Kai Fotheringham’s double helped Dundee United extend their unbeaten run in the cinch Championship with a 2-0 victory at Airdrie.

The forward scored in each half for the Terrors, who remain top of the table following an eighth league win of the season, while Airdrie fall into fifth.

Dundee took the lead 20 minutes in when Glenn Middleton picked out Fotheringham, who fired the ball home. Middleton had a chance of his own just before the break but Joshua Rae made the save.

The visitors scored their second after taking advantage of a loose ball, with Declan Glass able to tee up Fotheringham to earn his brace in the 52nd minute.

Bournemouth owner Bill Foley has held provisional talks aimed at investing in Hibernian, the PA news agency understands.

The American billionaire, who is also a minority shareholder in French club Lorient, spoke recently about his desire to expand his involvement in football into Scotland.

Hibs are currently owned by the family of Ron Gordon, who died earlier this year, and they have no desire to sell the club. However, they are open to the possibility of allowing Foley to come on board as a non-controlling investor, and discussions have already been held to that effect.

Foley sees an opportunity to help Hibs establish themselves as Scotland’s third force behind the traditional big two of Celtic and Rangers.

“I’m fascinated by the Scottish Premier League,” he told the Men In Blazers podcast in September. “They play hard, Scots are tough. They play a tough brand of football. And I believe there are opportunities to make one of the number four, five or six SPL (Scottish Premiership) teams, to get them to number three and they play in Europe.

“I believe we can pull that off with not a gigantic investment – and be a minority investor, be supportive of that club, and then work on sponsorship together because we have a whole sponsorship and I know we can help an SPL team. We’re working towards that goal right now with a particular team.

“Then we have our sights set on some other clubs. And I believe we could end up with four or five economic interests in clubs. We would then have a system in place for players to advance and move on to the next club, then the next club. We will have similar analytics staff in place, and technical directors, to look for the right type of players who can ultimately play for AFC Bournemouth.”

Foley’s move to invest in Hibs comes just as the Scottish Football Association looks into relaxing rules that ban an organisation or individual having a controlling stake in two clubs at the same time.

Hibs manager Nick Montgomery refused to discuss what he described as “speculation” when asked by BBC Scotland about the club’s talks with Foley prior to Tuesday evening’s Premiership match against Ross County.

Paul Nicholls has confirmed that Bravemansgame will be aimed at Saturday’s bet365 Charlie Hall Chase at Wetherby, rather than waiting for Haydock’s Betfair Chase on November 25.

The eight-year-old gave Nicholls his fifth success in the West Yorkshire feature 12 months ago at the start of a successful second season over fences.

He went on to claim King George glory at Kempton before finishing second to Galopin Des Champs in the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

Nicholls also has Aintree Grade One winner Pic D’Orhy among eight entries for the Charlie Hall, but the plan is to now keep him back for Ascot towards the end of November.

The Ditcheat handler posted on X, formerly known as Twitter: “After this evening discussing the weekend with Bryan Drew and Johhny de la Hay and with the prospect of soft ground and an uncertain forecast up to @haydockraces in 3 weeks we have decided to run Bravemansgame saturday @WetherbyRaces and leave Pic D’Orhy for @Ascot on 25th.”

Lucinda Russell’s Ahoy Senor disappointed as a hot favourite for last year’s renewal, trailing home last of five runners behind Bravemansgame, but is on course for a rematch.

The eight-year-old showed his true colours in the second half of the season – winning the Cotswold Chase at Cheltenham in January before rounding off his campaign with a runner-up finish behind Shishkin in the Aintree Bowl.

Ahoy Senor is entered in both the Charlie Hall and the bet365 Hurdle this weekend, but Russell’s partner and assistant Peter Scudamore said: “I’m almost certain that Ahoy Senor will go for the chase. He seems OK, we’re happy enough with him.”

Dashel Drasher also holds a Charlie Hall engagement, but his trainer Jeremy Scott is leaning towards running over the smaller obstacles at this stage.

He said: “We’ve just been discussing it; are we better over fences or over hurdles? It’s an interesting question really.

“I think we’ll bide our time and see what everybody else is doing and try to work it out, but I think in principle the most likely race, I would imagine, would be the hurdle.”

Alex Greenwood was carried off on a stretcher after being involved in a clash of heads during England’s Nations League match against Belgium in Leuven.

Defender Greenwood collided with Belgian forward Jassina Blom with around 20 minutes of the contest gone, leaving both players down on the turf.

Greenwood then received treatment on the field for about 10 minutes before being placed on a stretcher and taken off, with Jess Carter coming on as her replacement. Blom, donning a head bandage, was able to continue.

Having been a goal down at the time of the incident via Laura De Neve’s free-kick, the Lionesses went on to turn things around, with goals from Lucy Bronze and Fran Kirby putting them 2-1 up heading into first-half stoppage time.

Tessa Wullaert then brought things back level with an equaliser in the additional period.

The next time Chase Young takes the field it will be for the San Francisco 49ers.

The 49ers acquired the defensive end from the Washington Commanders on Tuesday in exchange for a 2024 third-round draft pick.

Young, the second overall pick of the 2020 NFL draft, was considered one of the top players on the market ahead of Tuesday's deadline.

In seven games this season, Young has five sacks, nine quarterback hits and six tackles for loss.

He missed the season opener with a neck injury and appeared in only 12 games over the last two seasons after tearing his ACL and rupturing his patellar tendon in 2021. 

Concerns over his overall health played into Washington's decision to trade him, but when healthy, he's been one of the better pass rushers in the NFL.

He earned Defensive Rookie of the Year honours and was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2020 after registering 7 1/2 sacks and 12 quarterback hits.

The trade to San Francisco will reunite Young with fellow edge rusher Nick Bosa. The two played opposite one another on the defensive line collegiately at Ohio State in 2017 and 2018.

Bosa, the second overall pick of the 2019 draft, has three sacks and 19 QB hits in eight games this season.

Bosa reportedly championed the trade and the hope is their existing relationship will help facilitate a long-term deal for Young in San Francisco.

The 49ers (5-3) have a bye this week, so Young has more time to train with his new teammates before their next game on November 12 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Young became the second pass rusher traded by Washington (3-5) ahead of the deadline after the team shipped Montez Sweat to the Chicago Bears earlier in the day.

Livingston have rejected an approach from St Johnstone to speak to David Martindale about their managerial vacancy.

The Lions boss emerged as the early front-runner to replace Steven MacLean, who was sacked by the Perth club on Sunday with the team bottom of the cinch Premiership after no wins from their opening nine games.

Martindale refused to be drawn on speculation linking him with the McDiarmid Park job when he was asked about it at his media briefing on Monday to preview Wednesday’s match away to Hearts.

However, Saints made their move for the Livi manager later that day, only to be rebuffed by the West Lothian club.

Lions chief executive Dave Black moved to clarify the situation on Tuesday evening.

“Following recent speculation over the past 48 hours regarding men’s first-team manager David Martindale, I was keen to provide supporters with an update,” said Black in a statement released on the club’s website.

“Yesterday, the club received an official approach from St Johnstone for permission to speak to David about taking on the vacant position at McDiarmid Park. Following discussions with John Ward, John Mcllvogue and David himself, I informed St Johnstone this morning that we wouldn’t be giving permission for that conversation to take place.

“David has been pivotal in both the on-field success of the club over recent years and on the off-field growth and stability of the club too – something we wish to see continue under David’s leadership for a long time to come.

“Whilst I’ve no doubt that David has ambitions to move on and further his career in management eventually, we weren’t particularly keen to see that next move be to a league rival who we’re currently directly competing against.

“Such is the character of the man, David’s first response was solely on ensuring that full focus remained on tomorrow’s game at Tynecastle and that everyone at the club didn’t lose sight of that. His own mantra has always been that everything at Livingston must be about the we and not the me, and that very much remained the same following these discussions.

“I’ve no doubt this news will be very well received amongst you, our fans, and we hope to see you continue to get right behind David, his coaching staff and all the players as we head into a busy schedule of games between now and the winter break.”

Martindale spent four years in prison from 2006 for drug and money laundering offences but has impressively rehabilitated himself since his release in 2010.

After first getting involved with Livingston on a part-time volunteer basis in 2014, he worked his way up to become manager in 2020. Despite operating with one of the lowest budgets in Scotland’s top flight, the 49-year-old has overseen three consecutive mid-table finishes in his time in charge, helping him attract the attention of St Johnstone.

Alex Cleland is currently in interim charge of Saints while their search for a new manager continues.

The Minnesota Vikings need a quarterback, and the Arizona Cardinals have one available.

The Vikings acquired Joshua Dobbs from the Cardinals on Tuesday in exchange for a sixth-round draft pick. Arizona also sent a seventh-round pick to Minnesota to complete the trade.

The deal was done prior to Tuesday's trade deadline, a day after the Vikings confirmed Kirk Cousins tore his right Achilles tendon and would be lost for the season.

Also on Monday, the Cardinals revealed Dobbs was being benched with the imminent return of Kyler Murray from the physically unable to perform list.

Dobbs had started the first eight games of the season for the one-win Cardinals after being acquired in a trade with the Cleveland Browns just before the start of the season. He's completed 62.8 per cent of his passes for 1,569 yards with eight touchdowns and five interceptions and has also run for three TDs. 

Among 32 qualifying quarterbacks, Dobbs ranks 25th in passer rating (81.2) and 29th in yards per attempt (5.90).

Although his passing stats aren't that impressive, he would be an upgrade at quarterback for the Vikings following Cousins' injury.

With backup QB Nick Mullens on injured reserve with a back injury, rookie Jaren Hall was the only healthy quarterback on the Vikings' roster. 

Hall made his NFL debut upon replacing Cousins in Sunday's 24-10 win over the Green Bay Packers and completed three of four passes for 23 yards.

Minnesota visits the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, and it's uncertain how much time Dobbs will need until he's ready to take over the offence.

The Vikings have moved into the play-off picture by winning their last three games to improve to 4-4.

The Green Brigade have been banned from Celtic Park after the club extended its suspension to home matches.

An email to supporters in the standing section has been published on social media showing that Celtic have suspended season tickets for those who have registered with the ticket office as being part of the ‘ultras’ group.

The move comes after incidents including the group’s co-ordination of a display showing solidarity with the people of Palestine at last week’s Champions League game against Atletico Madrid.

Wary of further UEFA disciplinary action, Celtic had asked fans not to bring any flags associated with the Middle East conflict.

An email leaked on social media shows Celtic cited “repeated incidents of unacceptable conduct involving the ‘Green Brigade’ group”. The ban is pending further review and communication with the fans’ group.

Celtic have been fined by UEFA twice this season for displays linked to the Green Brigade section – a pyrotechnic show away at Rotterdam and an “anti-fascist” banner which, according to the European governing body, contained a “provocative message of an offensive nature” towards Lazio.

Other issues apparently cited by Celtic include “rushing turnstiles” at Fir Park, “illegally gained access” ahead of the Lazio match and “unauthorised banners” plus behaviour towards stewards.

Thousands of supporters around Celtic Park had defied the club’s appeal by displaying Palestine flags last Wednesday.

Celtic have been approached for comment.

Mercedes have parted company with technical chief Mike Elliott following the team’s failure to win a single race this season.

James Allison returned as Mercedes’ technical director just three races into the new season – with Elliott moving into the chief technical officer role.

Although Mercedes said the job swap was Elliott’s decision, the announcement arrived after Lewis Hamilton and team principal Toto Wolff criticised the design philosophy of this year’s car on the eve of the curtain raiser in Bahrain on March 5.

The Silver Arrows, who claimed a record eight consecutive constructors’ championships and carried Hamilton to six world titles, have won only one race in the past two years.

And ahead of this weekend’s round in Brazil – with only races in Las Vegas and Abu Dhabi to follow this year – Mercedes said Elliott is departing the team.

“Mike has been one of the pillars of the team’s achievements over the past decade,” said Wolff. “It’s with truly mixed feelings that we say goodbye to him today.

“Mike is a fiercely intelligent technical brain and a great team player. He has made a strong contribution not just to winning racing cars but also to building the culture of our team.

“But on the other side, it’s clear that he’s ready for new adventures beyond Mercedes – so I know this is the right step for him to take, too.

“He leaves the team today with our thanks for the effort, commitment and expertise he has brought to the team over the past 11 years and our very best wishes for the future.”

Hamilton finished a distant runner-up to Verstappen in Mexico last weekend, with the Dutchman winning a record 16 of the 19 races so far in his all-conquering Red Bull machine.

It is nearly two years since Hamilton, who will remain alongside George Russell at Mercedes until at least the end of 2025, won a race.

Elliott, who is now set for a period of gardening leave, said: “Although the last two seasons have not seen us winning races in the manner we aspire to, they have tested us in many other ways – and forced us to question our fundamental assumptions about how we deliver performance.

“During the past six months, I have enjoyed developing the technical strategy that we hope can provide the foundations of the team’s next cycle of success.

“I have decided that now is the right time to make my next step beyond Mercedes – first to pause and take stock, after 23 years of working flat-out in this sport, and then to find my next challenge.”

Dawid Malan believes it would be unfair for England head coach Matthew Mott to take the blame for a dire Cricket World Cup campaign, suggesting the players themselves “need to take responsibility”.

England arrived in India as reigning champions and among the favourites but have unravelled in dramatic fashion over the past month.

After six games they sit bottom of the table in 10th place, with a solitary win against fellow strugglers Bangladesh, putting Mott’s white-ball role under scrutiny.

Speculation over the Australian’s position increased when Eoin Morgan, the side’s World Cup-winning former captain, claimed the squad seemed “unsettled” and later suggested England “take a leaf out of Baz’s book” – a direct reference to Test coach Brendon McCullum.

Malan, the top run-scorer and solitary centurion in an underperforming lineup, told BBC Sport: “Motty is not the one walking out on the field.

“We are being given everything we need to perform. The facilities and work, everything is being done as it always has been, we just haven’t been able to find a way to get wins on the board. It has been frustrating from a players’ point of view because we know we’re better than that.

“I’m not involved in selection or any of those things, so I don’t know how that works or who is in charge of all that, but as players we need to take responsibility when we cross that rope.”

Malan broadened the focus away from Mott’s future, insisting that everyone involved in the campaign would be feeling the same heat.

“I guess whenever you have a poor campaign there is always someone who’s going to be targeted whether it be the captain, players, coach or selectors,” he said.

“People’s jobs being scrutinised and players’ careers being scrutinised. We have a hell of a lot to play for in the last three. The only way we can get the noise off the coach is by performing. And it is up to us next three games to win these games and take that narrative away because we have not performed.

“I know people say that a lot when their backs are against the wall but genuinely, we still back each other and we’re still here for each other. We just haven’t been able to put those performances out on the pitch.”

Malan recently accepted a new one-year central contract with the England and Wales Cricket Board and, at 36, was neither surprised nor aggrieved to miss out on one of the new multi-year offers.

He still hopes to play a part in next summer’s T20 World Cup but does not shy away from the fact that he is entering a different phase of his career.

Malan confirmed that his latest deal with Yorkshire was as a white-ball only deal, effectively ending a first-class career that brought more than 13,000 runs, 22 Test caps and the high point of an Ashes century in Perth.

“I’m not going to be playing four-day cricket, but I still have a contract with Yorkshire to play the Blast and I’ll still be playing the Hundred if I can get a contract in that,” he explained.

“I’ll probably try and play as much white-ball cricket as I can for the rest of my career. It’s prioritising spending a bit more time at home because my winters are so busy with internationals or franchise tournaments.”

Malan does not know how long his England days will last, but the appetite for fresh blood and renewal of an ageing side may hasten the end for several members of the current squad.

With that in mind, he knows the 2025 Champions Trophy may be a step too far for him but remains eager to clinch a top-eight finish in India and guarantee the next generation do not miss out of qualifying for the tournament.

“Two years feels a long way. I’m pretty sure I’ll be done but I’d love the guys to play in that,” he said.

“If the decision gets made to move on from players, the last thing you want is that we haven’t done well enough to give other players the opportunity in future to play in big tournaments. It’s definitely not going to be a situation where we just go through the motions because we’re potentially out of this World Cup. We have a lot at stake and a lot of pride for England to be in that Champions Trophy in two years’ time.”

The life of Manchester United and England great Sir Bobby Charlton will be celebrated in a memorial service at Manchester Cathedral on November 13.

Heartfelt tributes have continued to be paid since the 1966 World Cup winner died at the age of 86 on October 21.

United have confirmed that a memorial service celebrating Charlton’s life will take place at Manchester Cathedral at 2pm on Monday 13 November.

The procession to the service will pass by Old Trafford, where he is immortalised alongside Denis Law and George Best in the ‘United Trinity’ statue.

United said in a statement: “The service will pay tribute to Sir Bobby’s incredible life as a husband, father, grandfather and, of course, as one of the finest footballers this country has ever produced.

“The procession to the cathedral will pass by Old Trafford for a moment of reflection and provide an opportunity for fans to say a final farewell to a true Manchester United legend.

“Further details on the memorial service and the procession will be communicated in due course.

“The family will then hold a private funeral ceremony for Sir Bobby and have requested privacy around the arrangements for this.”

Bundles of flowers, scarves, shirts and messages have been left at the ‘United Trinity’ statue since Charlton’s death.

The club say memorabilia has “been carefully relocated to the Old Trafford museum and will join the tributes left by fans following the passing of Sir Matt Busby in 1994”.

The flowers will be composted and used in the gardens at United’s Carrington training ground, with the plastic from the tributes removed and recycled.

Nicky Henderson has identified the Ladbrokes King George VI Chase as the primary objective for Shishkin, with the Betfair Chase at Haydock a potential port of call en-route to Kempton.

The former star two miler successfully stepped up to an extended three miles in the Aintree Bowl in the spring and looks set to be campaigned over staying trips this season.

Following a pleasing racecourse gallop at Windsor last week, Henderson feels the nine-year-old is right where he wants him ahead of a potential comeback at Haydock on November 25.

“The whole objective for Shishkin is one day after Christmas and that is the King George,” said the Seven Barrows handler.

“After that race, we will decide where we go from there. He has had a racecourse gallop and the plan is to go to the Betfair Chase first, then onto the King George. He was super in the racecourse gallop and I was thrilled with him. Nico (de Boinville) rode him and he was great.

“He is most definitely a stayer. We started last season at two miles, then we went up to two miles five furlongs at Ascot and he looked good.

“You would have to say we were a little bit disappointed at Cheltenham in the Ryanair Chase, but then we upped him to three miles one furlong at Aintree and that was a good, solid, staying jumping performance.

“His win at Aintree showed that he stays three miles, but now we have got to confirm that. The ground at Haydock does frighten you a little bit, but we have got to go there, as he is not entered in the Charlie Hall and you have either that or the Betfair Chase before the King George.”

Shishkin is one of 15 possible contenders for the Betfair Chase, with last year’s winner Protektorat and the 2021 victor and former Gold Cup hero A Plus Tard also in the mix.

Bravemansgame, Gerri Colombe and L’Homme Presse are other notable names among the hopefuls for the Merseyside feature.

A Plus Tard aside, all of the above are also on a list of 19 initial entries for the King George, along with the likes of Allaho, last season’s Gold Cup winner Galopin Des Champs and The Real Whacker.

The police inquiry into the death of ice hockey player Adam Johnson during a match watched by thousands of fans “will take some time”, the investigating force has said.

The 29-year-old American was playing for Nottingham Panthers at rivals Sheffield Steelers on Saturday when he was reportedly hit in the throat by an opponent’s skate, causing a fatal injury.

About 8,000 fans watched in horror as attempts were made to save Johnson’s life as he lay on the ice, shielded by fellow players.

His team said it was a “freak accident” on Sunday when they confirmed that the popular Minnesota-born player had died.

Since then, South Yorkshire Police have carried out inquiries at the arena, studied footage of the collision and spoken to experts, aided by Sheffield City Council’s health and safety team.

The force said the investigation would be lengthy.

In a statement they said: “Since Saturday, detectives have been carrying out a range of inquiries including reviewing footage, talking to witnesses and seeking the advice and support of highly specialised experts to seek to understand the circumstances surrounding what happened.

“We have also been working closely with the health and safety department at Sheffield City Council, which is supporting our investigation.

“As with all unexpected and sudden deaths, it is standard practice for police to investigate the circumstances fully and feed back our findings to HM coroner.

“Our officers have now left the scene, however due to the complex nature of this tragic and unprecedented incident, it is likely the wider investigation will take some time.

“We continue to encourage the public to avoid speculation, including on social media, while we continue our inquiries and will provide updates when appropriate.

“Our thoughts remain with the loved ones of all those affected.”