Fit-again pair Fran Kirby and Keira Walsh have returned to the England squad for this month’s Nations League double-header against Belgium but there is no recall for Beth Mead.

Chelsea’s Kirby has not been involved since sustaining a knee injury in February, while Barcelona’s Walsh is back after missing the matches against Scotland and the Netherlands in September because of a calf issue.

Mead is not included despite on Sunday making her first appearance for Arsenal since her knee injury last November, coming off the bench and setting up the winner in a 2-1 victory over Aston Villa.

Mead’s club-mate Lotte Wubben-Moy is also back, after withdrawing from the September squad with an injury, while there are maiden call-ups for Grace Clinton, who is on loan at Tottenham from Manchester United, and Manchester City goalkeeper Khiara Keating.

Katie Robinson, Jordan Nobbs, Laura Coombs and Lucy Staniforth drop out.

Sarina Wiegman’s side continue their Group A1 matches by facing Belgium at Leicester’s King Power Stadium a week on Friday and then again away four days later, having started their campaign with a 2-1 win over Scotland and 2-1 loss to the Netherlands in September.

Wiegman said: “It’s good for us to be back together. Obviously we had a good start with the win against Scotland; however, the outcome of our last fixture against the Netherlands was disappointing.

“We will be fully focused to perform well twice against tough opposition. Belgium’s results in the Nations League show they are a talented side who can cause teams problems, so we will need to be at our best to get the results we’re looking for.

“The group is wide open, so every game is crucial. The squad have shown their ability to respond to setbacks and I’m sure this will be no different. We look forward to meeting up at St George’s Park next Monday and putting in the time to make sure we’re fully prepared and ready to go twice in quick succession.

“Again we feel very fortunate to be playing in front of a sell-out crowd. The support we are receiving from all corners of the country is amazing, it isn’t something we’ll ever take for granted and it really gives us that extra lift. Hopefully we can give them another night to remember.”

New Rangers boss Philippe Clement is determined to build a dressing room of winners at Ibrox but acknowledges that he is no football magician.

The 49-year-old became the 19th permanent manager of the Govan club following the departure of Michael Beale at the start of the month.

After playing at Genk and Club Brugge, Clement won the Belgian Pro League as a manager with both teams but he inherits a Light Blues side who are currently seven points behind cinch Premiership leaders and defending champions Celtic.

Speaking at Ibrox, Clement said: “I want to win everything. That’s the mentality when I step into a building, I want to give this mentality also towards the dressing room and create more and more winners in this dressing room.

“So we’re going to work really hard to get silverware as fast as possible and to make this story step by step, bigger and bigger.

“How fast it comes? You never know I don’t have this crystal ball.

“Also I’m not a magician that suddenly can totally change players. But I know if we can work a long time with players that we can make them better.”

Clement will give players a chance to impress before he considers changes in the January transfer window.

He said: “I’m also somebody who likes to see first, what is the potential that is there already.

“I’m not somebody who wants 10 new players every year and say, ‘OK, this one and this one is not good enough’.

“I’m somebody who likes to invest in people, who wants to find the key to get the best out of them.

“So we need to use the next weeks, months to do that in the best way.

“So all the players with me – maybe not with some fans, and that’s a little bit pity maybe – everybody starts with a white page.

“Everybody has the chances also until January to prove themselves, to show that they are really good players that they want to be on the pitch, that they want to make the difference for the club, that they want to give everything. And then we will see.”

Chief executive James Bisgrove’s next job will be to appoint a director of football.

He said: “Certainly in the next few weeks, if not months, we’re having live conversations at the moment.

“There are variables in that depending on the individuals that the board believes and the football board and Philippe feel has the best fit. But I believe it will be imminent.

“It’ll be a club board appointment that Phillipe will absolutely be part of that process and will meet whoever we bring in before we take that decision.

“And that person when they come in will add additional value, expertise and leadership to the recruitment function.

“We’ve currently got John Park as the chief scout at the top of that division.

“We’ve made some changes to the scouting function recently. We’ve modernised that in terms of some of the processes, additional emphasis on data and video analysis.

“And we’ve been I think, more strategic and focused on how we’ve set that up.

“Phillipe would have some strong views on that as well. But it’s a decision that the board will take in terms of the long-term football strategy and someone to complete that football board that’s already in existence to make sure we’ve got really robust processes around the decision-making that we take right across the football department.”

Citizens of the Waterhouse community were treated to an exciting day of football as the SFP Pocket Rocket Foundation Community 6-a-side tournament made its return to after a three-year absence on Saturday at the Fesco Football Field.

Five-time World 100m Champion, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, who grew up in Waterhouse, is putting on the event through her Pocket Rocket Foundation.

“I’m overjoyed because we’ve been absent for three years and to be able to come back this time around to a clean field and new sponsors is such a blessing. I’m grateful for the outpour of support that we’ve had for the competition and we’re looking forward to more support,” Fraser-Pryce told SportsMax.tv.

“We know how many persons in the community have missed the competition so to be able to be back and see the joy from everybody is really wonderful,” she added.

In relation to the turnout on Saturday, Fraser-Pryce couldn’t have been more pleased.

“I feel so good. As you can see, there are so many persons here. I’m grateful to GraceKennedy for bringing the hot-dogs and vita malt because you can’t have a crowd and not have food!”

“I’ve been blessed to have seen the growth of this competition and seen the faces of the kids when they come and watch the football. Otherwise, they’d probably be pre-occupied with other things but I’m glad that I’m able to add another exciting thing to their lives,” added the three-time Olympic champion.

Fraser-Pryce also noted that this year’s competition is extra special due to 2023 being the tenth anniversary of her Pocket Rocket Foundation.

“It’s amazing! Ten years. A decade of difference. I’ve been able to do so much and invest in lives and communities across Jamaica in such a major way. We’ve been able to implement a breakfast program, we’ve given 73 student-athlete scholarships, we’ve seen these student-athletes transition from high school to college and from college to being pilots,” she said.

“It’s incredible for me to see the growth of the foundation and we’re looking forward to continue to fuel more student athletes toward their dreams. We look forward to hosting out gala on November 4 at the AC Hotel and persons who are interested in purchasing tickets can go to our website,” she added.

Petroleum giants Fesco are the title sponsors of this year’s event and they were also able to give out free cooking gas to some members of the community.

“We have established a presence here in Waterhouse and, as again we’re a proudly Jamaican company. Who can you be more proud of in Jamaica than Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and the Pocket Rocket Foundation,” said Fesco Managing Director, Jeremy Barnes.

“I think it’s a marriage made in heaven. Again, we’re a part of this community and we want to reach out to the residents and business community in this area. They have supported us and helped us along our journey as a company and, as such, we have decided to give back to the community,” he added.

As for the action on the field, the first game saw defending champions Legacy being beaten 1-0 by Legend while Trendsetter and Miles United played out a tense 0-0 draw in the second game.

Sunday’s matches saw Medley Mixers defeat Black Strikers 1-0 while Real City beat St. Aubyn 1-0 in the day’s second game.

Monday's games saw Ashoka beat Ballspot 2-1 while Eurotrend vs Dupont Stikers and Moscow vs Lion Den both ended in draws.

High-flying Trinidad and Tobago are expected to seal a first-ever appearance in the Concacaf Nations League quarterfinals on Tuesday, when they square off against Curacao in League A action at the Ergilio Hato Stadium in Curacao.

The Soca Warriors who have been in impressive form in Group A, currently sit atop the standings with maximum nine points from three games, and they are heavily favoured to make it four-from-four against their pointless host. It would also be a significant confidence booster for Angus Eve's side heading into the business end of the tournament.

With the top two teams in the group guaranteed a quarter-final berth from where they could possibly secure a place in the 2024 Copa America, today is the decisive day for Panama (seven points), Martinique (six points) and Guatemala (four points), who are all in contention. Curacao and El Salvador are both yet to register a point and have already been relegated to League B of next year's Nations League.

Sweden defender Victor Lindelof has said he was “lost for words for the cruelty and inhumanity” after two fans were shot dead before Monday evening’s Euro 2024 qualifier in Belgium.

The match in Brussels was abandoned at half-time with the score at 1-1 after two Swedish supporters were killed and another injured three miles from the King Baudouin Stadium.

The gunman, reported to be a 45-year-old Tunisian national, was shot dead by police in a Brussels suburb on Tuesday morning.

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Manchester United centre-half Lindelof said on Instagram: “I’m shocked and devastated by the terrible incidents in Brussels with the cold-hearted attacks on our fellow Swedes.

“I’m lost for words for the cruelty and inhumanity, I want to send my deepest condolences to the families and friends of those affected.

“At the same time, my thoughts go out to all the supporters in Belgium last night, no one should ever go to a game of football and feel unsafe when supporting their team.”

The Swedish Football Association on Monday evening urged supporters to stay in the stadium on police advice “for security reasons” and co-operate with the authorities on site.

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Fans were kept in the stadium for more than two hours before a message on the stadium screen asked them to leave “calmly”.

The Sweden men’s national team posted on Instagram on Tuesday: “Swedish football has sadness – Sweden has sadness.

“Yesterday we tragically lost two blue-yellow supporters, on the spot in Brussels to do something that should be obvious – to support our Swedish national teams wearing the blue-yellow national team shirt.

“Our thoughts go out to all loved ones of the victims, who today are forced to wake up to an indescribable sadness.

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“We are also thinking of all your supporters on site in Brussels. We know that you, like us, were afraid and worried. Yet you remained calm and followed the instructions that were called out from the speakers.

“We will never forget those who fell victims of this senseless attack. Take care of each other.”

Tottenham midfielder Dejan Kulusevski linked to the team statement in his Instagram Stories, alongside a broken heart emoji.

The Belgium team said on social media: “We are still devastated by what happened in our capital on Monday.

“We want to thank all the fans and stewards in the stadium for their understanding and support in these difficult circumstances.

“Our thoughts are with the Swedish, we hope everyone gets home safely.”

Sweden manager Janne Andersson said the players had asked for the game to be abandoned when they heard about the shooting.

“I felt it was completely unreal,” he told a press conference. “What kind of world do we live in today? I was supposed to have a good chat with the players but I heard it and almost started crying.

“When the team started talking, we agreed 100 per cent that we didn’t want to play on out of respect for the victims and their families.”

UEFA said “a moment of silence” would be observed at all Tuesday night’s Euro 2024 qualifiers in memory of the victims.

Dorny Romero scored a hat-trick to lift Dominican Republic to a third victory in Group B of League B as the 2023–24 Concacaf Nations League continued on Monday.

Despite the win, Dominican Republic remains second in the group behind Nicaragua, who were also victorious in their fixture against Montserrat.

French Guiana overtook the top spot in Group C with a victory against St Vincent and the Grenadines.

French Guiana vs. St Vincent and the Grenadines 

French Guiana won 3-2 against St Vincent and the Grenadines at the Pierre-Aliker Stadium in Fort-de-France, Martinique.

Thomas Nemouthe opened the scoring in the 9th with a right-footed shot from the penalty spot. The hosts were awarded a penalty kick following a tackle on forward Arnold Abelinti.

Cornelius Stewart equalized in the 16th after an intercepted ball made for a breakaway opportunity. Oalex Anderson provided the assist across the box for Stewart to tie the game.

Franz Gaubert retook the lead for the home side in the 44th off a free kick opportunity.

Gaubert gave up a penalty after a tackle on Anderson to start the second half. Anderson took the spot kick but was denied by Marvin Golitin.

Stewart tied it again for the visitors in the 73rd as St Vincent and the Grenadines were in transition.

Jules Haabo delivered the game-winning goal in the 76th on a takeaway in midfield that he then drove into the penalty area for a diagonal strike to the bottom left corner of goal.

Dominican Republic vs. Barbados

The Dominican Republic took a 5-2 victory over Barbados on home soil at the Cibao Stadium in Santiago de los Caballeros.

Thierry Gale found the back of the net in the 10th to put Barbados up from the penalty spot. The spot kick was conceded on the previous play as goalkeeper Xavier Valdez was attempting to secure the ball but tripped Codrington Shane.

Riki Alba equalized for the home side in the 17th off an individual play from the right side of goal as he battled through three defenders and the goalkeeper.

Romero continued his goalscoring form with a header in the 30th as the Dominican Republic took the lead for the first time on the night with a corner kick.

Romero secured his second goal of the night in the 48th with another header inside the penalty area. Angel Melo provided the cross from the right flank for Romero’s double.

Heinz Morschel extended the lead in the 59th with a right-footed strike inside the box.

Gale took one back for the visitors in the 66th to complete his brace. The opportunity came from a second conceded penalty kick by the Dominican Republic.

Romero struck with a third header in the 79th, this time from a corner kick. It marks six goals in the tournament for Romero and puts him in the lead in the Golden Boot race.

Nicaragua vs. Montserrat

Nicaragua defeated Montserrat 3-0 at the National Football Stadium in Managua, Nicaragua to remain atop Group B with 12 points.

Montserrat’s Lucas Kirnon came up with a header in the fourth to impede an early goal from the home side. 

James Comley was ambitious from long range in the 28th in what was the best opportunity in the first half for the visiting team.

Juan Luis Perez broke through with the opening goal in the 38th on a free-kick opportunity. Defender Abraham Jeriel Dorsett tried to clear, but Perez got the header on the rebound.

Luis Coronel extended the lead in the 43rd with a hit from around the penalty marker. Bancy Hernandez supplied the assist inside the box to find his open teammate.

Matias Moldskred came on for the second half and immediately paid dividends with a third Nicaragua goal in the 48th. Goalkeeper Corrin Brooks tried to push the ball away from goal in the pouring rain to no avail.

From there, the Nicaraguan defense did the rest to nail down the clean sheet victory.

VARs Darren England and Daniel Cook will return to Premier League duty this weekend following their error in last month’s fixture between Tottenham and Liverpool.

England and Cook were the VAR and VAR assistant respectively when Liverpool forward Luis Diaz’s goal was incorrectly ruled out for offside in Tottenham’s 2-1 home win.

Both officials were stood down the following week, but England will be back as the fourth official for Brentford’s home game against Burnley on Saturday and Cook will return as assistant referee for Sheffield United’s home match against Manchester United.

Miscommunication between VAR England and referee Simon Hooper led to Diaz’s goal being wrongly ruled out on September 30, with the incident later described by referees’ chief Howard Webb as “a clear error”.

Hooper is the designated VAR for Newcastle’s home game against Crystal Palace on Saturday.

New VAR guidelines were introduced in the wake of the Diaz disallowed goal controversy, while audio of the incident was later released.

England mistakenly thought the on-field officials had ruled Diaz to be onside, which meant that when he told them ‘check complete’ they believed he had upheld their on-field decision and restarted play with a free-kick.

Once play had restarted, there was nothing the VARs could do to revisit the decision under existing protocols.

Referees’ body Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) said it would develop a new VAR communication protocol in an effort to avoid similar mistakes being made in future.

PGMOL said the protocol would “enhance the clarity of communication between the referee and the VAR team in relation to on-field decisions”.

VARs will now also confirm the outcome of the checking process with the assistant VAR before confirming the final decision to the on-field officials.

One of the talking points from the latest round of fixtures was referee Michael Oliver’s decision not to send off Manchester City’s Mateo Kovacic for a challenge on Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard.

The City midfielder was shown a yellow card before avoiding another shortly afterwards and Webb later admitted Kovacic was “fortunate” to stay on the pitch.

Oliver will referee Sheffield United’s home game against Manchester United on Saturday.

What the papers say

Jude Bellingham could face a fight for his Real Madrid shirt in the future – from his own brother. According to the Daily Mirror, via Spanish outlet El Nacional, scouts from the Bernabeu were sent to watch Sunderland midfielder Jobe Bellingham, 18, play for England Under-19s in Montenegro.

Chelsea fans are facing a further wait before catching a first glimpse of midfielder Romeo Lavia in action for the Blues. The Daily Mail reports the 19-year-old Belgian, signed from Southampton in the summer, will be out until the end of November after injuring an ankle in training.

And Chelsea face losing another young talent with Barcelona tracking Dutch defender Ian Maatsen. The left-back, 21, turned down a summer move to Burnley but having made just one Premier League start this season, Barcelona are watching the situation with his contract ending in the summer, according to The Sun via Catalan outlet Sport.

Manchester City are close to tying up academy graduate Oscar Bobb to a long-term deal, according to the Daily Mirror. The winger, 20, is highly rated by boss Pep Guardiola and is already a senior Norway international.

Social media round-up Players to watch.

Marc Guehi: Manchester United are looking at a possible move for Crystal Palace’s England defender, 23.

Wesley Gassova: Everton are one of several teams being linked with the Brazilian winger, 18, from Corinthian.

Mikey Johnston has warned the Netherlands not to underestimate the Republic of Ireland as the Dutch attempt to book their place at the finals of Euro 2024.

Barring an unlikely sequence of events which would hand Ireland a play-off place, they will not be in Germany next summer, but the Netherlands will be if they can take maximum points from their remaining Group B fixtures against Stephen Kenny’s men and Gibraltar next month.

Monday night’s last-gasp 1-0 win in Greece as the Republic beat Gibraltar 4-0 in Faro left the Netherlands in pole position to claim second place behind France, but Celtic winger Johnston, who was on the scoresheet along with Evan Ferguson, Matt Doherty and Callum Robinson, is determined to end a disappointing campaign on a high.

Asked if he saw the trip to Amsterdam as a chance to bloody the nose of one of European football’s big guns, who won 2-1 in Dublin last month, the 24-year-old said: “I think we have shown we can do that.

“Obviously the results haven’t gone our way, but we went toe-to-toe with them and it’s just fine margins.

“At either end in the box, we’ve not been good enough at times, conceding goals we shouldn’t have and maybe we’ve not taken our chances as well.

“This group has given everything to qualify and that’s all we can ask.”

Ireland always knew they had a tough task to get out of the group when they were drawn against both the Dutch and World Cup runners-up France.

But defeat by the Greeks in Athens in their second fixture left them up against it and they will head into their final fixture with only six points banked from the first seven, all of them against whipping boys Gibraltar.

That return has left manager Kenny facing a review next month which might well have been brought forward despite assurances to the contrary had things gone badly at the Estadio Algarve, and few commentators expect him to remain in his role.

Asked to assess the campaign, Johnston said: “Obviously it’s disappointing that we haven’t qualified. Our group is obviously tough, but we are not making excuses, we still believed we could qualify from the group.”

Whether or not Kenny is involved in the international set-up beyond November remains to be seen, but Johnston will hope his efforts to date in the green shirt will lead to further caps.

His six appearances so far – the last of them a first start – have yielded two goals and an exciting brand of football which has at times been missing from Kenny’s team despite the manager’s attempts to adopt a more progressive approach.

Johnston spent last season on loan at Vitoria Guimaraes in Portugal, but has missed the start of the new campaign back at Celtic after suffering a stress fracture in his back, and he is now looking to catch the eye of club boss Brendan Rodgers.

He said: “I’m just trying to work my way behind the scenes to get my opportunity. The manager has got tough decisions to make. He has got wingers that he has brought in for a few million and whatever, so it’s up to me to get into the team.”

Stephen Kenny is thinking only of the Republic of Ireland’s final Euro 2024 qualifier in the Netherlands after avoiding a potential banana skin against Gibraltar.

Monday evening’s 4-0 win over Group B’s basement boys handed Ireland just a second victory in seven attempts in qualification, and they will head for Amsterdam next month to face a Dutch side still to secure a place at next summer’s finals.

That game and the friendly against New Zealand which follows it seem likely to be Kenny’s last at the helm, with his contract due to expire at the end of the campaign.

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However, asked after the victory at the Estadio Algarve if that would be it for him, Kenny said: “That’s out of my control, I can’t affect that. For me, I’ve got to try and get a result in Amsterdam.

“It’s a big game. Holland need to win to qualify. They will be flying. We’ve got to put a performance in against Holland in Amsterdam. It’s a big challenge, it’s one we are looking forward to. Out of that, it’s out of my control.

“I honestly don’t know. It may well be. I’ll give it everything against Holland and New Zealand. There’s no doubt, of course I want to be the manager of Ireland. It’s brilliant.”

Kenny has found himself under intense pressure since Friday night’s 2-0 home defeat by Greece – who also won the reverse fixture in Athens 2-1 – which ended Ireland’s hopes of automatic qualification.

The 51-year-old, who insisted before the game that he was not considering resigning, said: “I understand the Greek results, I understand that. Losing to Greece, that’s a 50-50 game. We lost it. There’s a lot of criticism because of that.

“That’s OK. There’s also been a lot of good football that people shouldn’t forget either.”

Evan Ferguson’s early strike set Kenny’s men on their way in Faro before Mikey Johnston made it 2-0 at the break, and second-half strikes from Matt Doherty and substitute Callum Robinson completed a win which was every bit as regulation as it should have been against a side who have now played 44 Euro and World Cup qualifiers and are yet to collect a point.

The manager was delighted with the way his players responded to the defeat by the Greeks.

He said: “We’re disappointed having lost the game on Friday. To put that behind them and to train and get themselves ready in a professional way and then work the openings for the goals in a very clever way, it made the finishes easier.

“The players deserve credit because it was a professional job on the night, a good performance. We could have got a lot more goals.”

Kenny was particularly pleased with Celtic winger Johnston’s contribution as he claimed a second senior international goal on his first start for his country.

He said: “Mikey Johnston, he needs games. The tempo of that game isn’t Greece and Holland. He is a talent, he will be a good player for Ireland.”

England’s qualification path to Euro 2024 continues on Tuesday night when they host Italy at Wembley.

A win against the Azzurri will ensure Gareth Southgate’s side qualify for next year’s tournament in Germany.

Here, the PA news agency takes a look at some memorable encounters between both sides at Wembley.

European Championship final – 2021

The last meeting between both sides under the arch came in 2021 when England’s dreams for a major trophy ended after being beaten in a penalty shootout.

Southgate’s side got off to a flying start through Luke Shaw’s early strike, but Leonardo Bonucci levelled for Italy as the match went into extra time before ending with spot-kicks.

Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford saved penalties from Andrea Belotti and Jorginho, but Marcus Rashford hit a post before Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka were denied by Gianluigi Donnarumma as Italy earned a 3-2 shootout victory and lifted the European Championship.

World Cup qualifiers – 1997

Aiming to qualify for their first World Cup since Italia 1990, England were drawn in a group alongside Italy as they aimed to secure a spot in the 1998 edition in France.

Cesare Maldini oversaw the Italian side playing at Wembley in 1997 and Gianfranco Zola’s 19th-minute strike was enough for the visitors to pick up three points.

England eventually went on to win the qualifying group with an historic draw against the Azzurri in Rome later in the year.

World Cup qualifying disappointment – 1977

Similarly to the 1998 tournament, England’s qualification for the 1978 World Cup saw them drawn in a group with Italy.

After losing their first fixture 2-0 in Rome, England welcomed the Azzurri to Wembley 12 months later in November 1977.

Playing under manager Ron Greenwood, Kevin Keegan opened the scoring for the hosts before Trevor Brooking doubled the lead to seal a 2-0 victory.

Despite their win, England did not qualify for the 1978 tournament in Argentina as Italy earned a 3-0 win against Luxembourg to top the qualifying group on goal difference.

Bobby Moore’s final outing – 1973

England’s World Cup-winning captain made his final international appearance against Italy in 1973.

It rounded off a stellar England career for Moore, who led his side to World Cup glory in 1966 and captained the team on 90 occasions.

However, his 108th and final England cap ended in defeat in the friendly clash against the Azzurri, who won 1-0 thanks to a goal from Fabio Capello – a future England manager between 2007 and 2012.

Former Tottenham and Wigan defender Pascal Chimbonda believes the scarcity of black managers is a “barrier to fight against” as he seeks to prove himself as the new boss of non-league Skelmersdale United.

The 44-year-old will make his managerial debut in the inauspicious circumstances of the North West Counties Premier League, where his rock-bottom side host Kendal Town in the Macron Cup on Wednesday.

Chimbonda, who was a member of France’s 2006 World Cup squad, has tried to get other jobs and while the Guadaloupe-born former Premier League star believes his inexperience counted against him he said the lack of black managers was something which needed to continually be challenged.

“I tried to go to different academies and it never worked because you need experience and sometimes when you apply for the job and you see someone with a lesser CV than you get the job you get frustrated,” he told the PA news agency.

“It is only lack of experience but I think that is an excuse because we played the game at the highest level and if you don’t give me a chance to prove you wrong you will never know if it is a lack of experience.

“You see the leagues don’t have many black managers and I think this is a barrier we have to fight against and we need to keep fighting and things might change.

“We know our value and I say to all black managers to keep fighting and never give up.

“I got my chance at Skem and I will show what I am capable of doing. We are bottom of the league so it is a big challenge for me to change things.

“They have given me the opportunity and now it is up to me to face the challenge and if I do well people will talk about it – and if I do bad people will talk about it.”

Chimbonda has limited experience of lower league football after dropping down the divisions following spells at Sunderland, Blackburn and Doncaster to play for Washington (Tyne and Wear) and Ashton Town.

But he wants to be taken seriously despite the media focus his appointment has brought.

“I don’t think it is a publicity stunt. I take it seriously because football has been all my life,” he added.

“I’ll do the work I have to do – don’t judge me on anything else.”

Chairman Frank Hughes said Chimbonda’s appointment was part of a longer-term plan to return the 141-year-old club – Amateur FA Cup Winners in 1971 – home to the West Lancashire town. Currently the lack of a suitable pitch means they are having to groundshare with Burscough seven miles away.

“We could have gone round the non-league circuit and picked a manager with a proven record but Pascal hits all the targets for us,” said Hughes, who estimated the club needed to raise in excess of £300,000 to replace the artificial turf at former ground JMO Sports Park.

“It is a well-known fact he has not had the opportunities he should have had and we believe it is the right time for him and the right time for us.

“It is an exciting one for Skem because it comes at a time when we are at our worst point and Pascal will give us the lift we need. It is a major coup for the club.”

Max Johnston has been called into the Scotland squad for the first time ahead of the friendly against France on Tuesday night.

The 19-year-old defender, who joined Austrian Bundesliga club Sturm Graz from Motherwell in the summer, replaces skipper Andy Robertson and Aaron Hickey, who have both been withdrawn.

Left-back Robertson injured his shoulder in the 2-0 defeat by Spain in Seville last week, while Brentford full-back Hickey’s issue is unspecified.

Johnston, son of former Scotland attacker Allan Johnston, has been capped up to Under-21 level with Scotland and played – and was sent off late – in the 3-1 win over Hungary at Fir Park on Friday.

Scotland take on France knowing they are going to Germany for the 2024 European Championships next summer.

Steve Clarke’s men qualified for their second successive Euros on Sunday night when Norway were defeated 1-0 by Spain in Oslo.

Scotland’s Euro 2024 place was secured on Sunday night by Norway’s defeat to Spain as Steve Clarke’s side continue to impress.

Having also reached the Covid-delayed Euro 2020 finals, Clarke has re-established Scotland’s men’s team on the international stage and here, the PA news agency looks at their major tournament record.

Back in the big time

Clarke said after Spain’s win in Oslo on Sunday: “To qualify for successive Euros after more than 20 years is phenomenal.”

Scotland reached four out of five major tournaments from the 1990 to 1998 World Cups. That included the 1992 and 1996 European Championships – their only appearances in the Euro finals prior to 2020.

They had been present at six World Cups out of seven to that point including five in a row from 1974, the only exception being 1994.

They have since missed six World Cups in a row, and the first five Euros of the new century before Clarke oversaw their resurgence.

Alongside their Euro qualifications they have been promoted twice from League C in the inaugural 2018-19 Nations League to the top tier for 2024-25.

The trip to Germany for Euro 2024 will also allow the Tartan Army to travel to a tournament in numbers, after Euro 2020 was played under Covid restrictions with two of Scotland’s games taking place at Hampden Park and the other at Wembley.

Best record in prospect

Clarke’s side are set for their best ever record in a qualifying campaign, for either a European Championship or World Cup.

Before losing 2-0 to Spain last Thursday, they won their first five games – scoring 12 goals and conceding only one, an Erling Haaland penalty in the 2-1 win over Norway.

Top spot is still to be decided between Scotland and Spain but next month’s games against Georgia and Norway are, relatively speaking, dead rubbers with Scotland already qualified.

One win would make it six out of eight games, a 75 per cent rate that would be Scotland’s best in a qualifying campaign – beating their seven wins out of 10 en route to both Euro 96 and then France 98.

Should they win both, it will be only the fifth time they have won seven or more games in qualifying with all the previous examples coming in campaigns of at least 10 games. They narrowly missed out on Euro 2008, with eight wins from 12 including a double over France, and last year’s World Cup when they won seven of 11 before losing a play-off semi-final to Ukraine.

Chance to break new ground

Having qualified, the next target will be to make it out of a major tournament group stage for the first time.

Scotland’s three previous trips to Euro finals have brought just two wins and two draws from nine games, their best return coming in 1996 when they beat Switzerland and drew with the Netherlands, who then eliminated them on goals scored only thanks to Patrick Kluivert’s consolation in a 4-1 defeat to England.

They have only four wins in 23 games at World Cup finals and have never won more than once at a single major tournament.

The expansion of the final tournament to 24 teams, introduced in 2016, increases the chances of making it through the group, with all six winners and runners-up joined by four third-placed teams in the last 16.

Four points has been enough to get through at both of the 24-team tournaments to date, with Northern Ireland and Portugal in 2016 and Denmark and Ukraine last time out advancing with three. Scotland propped up Group D on one point at Euro 2020.

Both Jamaica and Honduras are on their way to the 2023-24 Concacaf Nations League quarterfinals after claiming victories against Haiti and Cuba, respectively, while Suriname staved off relegation by downing Grenada on the final match day of Group B of League A.

Jamaica clinched the top spot in Group B by rallying for a 3-2 victory over Haiti at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. Jamaica finished in first place with 10 points to book their quarterfinal spot, while Haiti finishes with three points and has been relegated to League B.

It was an ideal start for Haiti, as they grabbed a 1-0 lead in the 15^th minute through Frantzdy Pierrot, who polished off a quick counterattack with a header into goal off a cross from Fafa Picault.

But Jamaica would strike right back just a few minutes later in the 18th to even the score at 1-1, with Demarai Gray taking advantage of a misplayed clearance from the Haitian defense.

It stayed level going into the second half when things began to tilt in Jamaica’s favor. The Reggae Boyz started to take control and seized a 2-1 lead in the 57th when a cross from Michail Antonio reached the boots of Shamar Nicholson, whose shot squeezed past Haiti’s goalkeeper Jhony Placide for the goal.

Jamaica kept moving forward in search of an insurance score and it dutifully arrived in the 66th thanks to Leon Bailey, who slipped past the Haitian defense onside to receive a free kick and finish past Placide for a 3-1 Jamaica lead.

Haiti refused to give up though, and Pierrot made it a 3-2 affair in the 87th by heading in a corner kick.

But the spoils belonged to Jamaica, as they avoided any stoppage time drama to pocket the victory.

Honduras vs. Cuba

In a must-win match for both sides, Honduras topped Cuba 4-0 at the Estadio Nacional Chelato Ucles in Tegucigalpa, Honduras to qualify for the quarterfinals. Honduras finish second in the group with seven points, while Cuba complete their campaign in third-place with five points.

Honduras could not have asked for a better start, as they scored early in the 9th to help settle any nerves, with Denil Maldonado spearing home a header at the far post off a cross from the left flank.

Honduras were flying and quickly it became 2-0 to the home side in the 13th, as a Cuba giveaway led to a quick break and a pass into Antony Lozano, who finished past Cuba’s goalkeeper Raiko Arozarena.

The Catrachos kept their foot on the gas into the second half and stretched the lead to 3-0 in the 67th through Romell Quioto, who calmly converted a penalty after Alberth Elis was fouled in the area during a corner kick.

Honduras then added a late goal for good measure, with Bryan Rochez finishing from inside the area in the 90th to complete the 4-0 score-line.

Suriname vs. Grenada

Four first-half goals powered Suriname to their first victory of their CNL campaign in a 4-0 final versus Grenada at the Dr. Ir. Franklin Essed Stadion in Paramaribo, Suriname.

Suriname complete the 2023-24 CNL with five points and have avoided relegation with the win, while Grenada finish with one point and have been relegated to League B.

Djevencio van der Kust opened the scoring for the home side in the 12^th minute with a left-footed laser from outside the area to make it 1-0 to Suriname.

The home side kept things rolling and the lead was doubled to 2-0 in the 27th when 2019-20 CNL top scorer Gleofilo Vlijter found the back of the net by turning in a rebound after a Van der Kust shot hit the crossbar.

Suriname stayed on the front foot and the scoreboard read 3-0 in the 35th thanks to Leo Abena, who was able to squeeze a shot in over the line after Grenada goalkeeper Jason Belfon had made a save moments prior.

Suriname then tacked on a fourth in the final moments of the first half, this time via an own goal from Grenada’s Jacob Bedeau, who accidentally deflected a deep Suriname cross into his own net for a 4-0 Suriname lead.

The second half saw Suriname calmly see things out despite a few looks from Grenada to secure the precious victory to keep themselves in League A for another campaign.