dismissed the Burnley legend when they were unbeaten after five games and fifth in League Two… all this after taking Salford to the EFL and guiding them to an EFL Trophy final.

And this season, MK Dons wielded the ax after just 16 games, showing little patience.

Yet he has arrived at Valley Parade and despite a decent start they have gone off the boil and have not won their last seven League Two games. They should give him a summer to sort everything out and go again next season.

Nieuwpoort 'builders' work on Sundays?

Structural repairs must have taken place at the right time this week in Rodney Road, Newport.

Scaffolding suddenly had to be erected in front of some houses along the street running parallel to Rodney Parade in County.

Incredibly, those 'builders' were not only willing to put in overtime working on Sundays, but also stayed on site until well over a few hours after 4:30 PM.

That's what you call dedication. They must have great reviews on Checkatrade.

Alfie, 10, gives a Walsall team speech

WALSALL boss Mat Sadler made 10-year-old fan Alfie Donnelly do his team-mate for their League Two match with Sutton.

Alfie has multiple, complex heart conditions that require him to have open heart surgery four times.

The Saddlers invited the youngster to the training ground to meet and interview his favorite player Joe Riley, and to go to Bescot Stadium to rile up the players before kick-off and read out the teams over the PA system .

Boss Sadler said: “We all love Alfie. He is always smiling and an inspiration to us all.”

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Elokobi is exactly what the EFL needs

DEFINITELY any EFL club looking for a new manager should turn to Maidstone United's George Elokobi.

I ironically suggested that maybe even Liverpool should take a look at him!

But seriously, what he did before the FA Cup match against Ipswich at the Portman Road gates on Saturday was incredible: he gave the Maidstone fans alongside the players a passionate motivational speech from the heart.

This is exactly what football needs. There are too many idiots working at bigger clubs who want to prevent this kind of raw passion from happening or being seen.

We need less of them and more of George Elokobi.