Samuel Gardiner - Sports Journalism

Opinion: 10 uncapped England players who deserve call-ups Thomas Tuchel has some decisions to make. The England manager raised eyebrows with some selections for the World Cup in North America over the summer. Some of them, like Djed Spence, were unexpected successes. The likes of Jordan Henderson, however, played just six minutes while Kobbie Mainoo was the only outfield player to not play a single minute at the tournament. German boss Tuchel clearly has a surprise up his sleeve, and there is a select pool of uncapped English players who may fancy their chances of an inclusion in his squad for the Nations League, which begins later this month. For some of these players, a call-up is long overdue, while others will feel that their performances at the start of the 2026/27 season have merited a nod. Without further ado, here is a list of ten uncapped players who could realistically be in with a chance of being called up by Tuchel this September. 1. Jamie Gittens – Chelsea 22-y...

What really happened in the 19 minutes Mike Dean didn't blow his whistle?   Nineteen minutes. That’s how long Mike Dean went at the start of a Premier League match without blowing his whistle. In his 23-year career as a top-flight referee, Merseyside-born Dean had built up a reputation for being a bit unorthodox. Whether it’s his over-enthusiastic arm signals while pointing to the penalty spot, or running with his arms aloft when his advantage led to a Mousa Dembele goal for Tottenham in 2015, Dean has become one of the most divisive figures in Premier League history. “There used to be games we used to have, as a laugh, we used to say, ‘Right, we’ll kick off now, right. See how long we can go without blowing a whistle.’” To some who were already aware of Dean’s unconventional, sometimes eccentric nature, the comment would not have come as a surprise. To others, including supporters on social media, the statement appeared to raise a more serious question: how could a refer...

  FA Cup Second Qualifying Round: The pick of the ties   The draw for the Emirates FA Cup Second Qualifying Round was published at 1pm on Monday 7 th September. Step 2 sides enter the competition at this stage. 37 clubs in Step 3 of non-league have so far qualified from the previous round and they are joined by 32 Step 4 sides and nine clubs from Step 5. The results of 29 ties are still to be decided via replays. Arguably the pick of the results saw Step 5 side Trafford defeat Bamber Bridge, of two leagues above, 3-1 away from home. Despite being a goal down at half-time, second-half goals from Lewis Jacklin, Dillon Edmundson and David Worrall ensured a memorable win for the Manchester-based side. Tom Baker’s men have been rewarded for their efforts with a trip to the north-east to face Heaton Stannington. Another Step 5 outfit, Shane Baptiste’s Woodford Town, got to this stage last season where they were beaten at home by just a solitary goal by Step 3 side St Alba...

Hill chief's pride to make his mark As seen in the Non-League Paper, Edition on 30th August 2026 Mark Williams' spell in charge of Buckhurst Hill has been something of a dream. Taking over when the club were in a local Step 8 league, Williams has overseen four promotions and taken the Stags into the Isthmian North. They marked their Step 4 debut with a 2-0 win over Grays Athletic in front of 235 fans. Follow the link to the rest of the article: https://www.thenonleaguefootballpaper.com/latest-news/non-league-paper/623164/hill-chiefs-pride-to-make-his-mark/ 

  Gnandi double in historic night for Stags   A brace from summer signing Max Gnandi earned Buckhurst Hill a 2-0 victory over Grays Athletic in their first-ever match at Step 4. Gnandi broke the deadlock with the game just eight minutes old, as he beat the offside trap and latched onto a through-ball from Shane Temple to take the ball round Grays’ goalkeeper Danny Sambridge and slot into an empty net. And the former Great Wakering man was at it again with 10 minutes to go before the break. Sulley Zuhdu’s shot was deflected into his path, and he did brilliantly to turn away from Grays captain Lewis Clark and finish low past Sambridge.   A minute’s silence was observed before the match in memory of Keith Harris. Grandad of Stags’ record appearance-maker Alfie, Keith had many roles over the years at the club, but was most notable for being a familiar face in the dugout alongside manager Mark Williams. The Harris family were in attendance as the home dugout was re...

  Norton goal earns Barnston first point     A well-taken strike from Sam Norton earned Barnston their first point of the Essex Olympian Premier Division season, in a 1-1 draw at home to ACD United. ACD had struck first through Shaun Goddard after 14 minutes, but Barnston grew into the game and got their deserved equaliser ten minutes after the restart. Both sides were coming into this game having lost both their opening two matches – Barnston had suffered narrow defeats to Harold Wood Athletic and Old Chelmsfordians in their first fixtures, while ACD lost 4-1 to Shenfield on the opening day and 2-1 to Harold Hill last week. Both sides took a while to find their feet on Saturday at High Easter Road, in warm conditions which meant drinks breaks midway through each half. The hosts had the opening chance from a corner which was delivered by talisman Lewis Sonnex onto the head of centre-half Carl Conway, who was unmarked, but he could only head wide. However, ...