The72 Daily Digest – 27/11/13

Good evening, and welcome to the daily digest from The72, the roundup of the main news and gossip floating about the Championship and Leagues One and Two.

Perhaps the biggest news of the day is the somewhat surprising sacking of Richie Barker at Crawley Town.  The sacking comes on the back of a seven game winless run, and following a second stalemate in four days, the Crawley board acted to remove Barker from his position as head coach effective immediately.  No announcement has yet been made as to who will take charge of the team affairs while a the club look for a replacement.

Barker’s job was thought to be secure, but if he is sacked after a seven game winless run, then Darren Ferguson must think it’s squeaky bum time (let the obvious Sir Alex related jokes commence) at Peterborough.  Following a fifth straight defeat, Posh chairman Darragh MacAnthony tweeted that his patience was wearing thin at the run and that the players talked  a good game but needed to grow some “cajones” and play like men.  Darren Ferguson has since confirmed he will be looking to the loan market and try to bring in reinforcements ahead of the emergency loan deadline on Thursday.

Preston North End perhaps got the lucky break of the night on Tuesday when Neil Kilkenny was sent off.  Confused?  Let me explain.  In the 13th minute, Preston North End striker Joe Garner struck Port Vale defender Anthony Griffith but escaped any action.  Instead, the referee mistakenly sent off Preston’s Kilkenny.   This was somewhat good fortune however, as Garner then went on to score twice to win the game for ten man North End, despite the fact he should no longer have been on the pitch.  Preston have today revealed they intend to challenge the red card for Kilkenny and that they would also challenge any red card if it was retrospectively awarded to Garner.  Talk about having your cake and eating it.

In The Championship, Charlton took full advantage of second chance they were given against Doncaster Rovers last night.  Chris Powell was thankful for the opportunity to start afresh after the original game was abandoned back in August due to a waterlogged pitch.  Powell told the BBC “It was a deserved win, a brave, committed performance under some pressure.  We knew it was our game in hand and we all knew what happened in the abandoned game – so we needed to make the most of it. We didn’t perform in that game but that was a watershed moment, if you pardon the pun.”

In League 2, Portsmouth have announced they have a shortlist of managers, but are also inviting applications.  Whether that list includes Richie Barker or not is anyone’s guess.  It has been claimed that Havant & Waterloo boss Lee Bradbury could be on the list.  He knows the area well and certainly wouldn’t have to uproot, which could be attractive to cash strapped Pompey who wouldn’t have to pay any relocation, etc. Havant and Waterlooville are currently 14th in Conference South, so that must be the only reason Portsmouth would consider an unproven manager, right?

In transfer news, Cardiff have allowed striker Rudy Gestede to join Blackburn Rovers on loan, with a view to making the deal permanent in January.  The Premier League club have made it clear that Gestede does not feature in their plans.

Finally, Bradford City are looking to cash in on Nakhi Wells according to The Sun.  The tabloid newspaper claims that City are willing to sell the highly rated, 23 year old striker to QPR in January, should Harry table a bid of £3 million.

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