SPORTS 15
Sunday, 4 May, 2014
mcclaren taking nothing for granted
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SPORTS DESK ANAGER Steve McClaren is taking nothing for granted as Derby prepare to meet Brighton in the Sky Bet Championship semi-final play-offs.
The former England coach saw his side battle for a point from a 1-1 draw at Leeds and declared: "The season begins for us now. We have done nothing yet. We've got a ticket for the lottery and we hope it is the lucky one. " McClaren made six changes but Simon Dawkins took just six minutes to shoot the Rams ahead. Matt Smith equalised from Ross McCormack's assist five minutes into the second half, but McClaren said: "We wanted to turn in a performance and be hard to beat and we did that. "They gave us a hard test but we showed tremendous attitude." McClaren confirmed that all his players had come through without injury and added: "The games against Brighton are like two cup ties. "Over the last few weeks we have cemented our place in the play-offs and our level of performance hasn't dropped, but we are taking nothing for granted. "Brighton will be buzzing after defeating Nottingham Forest and qualifying for the play-offs so we will take that into account. "When I took the job I would have said you were mad if you had told me we would finish where we are, but the players have been magnificent, adding consistency to their game." Leeds concluded a disappointing campaign with 10 points out of 15 since the club's ownership was sorted out to finish 15th in the table. Manager
karanka focused on next season
navarro FINALLY WINS WTA TITLE IN PORTUGAL Brian McDermott said: "Since things have settled down our record equates to 92 points over a season. "We played some really good stuff against Derby who are the team to beat in the play-offs. "There are a lot of reasons for where we finished and they are not excuses. We are not where we want to be yet. We just need a stable environment and with the new ownership situation these are exciting times for Leeds United." McDermott's future as Leeds manager remains to be confirmed but he is upbeat and said: "I have to talk to the owner and take things from there. "I am itching to start planning and preparing for next
season. It drivesy ou on when you see nearly 30,000 supporters in the ground. They don't give up and the Leeds United manager won't give up." After their poor start, Leeds had two penalty claims rejected. Michael Tonge argued that Richard Keogh handled his 20 yard shot as the interval approached and Smith claimed he was impeded as he ran through the penalty box two minutes after scoring. Derby defended manfully at times against the threat of Smith and McCormack - a quality that should stand them in good stead as they reach out for promotion.
(CHIEF OF THE NAVAL STAFF AMATEUR GOLF CUP)
SECOND DAY OF THE GOLF EVENT WRAPS UP iSLaMabaD
Middlesbrough manager Aitor Karanka believes his side will be challenging for promotion to the Premier League next season after an emphatic 4-1 win at relegated Yeovil. Three goals in 15 firsthalf minutes for the north east outfit ensured Boro secured a top-half finish in the Sky Bet Championship and ended the season on a good run of form. On-loan strikers Danny Graham and Lee Tomlin were both on target while Emmanuel Ledesma notched a brace. Karanka said: "I'm very pleased because I said before the game that it's not the same to finish the season winning or finishing the season losing, so I'm happy with my team. "We have finished winning six out of the last eight games and I'm now thinking about next season. "I think today wasn't a real test because it was difficult for Yeovil to play because they were relegated last week and playing at home. But for us it was good as players like Danny [Graham], Tommo [Lee Tomlin] and Manu [Emmanuel Ledesma] finishing the season scoring goals. "The most important thing for me is the team and the team is built. All the players showed me this season they are a good team and are very professional, and with these players and one or two more we can do better next season. "I'm happy because the most important thing is how happy our supporters are. I came here five months ago and they have always been supporting us and helping us. If the people are happy it's because our work is good." Yeovil Town will return to League One next season after a one-year stay in the Championship. Manager Gary Johnson was forced to sit in the stands after being hit with a one-match touchline ban during his side's defeat at Charlton last month.
Carla Suarez Navarro won the first WTA title of her career as she defeated Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-4 3-6 6-4 in Oeiras. Despite being the top seed and one of the most consistent players on the WTA Tour, Navarro had never previously won a WTA title – losing in her previous five finals – including at this venue last year. Despite winning the first set 6-3 against experienced Russian Kuznetsova, Navarro looked set for more disappointment when she fell 6-3 in the second and then found herself 4-1 down in the third. However, she then managed to rally and win five games in a row to take the victory.
TOP SEED FOGNINI TO MEET QUALIFIER KLIZAN IN MUNICH FINAL SPORTS DESK Top seed Fabio Fognini brought German qualifier Jan-Lennard Struff crashing down to earth with a 6-3 6-1 victory on Saturday that sent him through to the Munich Open final where he will meet another qualifier in Martin Klizan. Slovak Klizan outclassed defending champion Tommy Haas, back from a six-week injury break, in straight sets to keep his sensational run alive. Clay court specialist Fognini, the world number 15, gave Struff no chance on a cool spring day in Munich. "I did exactly what I had to do," the Italian, chasing his second title of the year, told reporters. "I did exactly what my coach told me. I do not know if it is Struff's first semi-final but he did it well here this week." Klizan, ranked 111, was equally dominant against Haas in his 6-3 6-2 win, booking his second career final after beating Fognini in the St Petersburg decider in 2012. He had also beaten seeds Mikhail Youzhny and Denis Istomin in earlier rounds. "That was a very bitter day for me," said the 36-year-old Haas, with his shoulder injury flaring up again and slowing down his serve considerably. "I am very disappointed because I had played good tennis in the previous days."
PRESS RELEASE
SPORTS DESK
SPORTS DESK
Second day of Chief of Naval Staff Amateur Golf Cup ended with the 2nd round of amateurs’ category. On the second day of Golf Cup, three categories participated including 2nd round of amateur, 1st round of seniors and ladies. The second day of the event began with the ladies match followed by seniors and amateur categories. In ladies match, 10 lady golfers participated from across the country. In the second round of amateur category, Tariq Mehmood from the Margalla Greens Golf Club is leading by scoring Gross 147 whereas Nosher Khan from the PAF Golf Club is a way ahead by scoring Net 135. In seniors’ net category first round, Afsar Malik from the Telenor Golf Club is leading by scoring net 70 whereas in gross category Lt Col (R) Shahid Hussain from the Rawalpindi Golf Club is a way ahead by scoring Gross 78. In ladies match, Parkha Ijaz from the MGGC is winner of net category by scoring Net 71 whereas Mrs Saima from the MGGC is winner of Gross category by scoring Gross 94.
FERGUSON UNDECIDED OVER FUTURE SPORTS DESK Blackpool caretaker-manager Barry Ferguson has yet to decide where his future lies after seeing his side secure their place in the Sky Bet Championship for another season despite a 3-0 defeat to Charlton on the final day. The Tangerines began the day 19th in the table but finished the campaign two points above the drop zone as Doncaster lost and Birmingham failed to win. Callum Harriott was the tormentor in chief for the Addicks, the 20-yearold winger bagging a second-half hattrick to secure a third win in four for Jose Riga's side. Ferguson's side, meanwhile, survive thanks to the four points they claimed from their two previous games and the caretaker-boss, who took over when Paul Ince was sacked in January, kept his cards close to his chest regarding his future at Bloomfield Road."I'm getting
an operation soon on my ankle and I don't know whether I am going to play on," said Ferguson. "It probably won't be at Blackpool if I'm going to play on, but I'll make that decision mid-June. "There's no meetings planned with the chairman. We just wanted to get through the game, get to
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the end of the season and keep Blackpool in the Championship. "Now we've done that. Whoever comes in and takes the job, it's a really good club. There's a lot of good things about it and there's a few bad things. If you can get them sorted then you've got every chance.
"There's only four contracted players, whoever gets the job has got the chance to come in and build their own squad and their own team. That's something that me as a young manager would love to do and most managers in Britain would love to do. "I want to be a manager, I've decided that. It's not scared me wanting to be a manager. I've loved it. I'm just thankful for Blackpool giving me the chance. Whether it's here whether it's wherever it might be, you'll see." Harriott struck just after the hour mark for the visitors after the first half had been dominated by Blackpool. The youngster, whose double in their midweek win over Watford helped secure their Championship status, added a second in the final 10 minutes before wrapping up a treble in injury time. And Addicks boss Riga, like Ferguson, would not reveal if he will still be at the club next season.