Latest news with #LeagueOne
Press and Journal
an hour ago
- Sport
- Press and Journal
Richard Gordon: Kusini Yengi has the potential to be a talisman for Aberdeen but Dons need more attacking options
It is still over a month until the Dons kick-off their 2025-26 campaign, but the next few weeks are going to be vitally important, and give us a few clues as to what lies ahead. The club announced a list of pre-season fixtures, some of which will feature a Dons XI, others more likely to offer a better indication of Jimmy Thelin's preferred line-up. The first of those will be at Balmoral Stadium on July 12 against Cove Rangers, and it will be interesting to see if more new faces have arrived by then. So far, Jimmy has brought in left-back Emmanuel Gyamfi and three Aussies, goalkeeper Nick Suman, winger Nicolas Milanovic and striker Kusini Yengi. Of that quartet, it is Yengi who will be of most interest. Last season, Kevin Nisbet was the only one who looked capable of scoring on a regular basis, and even then, it took him until the turn of the year before he really hit form. Kevin finished on 14 goals, the only player to make it into double figures. Given what we have seen so far of the other strikers at Thelin's disposal, there has been nothing to suggest any will fill the void. That means the spotlight will fall on the former Portsmouth hitman. He was by no means prolific at Fratton Park, and did not net a single goal for the club last season, but his previous campaign was more impressive, and he has a highly credible record at international level, notching six for Australia in his eleven appearances to date. He clearly has something; it will be up to Jimmy and his coaching staff to coax that out of the striker. But he will need back-up, and I have to imagine it is an area the club is still looking to strengthen significantly. As well as doing so, they have to be looking at moving a few players on, and there are some in the squad who clearly look surplus to requirements. With the additional demands of a European campaign ahead, in whichever of the leagues the Dons find themselves, they are going to require not only a bigger pool, but one which offers strength in depth when it comes to quality. That will hopefully mean more game time for the club's most promising youngsters. Jack Milne proved in the Scottish Cup final he has the required attributes, Fletcher Boyd has obvious potential, and Alfie Bavidge caught the eye while out on loan at Caley Thistle, earning a place in the PFA Scotland League One team of the year. A trio of players – Adam Emslie, Findlay Marshall and Dylan Lobban – played more than 100 between them for Cove last time round, and I saw them develop significantly over the course of the campaign. Not all will get a chance, but it would be good to see at least some of them feature more regularly during 2025-26, giving the squad more of a local identity. The next month is likely to be a busy one on the training ground, and on and off the pitch, and by the end of it I would hope the team is ready for what seems certain to be a challenging and demanding season. The excitement for the new campaign ramped-up last Friday with the announcement of the Premiership fixture list. Disappointingly, the first weekend will see one solitary Saturday 3pm kick-off – Kilmarnock v Livingston – with a trio of games on the Sunday. Because of the demands of the television companies, and Thursday night European games, Sundays often now feature more of the bigger games, and that will again be the case. It will certainly be something the Dons are going to have to adapt to if they are to have a successful season. Getting off the blocks positively should help – although that did not exactly work out last time – but Aberdeen have been handed a tough start with Celtic at home on day two, either side of trips to Tynecastle and Tannadice. It was no surprise that Sky chose the Hearts game for the Monday evening, and the meeting with Derek McInnes will be some appetiser for the top-flight campaign.
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
QPR addition on importance of morale and Reading 'family' during off-field crisis
Queens Park Rangers defender Amadou Mbengue has spoken about his time at Reading and the lesson he learnt during a turbulent three years at the club. The 23-year-old joined the Royals from Metz in 2022 and suffered relegation in his first season, but 'Cheeseburger' has become a cult hero in Berkshire for his on-field commitment and personality. Advertisement From his post-match orchestrating of the crowd to spending time in Club 1871 for a game when injured, few players have left the legacy the Senegal Under-21 international has in a little over a century of appearances. Signing a long-term deal at Loftus Road after turning down a new contract with the Royals, Mbengue has spoken out about the difficulties of the situation at Reading during his time, with the club mired in financial difficulties for almost the entirety of his spell. From being paid late to almost having the training ground sold from under their feet, it has been no smooth journey for the versatile defender. However, Mbengue believes squad morale and friendship is what got them through the tough times to finish seventh in League One last year. Advertisement "It's [morale] really important," he told "In situations like that, you need to be together as a family. I learnt a lot of things in that situation. "As a family, when you pull everything together, it is much better than doing things by yourself. It was important to be in good spirits and on the same page." Mbengue's exit came on the same day as striker Jayden Wareham, who signed a two-year deal at League One side Exeter City.
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Bromley sign Hondermarck after Northampton exit
Bromley have signed Will Hondermarck as their third summer addition after the midfielder's deal with Northampton Town expired. The 24-year-old played in Norwich City's youth teams before moving to Barnsley in 2021. Advertisement After a year and a half at Oakwell, he joined Northampton where he made 88 appearances, scoring two goals and registering two assists. He was part of a promotion winning team in his first season with The Cobblers and they went up to League One under former boss Jon Brady. Last season he played 39 times in all competitions, providing an assist in an EFL Trophy game against Notts County.
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Colchester sign Shrewsbury midfielder Gape
Dominic Gape made his only Premier League appearance for Southampton in a 3-0 win over Everton in December 2014 [Getty Images] Colchester United have signed midfielder Dominic Gape following his departure from Shrewsbury Town. Gape, made 16 appearances for Salop last season as the club finished bottom of League One, ending their 10-year stay in the third tier. Advertisement The former Southampton trainee has played at every level of the English professional pyramid, from the Premier League with Saints to seven seasons at Wycombe, helping the club go from League Two up to the Championship. He also had a 10-game spell in the National League with Eastleigh in the first half of last term before his move to Shrewsbury. Gape is Colchester's second signing of the summer following the arrival of forward Jaden Williams from Tottenham. "Coming through at Wycombe, I was really lucky to have a great group of senior pros to help guide me," Gape said. "Now I feel like it's my turn to be that senior pro, to offer guidance and show the young lads what it means to be a professional and to be a winner." The length of Gape's deal has not been disclosed.
BBC News
7 hours ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Colchester sign Shrewsbury midfielder Gape
Colchester United have signed midfielder Dominic Gape following his departure from Shrewsbury made 16 appearances for Salop last season as the club finished bottom of League One, ending their 10-year stay in the third former Southampton trainee has played at every level of the English professional pyramid, from the Premier League with Saints to seven seasons at Wycombe, helping the club go from League Two up to the also had a 10-game spell in the National League with Eastleigh in the first half of last term before his move to is Colchester's second signing of the summer following the arrival of forward Jaden Williams from Tottenham."Coming through at Wycombe, I was really lucky to have a great group of senior pros to help guide me," Gape said., external"Now I feel like it's my turn to be that senior pro, to offer guidance and show the young lads what it means to be a professional and to be a winner."The length of Gape's deal has not been disclosed.
