Darlington boss Martin Gray missed his side’s game at Halifax on New Year’s Day because he was getting married and his assistant Brian Atkinson wasn’t there either… he was best man.
It may look like poor planning from the Quakers manager, but the date of the wedding was arranged two years ago, when his team were in a different division, BBC reported.
Gray, 45, said the club asked Halifax to reschedule the game “but with all due respect, they refused”.
That left first-team coach Sean Gregan to take charge of the National League fixture, which finished 2-2.
Deulofeu not joining Milan on loan
Gerard Deulofeu will not be changing clubs this month after Everton turned down an offer from Milan to have the Spanish winger on loan with them until the end of the season.
Gazzetta dello Sport reported that the move looked set to be completed just days ago but the English side have now decided not to let their player leave.
Milan will now consider making an offer for a permanent deal for the 22-year-old as Gazzetta added that Deportivo and Roma have also joined the hunt for the former Barcelona player.
Moyes braced for ‘difficult’ window
David Moyes fears Sunderland’s current predicament means it will be difficult to sign players as he prepares for transfer discussions with owner Ellis Short.
For the second straight season the Black Cats have opened a new calendar year languishing in the drop zone.
“Ellis will speak with me and I’ll speak with Ellis, I’ve got no doubt,” Moyes said.
“We’ll see what we can do. It’s difficult. It will even be difficult to attract the players. We need to say, ‘We need you’.”
Watford’s Mazzarri remains calm
Watford manager Walter Mazzarri has dismissed uncertainty surrounding his future by claiming the Hornets are on course to avoid relegation in a harder Premier League than last year.
The 4-1 defeat to Tottenham on New Year’s Day saw Watford slip to 13th in the table, having won only once in seven games.
Mazzarri’s cause has not been helped by a number of injuries to key players, not least Juan Zuniga, who felt pain in his ankle during the warm-up against Tottenham.
Mazzarri said: “The first objective, which has always been the same, was to avoid relegation. In this moment if we look at the table we are doing even better than the starting objective.
“We could have been where other teams are but we aren’t. This has always been the first objective and we’re doing okay.”
Juve look set to miss out on Witsel
Juventus look set to miss out on their long-term transfer target Axel Witsel with the Belgian midfielder poised to join Chinese Super League club Tianjin Quanjian.
The 27-year-old had previously hinted he would be happy to link up with the Serie A champions at the end of his contract with current club Zenit SP, but he appears to have been tempted by a January move to China instead.
Witsel said: “It’s been a very difficult choice, because on one hand I had an offer from a great club like Juventus, but I also had an offer I could not turn down for my family’s sake.”
Tianjin Quanjian are managed by Italian Fabio Cannavaro.
Ibra says he has silenced critics
Zlatan Ibrahimovic believes he has made his critics eat their words with his performances for Manchester United this season.
The 35-year-old has scored 18 goals to his name so far in his first season playing in England, and said his displays prove he has plenty left in the tank.
He said: “I don’t know how many years I have left, but I am enjoying the football. I came to the Premier League and everyone thought it would not be possible but, like always, I make them eat their words.”
Ibrahimovic was denied what would have been his 18th United goal in the first half of Saturday’s 2-1 win over Middlesbrough when the referee instead gave a foul for a high boot.
Striker Afobe puts Bournemouth first
Bournemouth striker Benik Afobe has pulled out of the African Nations Cup finals to stay with his Premier League team despite recently switching his allegiance from England to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The Congolese football federation confirmed Afobe’s withdrawal from a 31-man preliminary squad.
Reports said Afobe had told DR Congo coach Florent Ibenge he wished to consolidate his place in the Bournemouth starting line-up after scoring against Swansea City on Saturday.
“The manager showed faith in me by starting me and I wanted to repay him with a goal, so I’m happy,” the 23-year-old told his club’s website.