
Mansfield sign keeper Roberts after Millwall exit
Goalkeeper Liam Roberts has joined League One side Mansfield Town after being released by Millwall.During the 30-year-old's solitary campaign at The Den, Roberts was banned for six games after he was sent off eight minutes into his side's FA Cup fifth-round defeat at Crystal Palace for kicking Eagles forward Jean-Philippe Mateta in the head as he rushed out of goal.It was sixth and last time the goalkeeper featured for the Lions.Roberts, who apologised to Mateta for the incident that hospitalised the Frenchman and left him needing several stitches, became the target of online abuse, which Millwall condemned as "abhorrent and disgusting".
The former Middlesbrough, Northampton Town and Walsall goalkeeper, who last featured in League One for Barnsley on loan in the 2023-24 season, moves to Mansfield to replace first-choice Christy Pym, who was released by the Stags at the end of the campaign.Mansfield Town manager Nigel Clough says he feels Roberts "fits the bill perfectly" as their new number one."He's played against us over the years and we've been very impressed by him," Clough told the club website., external"He has Championship experience as well as a lot of experience in League One."
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Daily Mail
34 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
SW19 set for record breaking scorcher... As Wimbledon prepares for its hottest opening day, players are offered longer breaks and fans told to wear wide-brimmed hats
Normally, the prospect of wet weather is what keeps the organisers of Wimbledon awake at night. But with the tournament braced for its hottest opening day tomorrow at a predicted high of 34C – well above the previous record of 29.3C in 2001 – the one thought occupying their minds is how to keep everyone cool. The retractable Centre Court roof will protect those in the royal box. Although it won't close completely, it will give just enough shade to keep them out of the fierce glare of the sun. For everyone else, the advice is to wear loose, cool clothing and wide-brimmed hats. Wimbledon's heat rule, which allows for a ten-minute break in play during extreme temperatures, will also come into force. In addition, organisers are promising 'increased shaded areas, umbrellas and indoor spaces' and say a 'detailed shade study' has been carried out to help stewards 'guide guests to the coolest areas'. A spot of rain – so often the curse of the tournament – might come as a blessed relief. Not that the heat seems to trouble Britain's Emma Raducanu, who said yesterday: 'I'm ready to embrace it! I'm prepared. I'm going to stay hydrated, do the right things and, hopefully, be OK.' British men's No1 Jack Draper said: 'I feel good. I feel strong, I feel ready.' He is also unfazed by the heat, insisting: 'I've dealt with a lot of hot environments. It's something all players struggle with. It suits my game, it being hotter.' Yesterday, organisers tested the Hawk-Eye system brought in to replace line judges. It uses cameras and algorithms to track a ball with pinpoint accuracy. If any judges wish to attend, they must now compete for the new role of 'match assistant'. With just 80 selected for this position – compared with some 350 line judges in previous years – only the most highly qualified have been chosen. Despite their expertise, the role involves measuring the net, opening new balls... and taking players to the loo. 'We are basically just glorified toilet attendants,' one official said. 'It does seem they don't have any real care for us.' Line judges claim they were only told they were being axed 30 minutes before a press announcement last year, and there will be no recognition of their service this year. They are most upset for 77-year-old veteran Charles Falconer, who would have been awarded a trophy and a certificate to mark his 50th year this summer – but has been denied even a match assistant role. One judge said: 'Charlie even asked if he could do stewarding to make the milestone, but they told him there was nothing available. I can't believe it from Wimbledon – we thought they were better.' Graham Liddle, 75, who retired as a line judge after 50 years in 2022, said: 'The atmosphere is gone. You see this empty court – all you've got is an umpire and ball kids. But it's here to stay, sadly. I am the longest-serving official in terms of years. Charlie is close behind me.' Ahead of the opening day, fans sleeping in tents so they could be first to get tickets said they would not be put off by the heat. Vicky and Nigel Broad, 57 and 59, who were the first in line, said: 'The wait will be worth it when we get in. Let's see if the weather lasts the whole tournament.'


Daily Mail
34 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Joao Pedro makes decision over his future after Chelsea see £58m bid for Brighton star rejected amid Newcastle interest
Joao Pedro, also wanted by Newcastle, is leaning towards a move to Chelsea if they can reach agreement on a fee. Chelsea have had a proposal of around £58m rebuffed with Brighton wanting in excess of £60m. Since joining from Watford in 2023, Joao Pedro has scored 30 goals in 70 appearances for Brighton. Borussia Dortmund 's Jamie Gittens, meanwhile, has agreed a seven year contract with Chelsea. The winger is set to undergo a medical with the Blues over the weekend. Chelsea previously had a £42million bid turned down by Dortmund before striking their new deal. Gittens is returning to England after almost five years in Germany, having joined Dortmund from Manchester City in September 2020. Over the last three seasons, he has scored 12 goals in 72 Bundesliga appearances. He previously spent five years in Reading's youth academy. Gittens has been capped by England at five different age levels, but he was unable to play at this summer's U21 Euros due to his participation at the Club World Cup.


BBC News
36 minutes ago
- BBC News
From mascot to matchwinner - the making of a new England hero
When a nine-year-old Jonathan Rowe was walking out alongside England and Brazil at a packed Wembley he was living every football-mad child's AFC Wembley youth player, he was picked to be mascot for the visit of the five-time world champions in 2013. He later watched on as Frank Lampard's second-half goal gave the Three Lions a memorable 2-1 forward 12 and a half years, it was now Rowe's turn to be England's Marseille forward came off the bench to give his country a dramatic 3-2 extra-time win over Germany in the final of the European Under-21 Championship.A senior call-up may yet be some way off, but this was a night the 22-year-old will never England boss Thomas Tuchel watching on from the stands, Rowe told Channel 4: "I came into the game with [the mindset of] anything I could do to help the team."I'm so happy I managed to do that in front of some important people tonight."But who exactly is England's new U21 hero - and how did he end up in France at Marseille? Caring for his mum aged 11 & impressing for Norwich According to his coach at AFC Wembley, Rowe "didn't know how good he was" - but everyone else did."That's what we liked about him, he was good but he also had that humble side," Gary Graham told Sky Sports."A lot of boys in our team were good, but didn't have that humble side and that's why they weren't able to step up to the next level."Rowe joined Norwich City's academy in 2014 - but the move wasn't entirely straightforward. He spent three hours a day commuting from London to East Anglia in between caring for his ill mother and helping raise his sister. He was still only 11 at this came the injuries during his developmental years, having to tackle Osgood-Schlatter disease - a common cause of knee pain - before eventually making his first-team debut for the Canaries in spent the next two seasons in and out of the Norwich side before establishing himself in their 2023-24 run to the Championship play-off semi-finals, scoring 13 with other clubs circling, Rowe decided it was time to move having several previous bids rejected, Marseille managed to sign the forward on a season-long loan deal with an obligation to buy - the fee a reported £ were unhappy with the way the transfer played out, with Canaries boss Johannes Hoff Thorup saying Rowe had declined to play in their 2-0 opening-day defeat at Oxford United amid interest from the Ligue 1 club. The move to Marseille - but it's been 'difficult' Rowe is one of three players in England's U21 Euros squad to play their club football abroad, along with Toulouse defender Charlie Cresswell and Genoa's Brooke Norton Cuffy. Jobe Bellingham, now at Dortmund, was also named in the squad are plenty of other recent success stories of young English players moving away from the UK, too, such as Angel Gomes at Lille and Conor Gallagher at Atletico the move away for Rowe hasn't been started just six league games last season, with 22 more appearances coming from the bench."It's been difficult for me personally, the whole season has been difficult," said Rowe. "The change coming from Norwich, where I was a key player in the team and then coming here was a big challenge with the expectation to perform."I have embraced it, and it's been difficult. I have been left out of the starting XI a lot of times, and it has obviously affected me a bit, I think everyone could see that. I carried on going, though, and that's the main thing."Even though I was down some days, I had to look at the bigger picture, which is that collectively as a team we have a goal, and I have got to do as much as I can." 'He's made a real impact, his enthusiasm is infectious' Speaking after the win over Germany, Rowe said again that this season had been "up and down" and acknowledged he wasn't even picked for the last England U21 he also said that "I always back myself" - and his international coach Lee Carsley will have played a part in that."The point we make to all of the players, regardless of how much they play for their clubs, we watch them all of the time," Carsley told BBC Sport's Nick Mashiter. "I keep in touch with the players, mainly when they're not playing, to keep them motivated and keep them going."To move abroad takes a different kind of character. Jonathan's done so well when he has had the opportunity at Marseille - he fully deserves to be in our squad."He probably thought at some point that he was out of selection, but he more than deserves to be part of it."He's made a real impact and his enthusiasm around the hotel and training has been infectious."And, on Saturday, he made the biggest impact of all - a winning goal for his country in a tournament final.