“If they go on a run where they lose two or three, they can get dragged into the bottom three and then it really becomes a dog fight.”
DAVID Giles gave his thoughts on Cardiff City’s season as the Championship reached the halfway mark.
After 24 games played, Cardiff City sit 20th in the Championship and only six wins from those matches.
“They need to stop conceding silly goals which they’re doing a lot lately and they’re not scoring many.
“Kieffer Moore had more than 20 goals last season, he’s got five this season.
“He has had a few injuries and he hasn’t found the target.
“The young players have chipped in, Colwill has scored a few and Collins who they signed from Luton got a couple of goals.”
Moore remains Cardiff’s top scorer, but Aden Flint, who plays centre-back, and Ruben Colwill are joint 2nd for the most league goals at the club with four each.
“When you’re in this position there’s only one way out, they’ve got to roll their sleeves up and fight for every loose ball and fight for everything.
“Their attitudes have to change, and they have to start winning their personal battles.”
With the lack of goals in the team, Giles believes that the main targets Cardiff should be looking for in January are a striker and a creative midfielder.
Giles worries that the board won’t give Steve Morrison the funds he needs to bring in such players as he isn’t yet on a long-term contact at the club.
“We definitely need a creative midfielder player that can score a couple of goals.
“That’s something we haven’t had for a number of years, going back to the Peter Whittingham days and Graham Kavanagh before him.”
“It would be great if one of the lads in the squad could find their scoring boots but I cant see it happening.”
With the likes of Josh Murphey on loan at Preston North End, Ryan Wintle and Max Watters all able to come back from loan clubs, Giles worries if they would be enough.
“Hopefully they can make an impact, but they were let go in the first place because they weren’t playing well enough to get into the first team”
Another gap in the squad to fill is that of left wing-back Ryan Giles, who returned to parent club Wolves earlier in the transfer window.
Cardiff City’s manager, Steve Morrison, has also said he is hopeful of making a transfer breakthrough this week after knocking Preston North End out of the FA Cup.
Chairman Dennis Stringer tending to a very wet pitch ahead of Littleton fixture
NEWENT Town F.C. are a team in safe hands with the chairman who is looking after things from the ground up.
Dennis Stringer, 68 from Gorsley, near Newent Gloucestershire spent an hour and a half draining and levelling the pitch before their match on Sunday, where they came away with a 3-2 victory over Littleton after a late winner.
Stringer said:
“I wanted to make it presentable, so I got a Harris fence rail and tied some rope to it and dragged it up and down the pitch.”
He also used a fork to help drain any excess water from the pitch before kick-off.
The pitch has had verti-draining carried out a couple of times a year, but this cannot be maintained often by many clubs because it can cost up to £300 with the use of a tractor and machinery.
But that is just the start of the maintenance and care that has gone into the club in the six-year period. Stringer has been chairman since taking up the role in 2016.
The former Royal Marine physical training instructor runs a building company called Country Construction with his two sons, Ben who is also current first team manager, and Darren who also represents Newent Town F.C.
They recently built an extension on the club, including a bar area, changing rooms and toilets.
Clubhouse extension built by Dennis Stringer and his sons, Ben and Darren
Clubhouse bar
They also built a picture-perfect brand-new stand, with a firm who has connections with the club providing necessary steel.
Newent Town’s Spotless new stand
The work posed financial challenges as the FA originally gave the club a grant of £70,000, which only covered the cost of floodlights.
The final total came to around £100,000, with a smaller grant eventually helping cover cost that had been put into the building work by Dennis and Country Construction.
This included costs of the extension on the club building and the paths which was all completed by Dennis and his sons.
Stringer had been to school at Newent and joined the Royal Marines in the mid 70’s, where he became a physical training instructor.
He was in the Royal Marines for nine years and would play for the club when he had leave periods from his duties.
After leaving the Marines in 1984, Dennis took the Newent team for fitness training when they were a county league side.
He then joined Newent Town F.C. youth with his sons, taking them through the youth system for a 10-year period.
It was in the year 2000 he joined the senior setup, running the line, mowing, and marking the pitch and carrying out other duties for approximately 20 years.
During this period, he also managed the side for a few years until six years ago he became chairman and still looks after the club to this day.
The social media reaction came after Mark Drakeford made clear the stance the Welsh government were taking and why rugby crowds remained capped at 50 after their most recent review.
With the maximum attendance at sports events in Wales remaining capped at 50 spectators, many took to Twitter to voice their concern.
Louis Rees-Zammit retweeted the news that the WRU are looking at the possibility of playing their upcoming Six Nations home fixtures at a venue in England, should the restrictions continue into the tournament.
The tweet was captioned “Rugby is nothing without the fans, make it happen”.
Fellow Wales international Liam Williams appeared supportive of his teammate, while tv presenter and former Welsh international Jonathan Davies said it was in the government’s hands.
Former Wales international Tom Shanklin reposted promising statistics from England, with the number of hospital admissions due to Covid dropping in the past week.
However, the most recent figures in Wales suggest a rise in admissions to hospitals, with the expected peak still yet to hit, alongside the annual wave of flu.
Promising figures have continued to circulate on social media in other categories such as a decline in the amount of reported new daily cases.
The restrictions could have severe financial implications on teams in all Welsh sport and the concern can be seen at all levels of rugby across social media.
Many have questioned the effectiveness of the restrictions, with the example of Caerphilly RFC who played a game on the 27th in front of the maximum 50 fans outside.
This was with a further 140 indoors, which is still in keeping with Welsh law and the game made headlines in Wales.
“The decisions on where to play matches are in the end for the WRU to make, not the Welsh government to make.” Said Drakeford.
“I want to put on record my appreciation for the way in which the WRU has conducted its business for the whole of the pandemic,
“It was the WRU who decided to cancel a match between Wales and Scotland at the start of the pandemic before government was asking them to do that.
“It was the WRU that made the Principality Stadium available to be a Nightingale Hospital and it was the WRU that very successfully ran four internationals in Cardiff during the Autumn.”
Drakeford has stated “we have to see the tide turn” on Covid, and that the restrictions are unlikely to be lifted before the expected peak of the most recent wave.
The peak is expected to be in two weeks, by the time the next government review will take place.
Hard to look past this exceptional talent who won the Lockinge Stakes last time out at Newbury last month. Only defeat came on soft ground against a class soft ground specialist in the form of The Revenant. Otherwise has lowered the colours of class opposition in every run since winning the St James’s Palace Stakes last year.
FORECAST:
1st PALACE PIER
2nd TOP RANK
With this pick being a really popular pick for many, a forecast with Top Rank in 2nd could be a good option. with six wins to his name and only finishing once out of the places, this horse has two wins and a 3rd place effort in four class one contests. Travelling ability has stood the test before and was last seen 3rd behind Palace Pier and Lady Bowthorpe in the Lockinge, the latter of which doesn’t run here. He is arguably the 2nd most consistent horse in the field.
15:40 King’s Stand Stakes (Group 1)
WINTER POWER
Jockey: Silvestre De Sousa
Trainer: Tim Easterby
Form: 61011-1
It is easy to see why Battaash would be favourite. He has been a top class sprinter for four years now and the support he has is justified. However, he can get caught out, as he did in this race two years ago where Blue Point got first break. His galloping ability saw him lower the colours of Battaash. Winter Power likes running on the front end and put on a great display at York last month, winning a listed sprint by 3 lengths. This was ahead of consistent winner up to class 2, Atalis Bay, with everything else left far behind. It looked like a great prep run for this race even if it didn’t have much quality in depth. With this filly in her best form and the advantage of a weight allowance, which means she carries 10lb less than Battaash, leaves her with every chance. Oxted hasn’t shown the same form that saw him win the July Cup last year and although she might be near the places, Liberty Beach hasn’t won in a field as competitive as this. King’s Lynn places consistently in good quality contests but may need more here. Extravagant Kid isn’t out of the picture though, with Dettori on board he might pose a big threat. He has finished in the top two consistently in American races recently, and beat Final Song in Meydan in March. Winter Power however looks to be in top shape and could be hard to reel in from the front.
16:20 St James’s Palace Stakes (Group 1)
MOSTAHDAF
Jockey: Jim Crowley
Trainer: John & Thady Gosden
Form: 111
Won the Heron Stakes at Sandown last month finishing 1/2 a length ahead of Highland Avenue, a length ahead of Bullace and further back in 5th was familiar Newbury winner Mithras. This race was deep in quality and the winning distance doesn’t tell us of the great cruising ability this horse showed on difficult ground. He also showed a great burst of pace to eat up the rising ground and pass the strong traveller, Highland Avenue, rapidly in the final furlong. He will face stiff opposition from 2000 Guineas winner Poetic Flare, but the trip of seven furlongs probably suits the burst of speed this horse has at the end of a race. Also closely related to Royal Ascot winner Nazeef, and there are similarities in the way this horse quickens late on.
17:00 Ascot Stakes (Handicap)
ELYSIAN FLAME
Jockey: Ben Curtis
Trainer: Mick Easterby
Form: 132/3-15
Last seen finishing 5th in the Chester Plate last month. He was carrying top weight (1 stone 4lb) more than the eventual winner, Green Book. This isn’t particularly impressive form but the ground was listed as good to soft which went against this horse and he couldn’t have had a worse position throughout the race. Before that, won a handicap at Newbury where he showed true quality. The race was ran truly throughout, and there was an early break by some front runners before the final bend. Although the pace ultimately collapsed up front when this happened, the horses behind tried enough for it to stretch their stamina. This horse then battled for the last few furlongs against an athletic looking horse in Alminghwar, who has a couple victories under his belt in races that were a lower class. Rochester House, who also goes here, was 6 lengths behind in 3rd on that occasion. Here, Alysian Flame carries a fair weight and providing there is no rain the ground will suit. This horse has a lot of qualities that will prove useful if he is in the picture late and the race is sure to be a good test of stamina which this horse needs.
Looked like a horse with ability when winning the Golden Horn Maiden at Nottingham in October last year. However, the field in behind has produced few winners and none with real consistency. Was last seen finishing 2nd behind Third Realm in the Lingfield Derby trial where he didn’t show the steady balance needed of a horse at Epsom. Wouldn’t mind soft ground but the weather forecast suggests the ground will dry up a bit at the time of writing. Also starts from dreaded stall 1.
2. BOLSHOI BALLET
Jockey: Ryan Moore
Trainer: Aidan O’Brien
Form: 315-11
Impressive winner by 6 lengths in a Derby trial at Leopardstown. Finished 61/2 lengths ahead of Mac Swiney in 4th who went on to win the Irish 2000 Guineas and 8 lengths ahead of smart Sea The Stars colt Southern Lights in 6th. Would prefer good going but even if he doesn’t get that class could see him prevail. Full brother to Group three winner, Southern France, but has shown more consistency than him, putting up three wins in five starts. That run at Leopardstown displayed balance, stamina and athleticism and it is easy to see why he is favourite. Is also Aidan O’Brien’s only runner which is unusual and should be in the picture late on and it will take a good horse to beat him.
3. GEAR UP
Jockey: Ben Curtis
Trainer: Mark Johnston
Form: 1141-5
Last seen when finishing 5th in the Dante Derby trial at York in May, 5 lengths behind the winner Hurricane Lane. Best result was ahead of Bolshoi Ballet in France last October as a two year old. This race may have summed up the requirements for this horse to have a chance. there was heavy going and he had control from the front with the pace not too demanding. The conditions also clearly worked against Bolshoi Ballet. This horse may not get the control he needs here and the drier the ground gets the less his chances get.
4. HURRICANE LANE
Jockey: William Buick
Trainer: Charlie Appleby
Form: 1-11
Frankel colt unbeaten in three starts, the most impressive being his last start in the Dante Derby trial in May. This result came on good ground ahead of a rejuvenated Megallan (3/4 length 2nd), High Definition (2 lenghths 3rd) and Gear Up (5 lengths 5th). This is strong form. He also boasts a victory over a horse called Parachute who has since won a decent class three contest at Newmarket which shows he can reproduce quality. He seems to be able to go on most surfaces, a sign of a class horse and showed a quality engine in both races, with the Dante dictated by Hollie Doyle on Roman Empire. She set a quick pace from the front which means this horse passed a strong stamina test and showed adaptability. He should place here and could possibly win.
5. JOHN LEEPER
Jockey: Frankie Dettori
Trainer: Ed Dunlop
Form: 4-11
two wins from three starts, both this season. Interestingly Frankie Dettori picked up this ride after his original ride, High Definition, was taken out of the race by Aidan O’Brien. Last time out at Newmarket in May finished ahead of a few good horses, the most notable of which was Fancy Man. Fancy Man boasts the scalp of subsequent group three winner Alenquer, but this came as a two year old and he hasn’t had a win as a three year old. Tasman Bay in 2nd (13/4 lengths) had previously finished 3 lengths behind Hurricane Lane who goes here. This could be a question mark in the form. In the run at Newmarket, John Leeper showed strong traveling ability but wouldn’t switch off early on and going into the dip went slightly left. He appeared to be a horse with raw ability, but it was a bit rough around the edges and starting in stall 12 he faces a disadvantage. To stand a chance he will need to be tidier and prove what looks like raw ability is genuine.
6. MAC SWINEY
Jockey: Kevin Manning
Trainer: John Bolger
Form: 9181-41
Irish 2000 Guineas winner beat Poetic Flare by a short head to claim the prize. Appeared to relish soft ground but here the ground might dry up a bit too much for him, this remains to be seen. All three of his victories have come on ground that has give. Stamina appears to be his strong suit so the step up in trip could benefit this horse but the question is will he have the speed needed in this quality field especially if conditions dry up? possibly not.
7. MOHAFETH
Jockey: Jim Crowley
Trainer: William Haggas
Form: 73-111
Looked like an extremely talented horse when winning at Newmarket in May. Unbeaten in three runs this season but this was the best of the lot, beating odds on favourite Secret Protector at a canter by 5 lengths. Secret Protector was favourite after a good win in Meydan in February and hasn’t finished outside the top three to date. Inigo Jones finished 3rd by 51/2 lengths. Inigo Jones is a good measure of quality because Sir Michael Stoute’s horses have been consistent in picking up results on the all-weather early in the season, so all run to a good standard. Mohafeth’s form shows he has finished ahead of many winners, some of those quite consistent and his physicality is glaring. Jim Crowley never had to move on him in this most recent run, he didn’t waver in the dip at Newmarket showing balance. His action was consistent throughout and the way he pumped his legs forward and changed leg with such ease a sign of great strength. Should definitely be in the picture and has an excellent chance of winning here. Works each way at the time of writing.
8. MOJO STAR
Jockey: David Egan
Trainer: Richard Hannon
Form: 2-2
Finished 2nd twice in two starts. The 2nd of these came against Manobo by 1/2 a length in a maiden at Newbury in may who looks like a decent prospect. Both races were ran at Newbury so it is yet to be seen if he can cope with undulations and both came on ground with some give. It is a big ask for a horse who has yet to put up a victory however and there are more attractive options here.
9 ONE RULER
Jockey: James Doyle
Trainer: Charlie Appleby
Form: 21312-6
Consistently finished in the top three before coming 6th in the 2000 Guineas in May. He has always looked like a horse who would benefit from a longer trip and has consistently raced against quality. He holds a group three victory but the most notable result being a hard fought effort at Doncaster in October where he finished 2nd to Mac Swiney by 3/4 of a length. The winner went on to win the Irish 2000 Guineas and this was a group one ran on heavy going. These conditions suited the winner down to the ground. This horse definitely has some quality, because he has been involved in the business end of graded races so often. The team will be hoping that the long distance reduces emphasis on brute power in the finish as this horse has fallen short in the final sprint a few times. He is also drawn in stall 11 which isn’t ideal.
10. SOUTHERN LIGHTS
Jockey: Declan Mcdonogh
Trainer: Joseph O’Brien
Form: 2-16
Only win came at Leopardstown in April where he looked like a horse that could go further than the 11/4 mile trip. he travelled well with a breakaway group up front and pulled away well from the remainder in the finish. The horses in behind however haven’t picked up many wins after this result. In a more recent run, this horse finished 6th of 7 runners behind impressive winner Bolshoi Ballet at Leopardstown in May. If this horse is to challenge he needs to show more quality than he has done on paper this far, but that’s not impossible.
11. THIRD REALM
Jockey: Andrea Atzini
Trainer: Rodger Varian
Form: 5-11
Nice winner of the Lingfield Derby trial in May ahead of Adayar by 11/4 lengths. Appeared to like give in the ground but also has a previous result on good-firm. Showed great balance coming round the final bend and a nice burst of pace in the finish to overcome his rival and it was perhaps more impressive than the winning margin suggests. The doubt here would be that the runner up, although has some ability, appeared to struggle with the nature of the course and was still in with a chance up till the final furlong. Here there will be quality in depth and this horse has a terrible draw in stall 2.
12. YOUTH SPIRIT
Jockey: Tom Marquand
Trainer: Andrew Balding
Form:413-41
Won the group three Chester Vase in May ahead of listed Epsom winner Wirko in 4th (9 lengths), Fancy Man (23/4 lengths) and Sandhurst (13/4 lengths). These horses aren’t bad but Wirko the horse with the highest achievement in terms of grade faded after setting a solid pace. This horse dealt with the pace well and if there is a ground description of good-soft or softer it will benefit him. Chester can produce Derby horses but as previously mentioned, Fancy Man hasn’t won since being a two year old and here it took a while for the winner to shake him off. He will handle the bends well due to his handy nature but he is quite small and Derby winners tend to be more well rounded than what this horse has shown.
VERDICT
1st MOHAFETH
2nd BOLSHOI BALLET
3rd HURRICANE LANE
Mohafeth and Bolshoi Ballet are difficult to see past and although Bolshoi Ballet probably edges it on paper, Mohafeth has shown excellent stamina and strength all season. This would provide Haggas with his first Derby winner since 1996 and his sire, Frankel, with his first Derby winner. Bolshoi Ballet should be very competitive late on but might just miss out especially if there does turn out to be give in the ground, but his class should see him up there regardless. Hurricane Lane could finish strongly late on showing better stamina than the remainder but not having the speed to get in front after the other two make their initial break from the field.
I will make a PLAN so you have a clear mind in the moment
I will be VIGILLANT for opportunities to gain experience and better yourself
Put maximum EFFORT into any opportunities given to me
I will LISTEN to anyone I work under to try and gain their skills
To ACHIEVE my potential, I must WORK HARDER to get the most from my work
I will keep an OPEN MIND and take any suggestions that will make me a better person
Using the key points from my manifesto, I can say that going forward I will take time to note my plan for my future hopefully in sports journalism. I will look for any work or experience I can gain and be open to working with people in this field of work. I will do this by searching online, messaging possible employers and journalists. This is in the hope of gaining the necessary experience and skills needed for the profession I want. I will try my hardest if I get that opportunity. With that effort I hope to pick things up and gain skills that I otherwise would not have. I hope to be able to have opportunities to work with great people and try my hardest with their guidance and I hope to contribute to whatever task they set me to a good standard. By completing some initial tasks and work I will gain experience which is valuable for this line of work.
At the end of this all I hope to be able to get work in sports writing and updating people every day about the sports they love. Being updated about these sports is important to so many and I hope one day I will get a chance to make a living in this field.
With the Cheltenham festival just days away, it raises the question, does it still command the attention of a major sporting event in the modern day?
Last year the highest viewed sporting event in the UK was the rugby world cup semi-final between England and New Zealand with an audience of around 11 million in comparison to Cheltenham Festival which had an average viewing figure of around 961,000 according to The Racing Post. This may seem like a bad yield in comparrison, until you consider it’s the highest average TV viewing figure since records began in 2003. This shows that the sport has a dedicated fanbase and much like other sporting events, Cheltenham is on the fore of many people’s minds when thinking of the sporting year ahead. Famous stars attend such as the royal family, Ray Winstone, and Lily Allen.
The event is the racing parallel of Wimbledon in tennis or the Tour de France in cycling, and the Gold Cup could probably be equated to a football world cup. Amongst trainers the Gold Cup is held in a higher regard to the Grand National and it is the centrepiece of the festival with peak viewing figures coming for this race. Cheltenham is the pinnacle of the sport and creates memories like Kauto Star becoming the first horse to regain the Gold Cup or Tiger Roll romping home in the Cross Country Chase before achieving his second Grand National. Last season, Bryony Frost became the first female jockey to win a grade one chase at the festival, a massive achievement that transcended the sport in its importance. Cheltenham makes the greats of the sport and gives them crowning achievements and without it there would be an empty gap alongside other sports and their highest achievements. Cheltenham represents the sport because of its quality.
The proof is that both interest wise and quality wise, Cheltenham Festival still stands its ground as one of sport’s most prestigious events and maintains its dedicated following. And with its influence gradually on the rise it will remain the greatest show on turf for the foreseeable future. Racing fans will watch in their thousands for the week ahead and Cheltenham will continue its influence and high standards.
Hawkinsport 