Chelsea made changes but maintained a strong XI as they looked to remain in both cup competitions. There was a full debut awarded to Alfie Gilchrist in defence. 

They played a Preston side that had lost four of their last five in the Championship, but still found it difficult to break down their opposition. 

In the first haklf, Raheem Sterling blazed over after a scramble on the edge of the area, and Cole Palmer directed the ball wide with only the goalkeeper to beat from eight yards out. 

The visitors then had a half chance just under half an hour in as the big Montenegrin striker Milutin Osmajic drilled an effort on target. 

Still on the comeback trail from a horrific ACL injury, Armando Broja struggled to get into the game in the first half but put Chelsea ahead just before the hour with a well directed header home off the back of a sumptuous delivery from Malo Gusto. 

Broja very nearly earned a second in as many minutes with a header onto the crossbar, but the Blues would find a second from Thiago Silva as the Brazilian headed home from a corner after poor Preston marking. 

Raheem Sterling put some extra shine on the night with a peach of a free kick, before VAR awarded Chelsea a fourth courtesy of Enzo Fernandez. 

Whilst the scoreline may have not told the story of a Preston side that were very much in the game for three quarters of the contest , Pochettino and the Chelsea fans will surely be delighted with the clinical nature that they ended the game. 

A safe passage into the 4th Round means that a cup double is still on for the West London side despite their poor league form. They travel to Middlesbrough in the week for the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final. 

Meanwhile Preston will return to the second tier grindstone and hope to change their fortunes in order to push back on towards the top six with a game against Bristol City at Deepdale. 

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During the week, the discourse around Southampton was that this game was going to be an opportunity to make some changes, and that came to fruition with nine being made by Saints in what remained a strong XI. 

There were starts for youngsters Samuel Amo-Ameyaw and Jayden Meghoma, the latter of whom was making his St.Mary’s Stadium debut. 

Walsall knew against a highly talented Southampton side who like to dominate possession that they’d have to defend well and keep the scores level as long as possible if they were to win this game. 

However, it took the Saints just six minutes as Ryan Fraser, making consecutive starts for the first time since September, latched on to a long ball by Taylor Harwood-Bellis and coolly slotted past Jackson Smith. 

Despite the early setback, Walsall did not capitulate and defended resolutely against the clockwork pressure from the hosts. 

Frenchman Sekou Mara ballooned the ball over the bar from just six yards out in a rare start as he failed to extend the advantage in the first half. 

Walsall manufactured a couple of half chances in the first half, but were gifted two golden opportunities in the early exchanges of the second period as Southampton reverted back to the unwanted habits of earlier in the season by giving the ball away in dangerous areas playing out from the back. 

In the first instance Jack Stephens gave the ball straight to Tom Knowles on the edge of the area. The Walsall wing back took on Jayden Meghoma but will have felt he could have done better as he blasted over the bar. 

Moments later, Saints escaped again after Mason Holgate inexplicably gave away possession on the edge of his own area. This time it was Jack Earing who claimed the loose ball and with a great sight of the target, skewed the ball wide with a woeful effort. 

Against top level Championship opposition, Walsall simply had to take those chances and were made to pay as Saints extended their lead just before the hour. 

Ryan Fraser drove towards the byline on the left-hand side and played the ball into the centre of the penalty area where Sekou Mara was awaiting. The Frenchman then made sure he made amends for his earlier miss as he swivelled on the ball and fired into the roof of the net past Smith. 

– Southampton’s Sekou Mara celebrates his second goal of the season

The second goal knocked the leftover stuffing out of the Saddler’s as Saints grabbed a third, this time Fraser getting his name on the scoresheet for the second time with a cultured right footed first time finish into the far corner on the edge of the area. 

With the game done and dusted, Walsall were simply in survival mode as wave after wave of Southampton attack crashed against them. 

Incidentally though, the fourth goal came from somewhat of a counter attack as the ball was won back by the Saints and played forward towards Sekou Mara. A messy but effective exchange between Mara and Charly Alcaraz allowed the Argentine to slip Che Adams through, with the Scotsman displaying his strength in holding off the defender and squeezing the ball home. 

The circumstances also allowed cameos for Saints youngsters Tyler Dibling and Cameron Bragg, the latter of which making his senior debut. 

All in all, it was a good afternoon’s work for the Championship side, who perhaps made their life more difficult than it needed to be for 50 minutes but eventually displayed their quality. Progression into the 4th Round, four goals and a clean sheet equates to a job well done by Martin’s side. 

As for Mat Sadler’s Saddler’s, they may rue the missed opportunities at the start of the second half, but will have learned plenty from playing against a quality outfit. 

Southampton will now return their focus to their Championship promotion push as they welcome relegation threatened Sheffield Wednesday to the south coast next weekend. 

Walsall sit just three points off the League Two play-offs, but next face a stern test at Edgeley Park against league leaders Stockport County. 

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Seven changes were made by the visitors who sit aloft England’s second tier, but that did not prevent them from taking an early lead in this clash with the South East London side. 

Premier League winner Marc Albrighton, making his first start since the Carabao Cup game with Liverpool in September, delivered a tantalising ball to the back post where Chelsea loanee Cesare Casadei rose highest to head home. 

The young Italian midfielder then turned provider just before half time as he slipped a ball through to Ricardo Pereira who had made a foray forward, allowing the Portuguese full back to squeeze an effort past Matija Sarkic hard and low. 

After conceding a second before the break, it was imperative for Millwall to score first in the second half, and they did just that when Duncan Watmore directed home a Zian Flemming header. 

Watmore, the former Sunderland and Middlesbrough player, proved to be the most productive player for the hosts, frequently demanding the ball and manufacturing openings for his side. 

It was, however, a defensive lapse that allowed Leicester to restore their two goal cushion, when a long ball forward from Callum Doyle completely evaded the two Millwall centre halves, sending Tom Cannon clean through. 

Prior to New Year’s Day, the 21-year-old signed by Enzo Maresca from Everton in the summer had yet to score for the club. But after Sarkic came charging out 15 yards out of his box and missed the ball, Cannon’s decision was made for him as he slotted into the empty net for his third goal in six days. 

Millwall did get one back late on courtesy of a smart first time finish from Zian Flemming, but the visitors held on and progress into the last 32. 

Joe Edwards’ side will now have full focus on their Championship campaign, starting back at the Den against Middlesbrough. 

Leicester await the discovery of their 4th Round opponents, but will next make the short trip to face Coventry City in another early kick off in the Championship. 

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A return to league action sees Southampton clash with Derby County at the Snows Stadium – The hosts look to keep the pressure on Group 2 leaders Leeds United, whilst the visitors from the East Midlands await their first points of the campaign. 

It is exactly two months since these two teams last engaged in Premier League 2 action, and despite the contrast in league form, both teams have enjoyed a successful Premier League Cup run in the intermediary. 

In fact, it has been an unbeaten Premier League Cup intermission for the two sides, who have both topped their respective groups. 

Southampton have wrapped up top spot in Group F with a game to spare, whilst meanwhile, Derby won three from four to round off their group stage campaign, despite not having picked up a single point in the league. 

Talented young Southampton starlet scored seven goals in the group stage, as the Saints B team scored an average of four goals per game on their way to the knockout stage. 

On the other hand, Derby had to qualify the hard way, after failing to win in their first three group encounters. However, wins at QPR and Brighton paired with a home win against Bournemouth were enough to see the young Rams top the group with 11 points from six games. 

The young Saints’ form this season has been a stark contradiction to that of the senior squad, who sit rock bottom of the Premier League with just 12 points from 18 games. Despite the bleak situation for the first team, this has not resulted in Premier League call-ups and opportunities for any of the B team squad. 

Given Derby’s situation in League One, a few more chances have been afforded for sporadic appearances for members of the Derby U21 squad, despite their form in PL2. 

Friday night’s game in Totton, on the outskirts of Southampton, will mark the halfway point of both teams PL2 campaigns, and whilst these are seemingly two squads with different trajectories, nothing can be taken for granted in football, even at academy level. 

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David Ralph takes charge of his first game with Great Britain as they kick off their 2022/2023 FIH Pro League Campaign against 2021/2022 runners-up Netherlands. 

This game pits the 2020 Olympic bronze medalists against the champions from Tokyo in a re-run of the semi-final demolition that saw GB lose by five goals to one.

After Team GB’s historic 2016 Olympic gold, the Dutch put the defence to an abrupt end after racing to a four goal lead with goals from Felice Albers (x2), Marloes Keetels, Maria Verschoor. Giselle Ansley scored what was merely a consolation before Frederique Matla put the icing on the cake.

After a temporary switch back to the divided home nations, Team GB is back in the Pro League fold. As a unified team, Britain finished second in 2020/2021 behind none other than the most successful team in World Cup history, the Netherlands. 

Four debutants have been included in the GB squad, including the Scottish pair of Fiona Burnet and Jen Eadie. Commonwealth Gold medalist with England Flora Peel also makes her GB debut. 

Victory would equate to the first British triumph over the Dutch since 2016. 

Meanwhile, the Dutch will now look to regain their Pro League crown they last won in 2020/2021, to add to their nine World Cup and Olympic accolades making them the most decorated side in world hockey.

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A Stephen Crichton drop-goal was enough to send the proud pacific nation to their first-ever Rugby League World Cup Final, where they will play defending champions Australia. 

After a flawless group stage effort from England was backed up with a confident dismissal of Papua New Guinea, Shaun Wane’s England side faced the proposal of meeting with the same Samoa side whom they dispatched of in clinical fashion in the tournament opener in Newcastle. 

However, a much tougher test was to be expected from a Toa Samoa side that had just beaten Tonga in the Quarter-Finals. ‘Tougher test’ would go on to be a tremendous understatement. The game was the first and only to be played in London, with the home of Premier League leaders Arsenal playing host to the crucial encounter. 

A fast start was always going to be important for the Samoans, and that is exactly what they got when Tim Lafai capitalised on a Kallum Watkins missed tackle to dive over in the corner after just six minutes played. 

After going down to 12 following the sin bin of Junior Paulo, Samoa’s defence held firm to see out the ten-minute period, only to concede moments after their captain returned to the field of play. 

George Williams was able to break a tackle and subsequently the Samoan defensive line before finding the outside ball for Elliot Whitehead to run in an easy score. 

However, as the game passed the half-hour mark, Samoa took the lead again thanks to Ligi Sao sliding over the game line to send the underdogs into a 10-6 half-time lead. 

Just five minutes into the second half, some stout Samoan defending was undone by an in-goal fumble by Tim Lafai that was pounced on by John Bateman. 

Less than two minutes on from Tommy Makinson’s conversion, Samoa were in at the other end again as some basketball handling from Jarome Luai carved an already stretched England defensive line wide open, making it all too easy for Stephen Crichton to dive over. 

Wane spent most of the second half gesticulating from the stands, and was sent into a fit of rage as Dom Young dropped an inexplicable catch in a perilous position. 

This rage was greatly intensified just moments later as Lafai made up for his prior error to score a brace as England were caught short on the flank. 

It is perhaps unsurprising given the circumstances that tempers were flaring on the pitch, with frustrations being exerted by the English players. 

With 15 minutes remaining, England hauled themselves back to within two with a magnificent solo effort from 22-year-old Brisbane Bronco Herbie Farnworth as the Burnley-born Centre beat three Samoan defenders to power over the game line. 

A penalty from Tommy Makinson put the scores level going into a crucial final ten minutes, leaving the Emirates Stadium collectively biting their nails in anticipation. 

In what seemed like it could be a fateful moment, Stephen Crichton made a magnificent interception before a lung-bursting run-in. It seemed like the perfect DVR try to replay for years to come when talking about a great Samoan upset, but there were more twists in this tantalising tale. 

With the clock ticking away, Farnworth scored a brace of his own with an equally breathtaking run-in on a weary Samoan defence. 

As Makinson prepared his kicking tee, the tension in North London was palpable, and as the kick sailed over, golden point extra-time arrived on the immediate horizon for the 26 players on the pitch, with a World Cup final spot on the line. 

Retrieving possession in a golden point scenario is always the key to success, and it was indeed Samoa who were able to get their hands on the ball after the kick-off. 

After an initial drop goal attempt was charged down, the second sailed over as time seemed to freeze, with White and Blue shirts alike stopping to watch their opposing fates sealed. Pandemonium erupted amongst the Samoan contingents on and off the field as history was made, with Samoa reaching their first-ever World Cup final. 

Despite England’s efforts, a lack of quality from Wane’s side paired with Samoa’s refusal to crumble after being pegged back on multiple occasions, the hosts simply met their match over an 80-minute duration, and subsequently find their World Cup dream cut short. 

As for Parish and his group of fearless pacific warriors, destiny points them to Old Trafford, the theatre of dreams, where they will play reigning and defending champions, Australia. 

Regardless of the result in a week’s time, this result will always be remembered by all of those with the island of just 200,000 inhabitants close to their hearts. Fans took to the streets in jubilant celebration despite it being prior to 7:00 am in Apia. 

A memorable game, and a memorable result. There is no doubting that this match will go down as one of the greatest in tournament history. 

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Source: Pixabay

Shaun Wane’s England side head to the capital to face a Samoa side buoyed by a historic Quarter-Final win over Tonga. 

Following the hosts’ opening day thrashing of Toa Samoa at St.James’ Park, England will expect a much tougher test facing them in the semi-final as the Rugby League World Cup heads south to the home of Premier League leaders Arsenal. 

A flawless group stage saw England thrash Samoa in the North East before a tough first 40 minutes was avenged as the hosts beat France by 42-18. After this, England proceeded to hand tournament debutants a remarkable 94-4 defeat, which slots in as the second biggest win in Rugby League World Cup history behind Australia’s triple-figure win over Russia in 2000 (110-4). Following this, over 23,000 watched England dismantle Papua New Guinea in the Quarter-Final at the DW Stadium to book Wane’s side a place in the Semi-Final for the fifth successive tournament. 

Meanwhile, Samoa bounced back from their opening-day loss to give Greece a trouncing of their own, before subsequently beating France in a more convincing fashion than the hosts managed (62-4). 

This led to an almighty pacific island clash with Tonga for a place in the semi-final, where Samoa were considered underdogs. 

First-half tries from Jadyn Su’a and Jarome Luai were all but cancelled out were it not for a missed kick by Isaiya Katoa. 

Brian To’o was then gifted a try after a missed catch from Tonga in their own in-goal area, and despite a late try from Sione Katoa, the missed conversion from his brother in the first half proved to be crucial, and Samoa secured a historic win that was met with raptures amongst the players and staff. 

Now the two sides face a rematch of the highest calibre, with plenty of pressure on the hosts as strong favourites to put the Samoans to the sword as they did in the group stage.

However, as New Zealand found out against Fiji in the quarter-finals, sometimes it is impossible to prepare yourself for a run-in with one of the pacific island nations, and Samoa will have nothing to lose as they look to upset the odds and reach the final for the very first time.

As always, Toa are likely to bring physicality and intensity to the dance, whilst England will hope that their brand of Rugby will be too much for Samoa to handle.

Team News – England: 

England name just one change to the squad that lined up against the Kumuls last Saturday, with Luke Thompson coming in for Matty Lees in the front row. 

Samoa on the other hand name two changes, one of which includes the enforced omission of Danny Levi. 

Levi spent 2022 at the Huddersfield Giants and is a key figure in the Samoan squad. The causation of his omission remains undisclosed, and he will be replaced by Featherstone’s Fa’amanu Brown. Spencer Leniu also makes a return to the squad. 

With a crowd of up to 60,000 possible, it is likely the tournament high attendance set by none other than England and Samoa could be broken as the two sides battle it out for the right to play either Australia or New Zealand in the Grand Final. 

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As Joseph Willock poked home a third past Gavin Bazunu to seal three points for the Magpies, there was an air of inevitability about the fate of the 55-year-old Austrian.

Over his near four year tenure, the former RB Leipzig boss endured a plethora of highs and lows, including surviving two record 9-0 defeats to Leicester City and Manchester United respectively.

However, the club showed faith to Hassenhuttl due to him keeping the team in the league consistently on a limited budget. This, paired with a belief in his footballing philosophy and ideology, resulted in the full backing of the club through some difficult periods.

At one stage after the first 9-0 defeat in 2019, Hassenhuttl himself even proclaimed that he ‘expected to be sacked’ after such a result.

Despite this, after three wins in their last 20 Premier League games, and with the club currently in the relegation zone, the board decided to pull the plug.

Now, less than a year after the club changed ownership to the Sport Republic group, Luton Town manager Nathan Jones is being tipped to take the permanent role, after Luton Town granted him permission to speak to the south coast club.

Meanwhile, Sheffield Wednesday have endured difficult times of their own as they were relegated to the third tier of English football in 2021, and failed to gain promotion at the first attempt after losing a play-off semi-final clash with eventual winners Sunderland.

17 games into their League One campaign, Darren Moore’s side sit 3rd, just three points behind Ipswich Town in 2nd.

The Yorkshire side are now unbeaten for a month in all competitions, (five wins, two draws) with their last defeat coming to table-topping Plymouth Argyle at Home Park.

Victories at Hillsborough over Sunderland and Rochdale have seen Wednesday into the Third Round of this season’s Carabao Cup, with the club also progressing in the FA Cup on Friday night with a 2-0 win over league rivals Morecambe.

On the other hand, Southampton have only featured in one cup game this season, that being their comfortable Carabao Cup Second Round win at Cambridge United back in August.

In said cup victory, Hassenhuttl named a strong team made up of first team and squad players, with the inclusion of one young debutant by the name of Lewis Payne.

Aged just 18, Payne grabbed his opportunity by the scruff of the neck by getting the assist for Southampton’s first goal of the game, before fellow youngster Dominic Ballard came off the bench to score on his debut.

Neither featured for the U21’s at the weekend, which could suggest inclusion for the Carabao Cup clash.

Sheffield Wednesday also made concerted changes in the previous rounds, though they have yet to come up against an outfit the level of Southampton.

The Saints will be without long-term absentees Valentino Livramento and Kyle Walker-Peters, whilst Sheffield Wednesday have a player of their own out long term in Akin Famewo.

In a period of transition for Southampton, this game will provide an opportunity to make an impression on any incoming manager for increased future involvement in the effort to avoid relegation to the Championship.

As for Sheffield Wednesday, this game poses a free hit against a fragile Premier League side, with nothing to lose and everything to gain.

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As France look to build towards a historic home World Cup, they got their 2021 campaign underway with a 34-12 win over debutants Greece, who will no doubt take great confidence from their maiden outing.

French rugby as a whole is experiencing a revolution across both codes, but the emphasis in the 13-player-code is to build France up as one of the top performing nations, as with their union side. An overhaul that has seen more and more French players in Super League has been partnered with a successful bid to host the 2025 tournament.

With the 2021 competition postponed by a year due to COVID-19 related playing issues regarding Australia and New Zealand, there is now just three years between a fresh campaign and the spotlight being on ‘Les Bleus’.

Of course, head coach Laurent Frayssinous will be keen not to disregard the current campaign as simply an intermediary, but there is no questioning the fact that it will act as a general barometer as to where they are headed towards 2025.

Meanwhile, Greece are one of two debutants at the tournament, alongside the Jamaican ‘Reggae Boys’. With a national team formed only in 2003, the nicknamed ‘Titans’, have largely played in minor European competitions against teams who have also never made an appearance at a World Cup (with the exception of Italy).

With the extension to 20 participating nations, Greece proved as one of the beneficiaries as they qualified in second place from Pool B in the second round of European qualifying, sealing their spot in England after an emphatic 82-6 win over Serbia in Belgrade back in 2019.

As such, this clash with France at the Eco-Power Stadium was new beginnings all-round, and particularly for the Greeks was an extremely joyous and emotional occasion.

France weighed in strongly for this encounter, with all but three members of their squad playing their most recent rugby in Super League.

Meanwhile, Greece unsurprisingly had a strong Australian contingent, largely playing second grade rugby down under with a selection of Greek native players and the London Broncos pair of Rob Tuilatu and Adam Vrahnos.

The French started strongly with a Catalans’ Jordan Dezaria powering over in the eighth minute. Conceding an early try in a game can often lead to collapse for smaller nations, but the ‘Titans’ held their own and kept the French out until the half hour mark when Tony Gigot reacted to a loose ball to touch down.

Moments later, the French lead was extended as the short ball to Benjamin Jullien allowed the second rower to force his way over.

After half-time, Arthur Morgue’s pace proved too much for Greece to handle as he extended his team’s lead even further, as the game looked to be headed to a blowout.

Sometimes in sport, all it takes is one moment to galvanise a nation, and perhaps that is exactly what happened when a well placed kick found Siteni Taukamo to score a historic first World Cup try for Greece.

‘Les Bleus’ were unfazed by this, and once again displayed their star quality with an exquisite try finished off by Julien.

As the game crept towards its conclusion, it would be Greece who would have the last laugh as they outdid their French counterparts with try of the game courtesy of another pinpoint kick, this time from Billy Magoulias finding teammate Nicholas Mougious. The Centre showed exactly why he is on the books of the South Sydney Rabbitohs as he tore the French defence apart before emphatically going over for his country’s second World Cup try.

Whilst the result may not have gone in Greece’s favour, the celebrations both on the field and back in Athens epitomised everything that International Rugby League should be, and no doubt captivated many young minds into dreaming of one day scoring a try for their country at the World Cup.

Undoubtedly, the Greeks lived up to their ‘Titan’ nickname and head coach Steve Georgallis will take great positivity into the clash with Samoa.

Meanwhile, France did the job and largely looked good doing it, but they will know the size of the task at hand when they face the hosts at the University of Bolton Stadium this weekend.

Despite a somewhat modest crowd, this game certainly captured the spirit of the Rugby League World Cup and the potential International Rugby League has to exploit. The question as always is, will this legacy be upheld?

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Gillingham and Stevenage extend their unbeaten runs to six games following hard-fought encounter ending in a 1-1 draw.

Despite the disparity in league position, both sides were protecting a run of five games without a loss headed into a League Two clash pitting Neil Harris against former Gills boss Steve Evans.

After early pressure from the visitors, it was Gillingham who went closest to opening the scoring as Scott Kashket glaringly blazed a Hakeeb Adelakun cross over from two yards out.

‘Boro capitalised on this minutes later with the game’s first breakthrough in which the wingbacks played a vital role.

First, Luther Wildin whipped in a dangerous cross across the Gillingham six yard box that agonisingly evaded all in Stevenage colours. However, talented Norwich City loanee Saxon Earley picked up the pieces and delivered an exquisite ball of his own for Danny Rose to head home his fifth goal in all competitions.

Gillingham were able to react well to going behind, with some promising attacks galvanising the Priestfield faithful.

With half time on the horizon, the scores were levelled Elkan Baggott headed home a delightful Will Wright delivery.

The second half saw some fiery passages of play, including some frustrations being scathingly vocalised from many in Stevenage colours, and indeed those on the touchline.

Saxon Earley and Danny Rose were proving a dangerous partnership, with the 20-year-old picking out the Stevenage front man once more with a pinpoint cross, this time without the end product to show for it.

There were a number of returns for ex-Gillingham players and staff alike in this game. One such return was that of Jordan Roberts who, admittedly, had a modest stint in Kent whilst on loan from Ipswich back in 2020.

The 28-year-old had the perfect opportunity to leave a lasting impression on the Rainham End faithful as he was one-on-one with Glenn Morris in acres of space, but skewed his effort wide of the target altogether in what would be the best chance to win the game.

Unsurprisingly, Steve Evans was at the centre of attention at full time as he lambasted the referee and his assistants for their decisions in the second half, much to the amusement of those present in the Rainham End.

A draw proves a satisfactory if not overwhelming result for both outfits, with Gillingham continuing their steadying process, whilst Stevenage remain top of the league but missed the chance to extend their lead with Leyton Orient also dropping points.

The Gills will return to the MEMS Priestfield Stadium next Saturday as they welcome the visit of a Barrow side on the back of five straight defeats.

As for Stevenage, they will next return in the Papa John’s Trophy at the Lamex Stadium as they take on Tottenham Hotspur U21.

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