Relieved Stevenage boss Steve Evans praised his side’s character after beating Port Vale on penalties to progress into the third round of the FA Cup.Battling Boro overcame 2-0 and 3-2 deficits to set up a trip to minnows Maidstone.Ben Garrity’s brace put Vale two goals to the good before late efforts from Harvey White and Kane Hemmings, in the sixth minute of stoppage time, sent the ga

Erik ten Hag told his Manchester United players to make sure they get straight back into the Champions League next season after a dismal European campaign ended in an early exit at the hands of Bayern Munich on Tuesday night.Kingsley Coman’s 70th-minute goal, laid on by Harry Kane, gave the Germans a 1-0 win and ensured United finished bottom of Group A – beaten to second place by FC C

New Oxford head coach Des Buckingham is not concerned that, after the 1-1 draw at local rivals Reading, he has now failed in four attempts to gain his first League One victory.Both goals came shortly before the interval, with defender Ciaron Brown giving Oxford the lead in the 39th minute with a stooping header – only for former United loanee Sam Smith to equalise four minutes later.Buckingh

Sunderland caretaker Mike Dodds believes Jobe Bellingham can emerge from his superstar brother’s shadow and go “to the very top” himself after the teenager’s late winner ended Leeds’ seven-game unbeaten run.The 18-year-old headed his fourth career goal in the 78th minute to secure a 1-0 EFL Championship win over the third-placed Whites on the same night his elder sibl

Proud Scarborough boss Jonathan Greening hailed his players’ fortitude after they pushed EFL outfit Forest Green all the way again in a third meeting of the teams in this season’s FA Cup.The first-round tie was ordered to be replayed after Forest Green had been found guilty of failing to inform the FA they had received permission to play a loan player against the National League North

Ryan Lowe described his side’s performance as “different class from start to finish” as Preston returned to winning ways with a 3-1 Championship victory at Huddersfield.Goals from captain Alan Browne, Will Keane and Ben Whiteman earned North End a first win in five games, leaving Town still one place above the relegation zone.“Every single individual and collectively as a t

New boss Matt Taylor says he is still learning about his players after Bristol Rovers endured some tricky second-half moments in a 4-2 FA Cup second-round victory at Crewe.Taylor secured his first win in his third game since taking charge of the Pirates at the beginning of the month, but what looked like an easy canter to a third-round trip to Norwich faded in a jittery closing period at Gresty Ro

Rotherham’s new head coach Leam Richardson said he knows the size of the challenge he has taken on following their 2-0 defeat to West Brom.Second-half goals from Grady Diangana and Jed Wallace were the difference as the Millers’ winless run extended to nine games stretching back to October.Richardson, who was officially appointed on Monday to replace Matt Taylor, is looking forward to

Alfreton boss Billy Heath said he was “so proud” of his players despite the non-league side bowing out of the FA Cup in a narrow 1-0 second-round replay defeat at Walsall.Mat Sadler’s Saddlers scraped past the National League North side to nervously book a third-round trip to Southampton in January.But Heath could not have been happier with the way his side matched up the team fr

Jon Dahl Tomasson saluted his Blackburn side for “digging in” to secure a 2-1 win over Bristol City.Rovers were in control after Arnor Sigurdsson’s first goal since October finished off a well-worked 35th-minute move, and Scott Wharton’s second-half header from his brother Adam’s delivery put Rovers two up.But City fought back and after Mark Sykes slotted home on the