Charlton’s winless run in Sky Bet League One extended to 10 matches after a 3-2 defeat to Northampton that left home fans chanting for the dismissal of head coach Michael Appleton.

The visitors took the lead in the seventh minute when Kieron Bowie’s through ball was controlled by Tyreece Simpson, who calmly cut past Rarmani Edmonds-Green before beating keeper Ashley Maynard-Brewer.

Charlton levelled after 20 minutes as Aaron McGowan put Alfie May’s low cross from the right of the penalty area into his own net.

McGowan quickly redeemed himself as he teed up Sam Hoskins to sweep Northampton back into the lead.

Charlton equalised in first-half stoppage time, Tennai Watson drilling across Lee Burge after Freddie Ladapo’s original shot was blocked.

McGowan produced a goal-line block to deny May in the second period before Addicks wing-back Tayo Edun was sent off for a second bookable offence – both fouls on McGowan.

Northampton grabbed a winner just moments from the end of seven additional minutes, substitute Louis Appere tapping home from Mitch Pinnock’s pass.

Barnsley strengthened their promotion bid with a 1-0 win at play-off rivals Oxford to avenge their defeat by the U’s earlier in the season and extend their unbeaten league run to 11 games.

It was an unfortunate return to the Oxford side for defender Sam Long after three months sidelined with injury.

Barnsley’s 29th-minute winner came when Long just got in front of Tykes striker Devante Cole and headed Adam Phillips’ wicked right-wing cross into his own goal.

Long had to leave the pitch with a head injury following a midfield clash moments later.

Both sides had good scoring opportunities before the goal.

Fin Stevens fired wide for Oxford from Mark Harris’ lay-off and John McAtee steered a Nicky Cadden cross wide at the near post for the visitors.

Barnsley also went close when a Cadden left-wing cross was carried by the wind and came back off the far post.

Cameron Brannagan was unlucky not to equalise six minutes from the end with a 20-yard drive that came back off the bar.

Striker Victor Adeboyejo’s eighth goal of the season earned promotion-chasing Bolton a hard-fought 1-0 Sky Bet League One victory over Cheltenham.

But Wanderers’ return to winning ways following last Saturday’s defeat at Leyton Orient was not without controversy.

George Lloyd believed he had cancelled out Adeboyejo’s 24th-minute opener nine minutes into the second half after his first effort was saved by Nathan Baxter.

However, referee Ben Speedie signalled offside before assistant referee Joe Simpson eventually raised his flag in confirmation. The two consulted before the initial decision was upheld.

Cheltenham boss Darrell Clarke was later booked after another decision went against his team.

Adeboyejo had not previously scored in 2024 until punishing Tom Bradbury’s defensive slip and coolly finishing from 18 yards.

But relegation-threatened Cheltenham proved tricky opponents in a fixture replayed from January 13 after the collapse and subsequent death of Bolton fan Iain Purslow.

Baxter saved from Rob Street while Tom Pett fired wide before the home side went in front. Curtis Davies lashed a second-half effort into the side-netting while Bolton survived a triple stoppage-time shot barrage.

The Milwaukee Bucks have fired first-year head coach Adrian Griffin, multiple media outlets reported Tuesday.

ESPN analyst and veteran NBA coach Doc Rivers has emerged as Milwaukee's primary target as Griffin’s replacement, according to multiple reports.

Assistant Joe Prunty is expected to be the team’s interim coach until a permanent hire is made.

The stunning move comes after Monday’s 122-113 win over the Detroit Pistons. The Bucks have won five of their last six and currently sit in second place in the Eastern Conference with a 30-13 record.

Despite the team’s solid record, the Bucks have been criticised for their lacklustre defence this season.

Milwaukee is allowing 120.5 points per game this season after giving up 113.3 per game last season. That decline of 7.2 points per game is the second largest in the league this season.

Despite winning both games, the Bucks surrendered 135 and 113 points in consecutive contests against the lowly Pistons.

Another coaching change is just the latest in a busy stretch for the 2021 NBA champions. The Bucks fired Mike Budenholzer last offseason after a first-round play-off exit. Milwaukee was able to keep Brook Lopez and Khris Middleton in free agency, then swung a blockbuster trade that replaced Jrue Holiday with Damian Lillard.

In October, franchise centrepiece Giannis Antetokounmpo signed a three-year maximum contract extension, pausing speculation about his long-term future in Milwaukee.

The onus now falls on general manager Jon Horst to find a coach who will tighten up the Bucks’ defence and maximise the pairing of Antetokounmpo and Lillard.

Milwaukee’s pool of candidates reportedly centres around accomplished coaches with winning pedigrees, with Rivers topping the list.

Rivers, who joined ESPN last summer after being fired by the Philadelphia 76ers, has 1,097 career wins as a head coach and a .590 record. Rivers coached the 2007-08 Boston Celtics to a championship and reached the Finals again in 2010.

Holders Senegal sailed into the knockout stages of the Africa Cup of Nations with a 100 per cent record after beating Guinea 2-0 in Yamoussoukro.

Abdoulaye Seck headed the opening goal early in the second half and Iliman Ndiaye added a late second for the in-form favourites.

Defeat means Guinea, who went into the game knowing they would at least qualify as one of the best third-placed teams, must face Group A winners Equatorial Guinea.

A dismal first period yielded no shots on target, although Senegal did come close when an effort from Nampalys Mendy was deflected just over the bar.

After a fractious end to the first period which saw players from both sides having to be separated, Sadio Mane missed a golden chance shortly after the break.

The former Liverpool man rounded Guinea keeper Ibrahim Kone but failed to keep his shot on target and fired wide.

Seck rose unmarked to head home the opener from Krepin Diatta’s pinpoint free-kick and the goal clearly settled the hosts, who assumed full control.

Ndiaye’s excellent finish wrapped up victory on the stroke of full-time, but there was still time for Guinea to at least register a shot on target as Morgan Guilavogui’s volley tested Edouard Mendy in the Senegal goal.

Newcastle midfielder Joelinton will miss most of the rest of the season after undergoing thigh surgery, the club have confirmed.

The Brazilian was forced off during the Magpies’ FA Cup victory over rivals Sunderland on January 6.

Manager Eddie Howe had previously suggested the 27-year-old could be out for around six weeks but the decision to operate now means the player will be sidelined until at least May.

A statement from the club read: “Newcastle United can confirm that Joelinton has successfully undergone surgery on a thigh injury sustained earlier this month.

“The midfielder will now commence a period of rehabilitation overseen by the club’s medical team and is expected to return to action in May 2024.”

The news is a further blow for Howe, who currently has a lengthy injury list to contend with.

Jacob Murphy, Callum Wilson, Harvey Barnes, Joe Willock, Matt Targett and Nick Pope are among the players currently out of action.

Cameroon staged a late fightback to snatch a place in the knockout stages of the Africa Cup of Nations with a dramatic 3-2 win over the Gambia on Tuesday.

Christopher Wooh headed the winner in the first minute of injury time after the Gambia had hit back from 1-0 down to lead 2-1 heading into the closing stages of an eventful game in Bouake.

There was further drama to follow as Muhammed Sanneh claimed to have equalised for the Gambia but replays showed he had pushed the ball into the goal with his hand and VAR intervened.

The result – coupled with defeat for Guinea against Senegal in Group C’s other match – meant Cameroon, minutes after fearing elimination, leapt into an automatic qualification spot.

Karl Toko-Ekambi’s 56th-minute header looked to have settled Cameroon’s nerves after a poor opening half but the Gambia’s first goals of the tournament, from Abdoulie Jallow and Ebrima Colley, turned the game on its head.

It took an 87th-minute own goal from James Gomez to revive Cameroon’s hopes and Wooh had what proved the final say.

With no points from their opening two games, the Gambia went into the game with nothing to lose as they eyed qualification as one of the best third-placed teams.

They took the game to Cameroon with Ali Sowe forcing a good save from Fabrice Ondoa early on.

Cameroon created an opening after Wooh won possession in midfield but Toko-Ekambi’s shot on the turn was blocked.

Yankuba Minteh went close for the Gambia with a back-post header but Ondoa smothered his effort before also saving well from Musa Barrow.

Cameroon raised the tempo in the second half and should have taken the lead when the ball dropped invitingly for Georges-Kevin Nkoudou but he blasted against the bar.

Olivier Ntcham and Nouhou Tolo also spurned chances but the Indomitable Lions were rewarded when Toko-Ekambi glanced home from an Nkoudou cross.

That looked to have secured progress but the Gambia refused to give up hope.

Cameroon lost their composure and Sowe tested Ondoa before Jallow burst forward to guide in a volley from an Alieu Fadera cross.

Fadera then shot narrowly wide before Colley lashed in to give the Gambia the lead five minutes from time.

Cameroon roused themselves and Toko-Ekambi hit the bar before Gomez diverted a cross into his own goal.

Amid frantic scenes, Wooh then headed Cameroon back in front in stoppage time and they held on despite the scare of the referee initially missing Sanneh palming the ball into the net.

Palestine and Syria advanced to the last 16 of the Asian Cup for the first time on a historic day for the tournament.

After Syria had overcome India 1-0 to book their progression from Group B, Palestine claimed their maiden Asian Cup victory by beating Hong Kong 3-0 to make it out of Group C.

Both teams – whose home nations are in the midst of conflicts – will progress as two of the four best third-placed sides.

Oday Dabbagh scored twice for Palestine, with Zeid Qunbar getting their other goal, in their emphatic victory at Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Stadium.

While Iran's 2-1 win over the United Arab Emirates in Tuesday's other Group C match was not enough to see Palestine through in second place, their progress was nevertheless sealed thanks to their improved goal difference over the other teams that either have, or may, finish third in their groups.

Both Iran and UAE join Palestine in progressing to the next round.

Mehdi Taremi scored both of Iran's goals in their victory, with Yahya Al Ghassani missing a penalty for UAE before grabbing a late consolation.

Syria, meanwhile, made it through thanks to Omar Khrbin's 77th-minute winner against India at Al Bayt Stadium.

Khrbin's decisive strike was Syria's only goal from their three group games.

Syria had failed to advance from the group stage in any of their previous six attempts.

Progress is a triumph for Argentine coach Hector Cuper, who was a back-to-back Champions League runner-up when in charge of Valencia. He also led Egypt to the final of the Africa Cup of Nations in 2017.

Australia advanced as the Group B winner after drawing with Uzbekistan 1-1.

The 2015 champions had already secured a place in the round of 16 after two straight wins, and they confirmed top spot after picking up a point at Al Janoub Stadium.

Martin Boyle fired the Socceroos ahead from the penalty spot in first-half stoppage time after a handball from Odiljon Xamrobekov. 

But Uzbekistan held onto second place in the group thanks to a goal from substitute Azizbek Turgunboev, who rose to meet Jaloliddin Masharipov's cross in the 78th minute.

Ben Stokes is weighing up an England debut for spinner Tom Hartley in Thursday’s first Test against India and is even considering throwing the new ball to Joe Root as he tries to find a winning formula in Hyderabad.

England have promised to do things differently as they look to unseat a team who have lost just three of their past 46 Tests on home soil and captain Stokes remains fully committed to pushing the boundaries of ‘Bazball’.

Stokes is not yet fit to bowl after recovering from knee surgery and his confirmation that Ben Foakes would return as wicketkeeper and bat at seven means there are only four bowling slots to play with.

While James Anderson and Mark Wood are still likely to share pace duties, the possibility of going all in on spin by picking Hartley as well as the established Jack Leach and teenager Rehan Ahmed is being openly discussed.

So too, improbably, is the idea of using Root’s part-time off-breaks as a wildcard at the start of the innings.

“It would be a complete and utter ‘gut’ thing, as most of my decisions like that are,” said Stokes.

“You might even see Rooty taking the new ball, depending on what I feel. If (left-hander) Yashasvi Jaiswal opens the batting, you might see Rooty opening the bowling because it’s spinning away from the bat.

“When picking the team it’s about what you think is going to give you the best chance of winning and who is going to offer you more in certain conditions.

“India is one of those places where you’ve got to think about selection a lot more than anywhere else in the world because of what you can get from the wicket.”

Hartley was identified as a player who could cause problems with his height and skiddy trajectory and Stokes appears increasingly tempted to put the selectors’ hunch to the test.

“I’ve done plenty of tours here and think I would have some idea around what a bowler can look like here who will be successful,” he said.

“Tom is someone who’s obviously very tall, he bowls at a very difficult pace to be able to handle out here and he’s someone who gets a lot of natural variation. In India that is sometimes the hardest thing to face.”

On a personal level, Stokes is feeling in good order after undergoing surgery in November to remedy a long-standing left knee problem. While precise details have been vague in the past, Stokes confirmed he had stitches in his meniscus and a “big bone spur” removed.

He has since lost around 10 kilograms in a bid to ease the pressure on the joint and, although he is not planning to bowl competitively again until the summer, hopes to be conquering the fitness struggles which have dogged him for at least two years.

“Obviously the less weight you’re carrying, the less weight you’ve got going through your knee and the quicker your recovery is,” he explained.

“I’ve worked very hard to get myself into this condition. Hopefully it is something that will give me a little bit longer. We’re getting to that point you know, I’m 32 now, sport and everything like that isn’t here forever. I want to play for England as long as I possibly can. The older you get, the harder you work.

“I think it’s allowed me to progress a lot quicker than we actually thought. It’s been a long one, but something that I’m proud of myself for, with how hard I’ve worked to get into this position.

“Surgery is always the last option. Some can go very well, but they can also sometimes not go too well, set people back even further and potentially even end careers.”

Unease over the treatment of young England spinner Shoaib Bashir has escalated on the eve of the Test series in India after he was forced to fly home to resolve visa complications.

Bashir, a 20-year-old British Muslim of Pakistani heritage, was the only member of the touring party to experience a significant delay over his application and remained grounded after a training camp in Abu Dhabi while his team-mates transferred to Hyderabad.

The England and Wales Cricket Board had hoped the matter could be resolved in the United Arab Emirates – where its managing director of operations Stuart Hooper remained with Bashir – but a solution was not found.

The ECB called in assistance from its counterparts at the Board of Control for Cricket in India and it is understood Bashir was told he needed to return to London with his passport to receive the correct approval at the Indian embassy.

Although Bashir had been unlikely to feature in Thursday’s first Test, he has formally been taken out of contention for a debut due to the setback. It is hoped he will be reunited with the squad at some point over the weekend.

The England camp has been left disappointed by events, with captain Ben Stokes expressing his own regret at Bashir’s maiden voyage in international cricket turning sour.

“I didn’t want this type of situation to be his first experience of what it’s like to be in the England Test team. Especially for a young lad, I’m devastated for him,” he said.

“As captain I find it particularly frustrating. We announced the squad in mid-December and now Bash finds himself without a visa to get here.

“He’s not the first cricketer to go through this. I have played with a lot of people who have had the same issues. I find it frustrating that we have picked a player and he’s not with us because of visa issues. It’s a frustrating situation to be in but a lot of people have been trying to get it through.

“It’s unfortunate and I’m very frustrated for him. With Bash unfortunately not able to be here, it rules him out of this game.”

The Somerset prospect is the latest cricketer of Pakistani descent to face difficulty getting into India, with Usman Khawaja belatedly joining Australia’s tour of the country last year and Lancashire’s Saqib Mahmood withdrawn from an England Lions trip after similar problems back in 2019.

The Pakistan Cricket Board, meanwhile, wrote to the International Cricket Council ahead of the recent World Cup to complain about hold-ups in its squad’s visas for the tournament in India, while some of the country’s media representatives also had trouble.

A Downing Street spokeswoman said: “I can’t speak to the process and what’s happened in this individual case. I’m not aware we’ve had the details of this case raised with us by individuals involved and individual cases would be a matter for the Indian government themselves. But we have raised the issue more broadly and our position is that British citizens should be treated fairly when going through this process.”

England head coach Brendon McCullum appeared relaxed about the situation at the start of the week, when a quick fix was still thought to be on the cards.

“We’re confident on the back of the help from the BCCI and the Indian government that it will sort itself out pretty quickly,” he said.

“Things take time, don’t they? Everyone is doing what they can. It’s a process we need to go through and we’re pretty confident that we’re close.”

That confidence ultimately proved to be misplaced, leaving England with a diplomatic headache they did not need and a young player in the glare of a news story he had no part in creating.

Morocco head coach Walid Regragui says Bayern Munich defender Noussair Mazraoui could be fit in time to face Zambia in the Atlas Lions’ final Africa Cup of Nations Group F clash.

Mazraoui sustained a muscle tear in last month’s Champions League contest at Manchester United and did not feature in the group leaders’ first two matches of the tournament, a 3-0 victory over Tanzania followed by a disappointing 1-1 draw against the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Regragui’s men will look to secure top spot and ensure they advance to the knockouts with a win on Wednesday night, when Mazraoui might make a comeback despite reports Bayern have been attempting to have the player return to his club.

He told Moroccan media: “I don’t know where you got the information that Bayern Munich wants to recall him but we have all the rights to him during this Africa Cup of Nations.

“He is with us. Besides, it’s possible that he will play tomorrow.

“There are no easy matches. We want to aim for first place.

“We deserve this qualification. We have no time to rest, we are focused on bringing home three points. It’s going to be a tactical match against Zambia. It’s a good opposition.

“We have no absentees. We are on our tournament plan. We gave up a lot of energy (against DRC) but that’s how it is.

“We are prepared. We have high level players. We have a quality squad.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) on Monday revealed the organisation would be investigating both the Royal Moroccan Football Federation and Congolese Association Football Federation following a post-match incident in the draw that led to DRC captain Chancel Mbemba receiving a torrent of racial abuse.

Regragui, who was involved in a confrontation with the former Newcastle defender, has categorically denied there was any racist element to their heated encounter.

Zambia have drawn eight of their last nine matches at AFCON, including 1-1 draws against DRC and a 10-man stalemate with Tanzania to open this edition

They enter the contest third in Group F and trailing Morocco by just two points, level on two with second-placed DRC, so it remains all to play for.

Head coach Avram Grant told a press conference: “We already know that Morocco is a big team but we are not afraid of them.

“We will play them and I hope we will put up a good performance. We will have to show character,” he said

“That’s what we try to do every day, get better. And on all levels. Since I have been coaching this team, we have progressed in several areas but we must continue.

“Even when you become champion, you have to continue to improve the team.”

Some famous colours were carried to victory at Newbury on Tuesday when Gaye Legacy came with a late run to win the Ray Dalfsen Mares’ Handicap Hurdle.

Gaye Legacy’s dam Gaye Memories was out of a half-sister to Gaye Brief and Gaye Chance, the former famously winning a Champion Hurdle and the latter a Stayers’ Hurdle for Mercy Rimell, who took over at the famous Kinnersley yard that was put on the map by her husband, Fred.

Upon her retirement Rimell still owned horses, arguably the most famous of which was Simon, brother of Gaye Memories, trained by John Spearing, and it was those claret with blue spots silks that were on show at Newbury.

Gaye Legacy is owned by the Chase The Dream partnership and Mrs Robin Knipe, otherwise known as Scarlett Knipe, daughter of Fred and Mercy.

Scarlett’s late husband Robin also bred the likes of Master Oats and Thistlecrack so it is a family steeped in racing history, which winning trainer Tom Symonds was well aware of.

“It’s wonderful and the mare was really tough today under a good ride by Ben (Poste), I thought she was unlucky at Kempton last time and she proved that today,” said Symonds after the 11-2 success.

“Given there is stamina in abundance like it is in her pedigree you have lots of options. She’s still a novice and there’s the Listed race at Doncaster on March 2, so depending how she rates after today we’ll see. Three miles is easy enough for her. She’s not very big, but I think she will jump fences.”

He added: “It’s thrilling for Scarlett to keep her eponymous family going. When Scarlett lost Gaye Memories, the sister to Simon and Gaye Legacy’s mother, her own mother Mercy not long after died so she bought this mare in her memory, hence the name.”

The card began with two divisions of a two-mile maiden hurdle, sponsored by BetVictor.

The opener saw a very nice performance from Dan Skelton’s Be Aware (11-1), who was making his debut but looked the part under Harry Skelton.

“That was a lovely performance, he’s a horse we’ve liked since we got him but to be honest we’ve been trying to keep the lid on him as he’s by Martaline and he can be immature a bit at home,” the jockey told Sky Sports Racing

“We’ll see how we go. You do try to turn them into chasers and he’s got size and scope. We’ve just got to look after him, he’s got a lot of talent.”

The second division went to Into The Park (9-4 favourite), trained by Philip Hobbs and Johnson White.

Warren Greatrex’s Abuffalosoldier (10-1) defied top-weight in the Remembering Bob Olney Novices’ Handicap Chase, while Gary Moore’s Issar d’Airy (11-10 favourite) followed up a recent win at the track but found life tougher under 8lb more, beating I’d Like To Know by a short head.

Ben Pauling’s Roysse (6-1) looks to have a future given how strongly he travelled in the concluding bumper before tiring a little late on, beating previous winner Jurancon by two and a half lengths.