Sheppey United boss Ernie Batten was proud of his side despite their 4-1 FA Cup first-round exit at the hands of League Two Walsall.

The eighth-tier side were the lowest-ranked club in the first-round proper of the longest-running cup competition in the world.

Batten’s Ites were competing in the first round for the first time in their history.

And hopes of a huge cup upset were high after James Bessey-Saldanha’s stunning first-half strike at a capacity-packed Holm Park.

Douglas James-Taylor levelled in the first-half before Tony Knowles, Ross Tierney and Isaac Hutchinson did the damage in the second period.

After reaching this stage for the first time in 105 attempts, Batten said: “I’m extremely proud of this group of players.

“I’ve lived on the island most of my life and it’s been a wonderful moment for myself.

“They’ve achieved something this club hasn’t done in its 130-year existence.

“I couldn’t be happier for them. I’ve said to them that they’ve got to use this for the rest of the season.

“We’ve got all to play for in the league and it puts you in a good mood.

“I’m really pleased for James because he found a really good goal for us to give us a great start.

“I think this experience is massive for us, absolutely massive. We’re so pleased to get this far and hopefully it’s a catalyst for the football club.

“The exposure we’ve had has really highlighted us as a football club that’s going places.”

Tree surgeon goalkeeper Aiden Prall, the penalty hero against Billericay, produced a player-of-the-match performance with 12 saves – just hours after cutting logs.

But a dream second-round berth was just a step too far for the Isthmian League South East outfit.

Walsall boss Mat Sadler was full of plaudits for the non-league side after their big night out in front of the TV cameras.

“It was a really professional performance,” admitted Sadler.

“We knew it was going to be a tough night, everyone was charged up for the game and rightly so because they’ve done so well to get this far.

“Credit to them to get to the first round. When they scored you think ‘Jesus Christ’.

“It was a really good performance for us. I’m delighted in a way that they got their goal and can go away happy because they deserve it.

“Fair play to them because it was a great goal, I thought it was brilliant.

“I was desperate to win this game for a number of different reasons.

“For us we’re building as a football club and a group at the moment. We’ve got a very young squad out there and I think at times that enthusiasm got us through.

“I’m pleased for Ross because he’s a lad who wears his heart on his sleeve and works hard for the team. He does a lot of unsung stuff for the team and for him to get on the scoresheet. I’m really pleased for him.

“Their keeper rightfully got the man-of-the-match award because I thought he had a fantastic game.”

Horsham manager Dominic Di Paola heaped praise on his team after they twice came from behind to draw 3-3 at Barnsley and force a replay in the Emirates FA Cup first round.

Tom Richards scored the second equaliser to take the tie back to Woodside Road and Di Paola hailed a monumental effort.

“I thought the boys were absolutely phenomenal,” he said. It was just an incredible performance.

“You could see at the end, I don’t think there was anyone without cramp. For us to put in that performance, away from home against a side as good as them, is just incredible.

“There’s been a bit of controversy around the FA stuff and there’s been some issues here. I noticed there wasn’t any police, which is quite ironic considering that was the reason the game was supposedly moved (from Saturday to Friday night).

“I do feel that justice has been done. I never understood the decision in the first place.

“It’s just so pleasing that we can bring them back to our place. We can bring the town out and be allowed to let our supporters actually watch us in such a high-profile game.”

Richards converted after the ball was squared to him by fellow substitute Lucas Rodrigues and Di Paola said: “It’s a massive credit to all of our players. The subs who came on changed the game.

“We’ve worked so hard this week, mainly on the tactics board. I didn’t feel like we parked the bus. I felt that we had an attacking threat.

“It’s just so pleasing that we did that. I’m really pleased.”

After falling behind to a Max Watters goal, the visitors took a 2-1 lead through Shamir Fenelon and a James Hammond penalty.

Goals from Fabio Jalo and Mael de Gevigney put Barnsley back in front but Lewis Carey’s triple save prevented John McAtee, Callum Styles or Luca Connell from putting the game to bed before Richards levelled in the closing stages.

Barnsley boss Neill Collins praised Horsham, saying: “I think, first of all, credit to Horsham.

“They came super organised, didn’t just sit back, had a good game plan so credit to them. Their fans should be proud of them, which I’m sure they are.

“I think we put in all the ingredients of a performance that gives the result that we got – sloppy mistakes, not doing the basics well, didn’t take chances and gave up.

“We earned the replay that we didn’t obviously want with the performance that we gave.

“I didn’t see it coming. The players’ attitude has been good and we’ve been in good form.

“That’s what this competition can do to you. If you don’t start well, it can quickly descend into what it did.

“I thought we’d get out at 3-2 – we should have made it 4-2 – and then without being over-happy, we’d have taken the win and moved on.

“A couple of mistakes and Horsham deserved the replay. There’s a chance for us to go and put it right.”

Plucky Horsham twice came from behind to earn a 3-3 draw at Barnsley as substitute Tom Richards earned them an FA Cup first-round replay.

Barnsley took a 14th-minute lead when Jamie McCart’s ball into the area was met by a close-range header from Max Watters.

The visitors equalised eight minutes later when Shamir Fenelon produced a fine finish after Dan Ajakaiye caused problems for the Barnsley defence with his pace.

After Barnsley’s Callum Styles struck the bar, James Hammond put Horsham ahead from a 38th-minute penalty after Ajakaiye was fouled by Corey O’Keeffe inside the area.

Barnsley were back on level terms in first-half stoppage time when Fabio Jalo scored with a superb curling effort, and the hosts regained the lead in the 64th minute when Mael de Gevigney headed in O’Keeffe’s corner.

Horsham, though, drew level again in the 81st minute when Jack Strange found Lucas Rodrigues and he squared to fellow replacement Richards to tap in.

It was a spirited performance from Horsham, who are in the seventh tier, against League One opposition.

Sheppey United’s historic FA Cup run was ended with a 4-1 defeat to League Two Walsall.

The eighth-tier outfit, who sit 73 places below the Saddlers in the English football pyramid, were competing in the first round proper for the first time in their 123-year history.

A packed house of 1,400 were crammed in at Holm Park to roar on the lowest-ranked side left in the competition on the biggest night in the club’s history.

They were sent into euphoria when James Bessey-Saldanha opened the scoring for the Isthmian League South East Division side with a stunning 25-yard strike against the run of play in the 21st minute.

Scaffolder Connor Wilkins cleared Douglas James-Taylor’s effort off the line before Billericay penalty hero Aiden Prall produced some fine saves to keep out Isaac Hutchinson and Ryan Stirk in the first half.

The Ites were frustratingly undone by an error of their own making when a stray back pass fell to James-Taylor, who expertly fired across Prall just after the half hour.

The Saddlers’ dominance paid in the second half. Tom Knowles fired the visitors in front with a fine strike eight minutes after the restart.

On-loan Motherwell midfielder Ross Tierney wrapped up the tie with his sweeping 63rd-minute effort.

Hutchinson added gloss as he poked home the fourth late on after Prall fumbled under pressure.

Kyrell Lisbie has his sights set on an FA Cup upset when eighth-tier Cray Valley face Charlton at The Valley – where his father Kevin scored a hat-trick in the Premier League to beat Liverpool 20 years ago.

Cray Valley Paper Mills Football Club, to give them their full title, are five steps below the Sky Bet League One Addicks in the pyramid  – but less than four miles separate the two Greenwich teams, who have plenty of local connections.

Kevin Lisbie made more than 150 appearances for Charlton, with one of his most memorable coming when he bagged a Premier League hat-trick in the 3-2 win over Liverpool during September 2003.

Jamaica international Lisbie later had spells at Colchester, Ipswich and Leyton Orient, before he spent two seasons with Cray Valley, playing in the 2019 FA Vase final at Wembley.

Shortly after turning 16, Kyrell made his debut for the Millers’ first team when replacing his father as a substitute in a London Senior Cup tie during April 2021.

Following an unsuccessful six-week trial trial at West Ham, he and twin brother Kyreece were taken on by Watford at under-18 level. After being released by the Hornets, Kyrell joined Welling United on a short-term deal in January 2023, before then returning to Cray Valley in August.

The 19-year-old winger scored twice in the 5-2 fourth qualifying round win over Enfield Town, which sent the Isthmian League South East Division side into the draw for the first round proper.

With seven goals in the competition so far, Lisbie is in the race for this season’s Mitre Golden Ball Award, which recognises the top scorer in the FA Cup and gives players lower down the pyramid the opportunity to compete against Premier League stars.

Lisbie’s jubilant reaction to the first round draw went viral – with him and Kyreece, now in Brentford’s B squad, having almost one million combined followers on TikTok.

However, come kick-off for Sunday’s televised tie at The Valley, the teenage forward will be fully focussed on helping the Millers produce their own bit of FA Cup magic for the archives.

“The mentality is to go out there and try to face what is in front of us. We know the quality that Charlton have and we know that it is going to be a tough battle,” Lisbie told the PA news agency.

“It was an amazing draw, with how close the two teams are to each other and everything else. I feel like it is written in the stars that we go out there and perform.

“They are a good team, but the beauty of the FA Cup is you just never know what the result will be.

“The boys have fully deserved it. It is going to be a special day and occasion.

“There have been a few upsets and I just can’t wait for it.”

Lisbie is in no doubt about how “massively important” the continued support of their father, 45, has been for him and his twin brother on their own footballing journey, which has not always been smooth after they were released by Orient after Under-14s.

“My dad has always been there with the work we have put in, off the pitch too with hill runs or 5k runs – we have done them all with him,” he said.

“It is a credit to him because he has never put any pressure on us or really forced us to kind of follow in his footsteps.

“He has always just let us be and whenever we come to him, he is always willing to help us become better because he knows what it takes.”

Kyreece Lisbie also had a spell alongside Kyrell at Cray Valley.

After leaving Watford at the conclusion of the 2021/22 season, Kyreece joined Brentford B. In June, he signed a one-year contract extension with the west London club.

The twins have used their popular social media accounts to chart both the lows and highs of a young footballer’s career path.

“There is not always ‘ups’ – and me getting released from Watford was not pleasant, but it is to show the work that it takes to get into clubs like Watford and the (different) routes, which for some kids will be a lot easier than others,” Kyrell said.

“The things which me and my twin post try to kind of document that, (showing) this is what it takes and the hard work, the dedication and also the noes.

“Being told you are not good enough at something you spent thousands of hours investing in is difficult, but that is how me and my twin have kind of got quite popular on TikTok because a lot of young footballers can relate to hearing that.

“We are just trying to show our journeys and to inspire kids to show that you can get to where you want to be.”

John Mousinho is honest when asked what has caught him off guard as a new manager.

The Portsmouth boss is learning the ropes, 11 months into his career, despite guiding his unbeaten side to the top of Sky Bet League One.

As the former chair of the Professional Footballers’ Association and a player who started his coaching badges early, his transition to management has been almost seamless.

Yet the former defender who made 550 appearances in an 18-year career is still getting used to one final change.

“I love the job, I really do, everything apart from three to five o’clock on Saturday is great because I just feel completely helpless,” he told the PA news agency.

“Any time you see a head coach or a manager on the sidelines and their behaviour seems a bit erratic just spare them a thought because you lose that control. Sometimes it’s such an emotional game, emotions get the better of you.

“It’s been the biggest surprise because as a player I always felt in control, at least able to influence something. In some ways you do have ultimate influence and control but in others you’re standing on the touchline hoping 11 players do their jobs.

“A lot of the time it’s a really horrible place to be but, genuinely, I am loving it.

“We knew it (his appointment) might be seen as more of a gamble or risk than normal, although we didn’t think it was the case.

“If you start gambling with the future of the football club you can put yourself in a bit of a tricky spot.

“There’s a risk in every appointment and that was one of my answers when we were talking about the whole process and the appointment itself, there’s mystery with every single appointment no matter how many games you’ve managed or coached.”

That process has taken the 37-year-old, the third youngest boss in the EFL, and Pompey to the League One summit with a six-point lead.

Stretching back to March, they have not lost in the league in 26 games and have won 17 points from losing positions this season – including coming from 2-0 down to beat Reading 3-2 on Saturday.

Mousinho’s January appointment raised eyebrows as he was still playing and coaching at Oxford under Karl Robinson. He had 24 hours before his first game – a 2-0 win over Exeter – but has not looked back, having also had to step down from the PFA.

“I’d been with Oxford, at Fleetwood away, and I didn’t play. I was sat at the back of the bus and 10 days later I was the head coach of Portsmouth,” said September’s League One manager of the month, who credits Robinson for his guidance.

“It’s strange making the transition. Your whole life has changed overnight.

“I had to think about how I interacted with players, how I interact with the staff. As a player you can be very, very selfish. Then all of a sudden, you can’t be as a head coach.

“The biggest change from when I first started playing and maybe in the last 10 years is players have become a lot more conscientious about their own careers.

“It’s an interesting new side of it. When people first started playing it maybe wasn’t particularly cool to do your extras, to look at video analysis and dedicate your life to being a professional footballer.

“We were getting to the back end of the drinking culture when I first started playing and it’s slowly gone out of the game so players are much more focused on their own development.

“We’re probably just a bit behind other countries in terms of the way we’ve embraced that as individuals. There’s no longer the accusation of being busy. It’s good to be good.”

Mousinho takes Portsmouth to Chesterfield on Sunday in arguably the pick of the FA Cup first-round ties.

The Spireites, top of the Vanarama National League, are managed by former Pompey boss Paul Cook, along with the ex-players on his coaching staff Gary Roberts, Tom Naylor and Michael Jacobs.

Just four years after winning the FA Cup in 2008, Portsmouth were relegated to League One and spiralled into the fourth tier before Cook took them back up in 2017. They have been in League One since and Mousinho plans to be the one to take them out.

“When you’re at Portsmouth, one of the first things people talk about is the success with the FA Cup,” he said. “There’s a huge amount of spice to this game.

“The club has been through a lot over the past 10-15 years, going right to the brink of liquidation, so what we’re trying to do is part of the long, slow rebuild.

“Everybody’s desperate to move the club forward, the most important thing is we move the club forward in the right way.

“That’s been the whole mantra since day one. Yes, we want to get out and we’d love to have done it yesterday but these things just take time.”

Slough boss Scott Davies is back involved in the FA Cup first round but this time the only rush he is seeking is the high of a win.

Davies, who is candid enough to admit he lost his professional career because of gambling, was a player at Crawley when they reached the fifth round in 2012.

Under the stewardship of Steve Evans, Crawley won four ties before they were beaten by then-Premier League opposition in Stoke, but Davies laughs upon the realisation that he did not contribute towards that run.

“It sounds normal for me, but I fell out with the manager that season, so I didn’t play a big part at all,” Davies told the PA news agency ahead of sixth-tier Slough hosting Sky Bet League Two outfit Grimsby on Sunday.

Except that is no longer normal for a player once so crippled by a gambling addiction that he quit the professional game at the age of 26 after losing more than £200,000.

Davies’ relationship with gambling started a decade earlier when he walked into a bookmaker to kill time after training with Reading’s youth team, but in the flash of an eye his £50 weekly wage had been swallowed by the roulette machine and he suddenly had no money for the £1.50 bus fare to training.

Across the next 10 years the midfielder would score against Chelsea in pre-season, but blow his chance to work with ex-Royals boss Brendan Rodgers, regularly bet on himself, waste a £30,000 signing on fee in a fortnight and hurt the people closest to him.

Plenty of wake-up calls were ignored: sleeping in his car, bailiffs knocking at his door and even a crash when he was watching horse racing on his phone.

But a year after being released by Oxford, the sight of his emotional mother outside a bookmaker tipped Davies over the edge and he subsequently checked into rehab at Tony Adams’ Sporting Chance clinic in 2015.

He said: “My rock bottom was when I lost my football career ultimately because of my gambling.

“I didn’t deserve to be a professional footballer any longer because I wasn’t living the life of a professional.

“It was around a year after I came out of the professional game when I was playing in non-league that it hit me like a ton of bricks.

“I lost my identity of who I was, I didn’t have any structure, focus or routine in my life and I found myself self-harming in my kitchen in 2015, which was a dark place.

“I look back now and realise I tried to deal with the problems myself when I wasn’t equipped to do that.

“When I started talking about the issue, I felt like I started to overcome it and it has been over eight years now since I had a bet.

“I’ve definitely turned a corner for the better and I am in a good place.”

Davies has transformed his life since leaving rehab and now regularly visits Premier League and Football League training grounds to share his story as part of his work with EPIC Risk Management, a global gambling harm minimisation consultancy.

While the 35-year-old believes football is finally starting to take gambling seriously, with more education and better help on offer, he has been saddened by the plight of Brentford forward Ivan Toney and Newcastle’s Sandro Tonali, both of whom are currently serving bans for betting on the sport.

 

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“We want the integrity of our game to be kept at the highest level possible, but I also find it extremely sad that people are struggling with addiction,” Davies added.

“We sometimes forget the person involved and just look at the story. No one has a bet with the intention of losing their career, but sometimes addiction can take over.

“From what I am reading, Tonali and Ivan Toney have definitely had an issue with gambling and hopefully they come out on the right side and get the help they need.

“I am actually really forward to seeing Ivan Toney come back. For me it will be great to see he has recovered from any issues he might have been facing and got the help he needed.”

The ‘new Scott Davies’ is approaching a year in management, happily married and content with life.

Davies, who has made 179 appearances for Slough since 2018, masterminded a successful survival mission in the National League South last season after being named permanent player-boss in November.

Now into his first full campaign as a manager, Davies will take on a Football League side on Sunday when Grimsby visit a sold-out Arbour Park, but the former Reading protege has no current desires to return to the pro game.

Davies added: “A lot of people say I should get my badges and focus on getting to the Football League as a manager, but I’m very different.

“With what I have been through in my life and where I have been, I am quite content and happy with what I am doing at the moment with being player-manager at Slough and working with EPIC.

“I take each day as it comes, like I have done for probably the last eight years.

“The regrets I have in football I am definitely making amends for now. I know I can get some unbelievable days as a manager and hopefully one of them starts with a win on Sunday.”

Football Association bosses have pledged to keep fans informed of any future changes that may be made to the FA Cup.

The PA news agency understands four supporters’ representatives met with members of the FA’s senior leadership on Tuesday afternoon, following reports that an agreement with the Premier League over the sale of overseas FA Cup rights could lead to major changes to the knockout competition including the scrapping of replays, the removal of the FA Cup final’s exclusive slot at the end of the season, and making it a midweek competition.

Fans were told the overseas rights sale was separate to discussions around calendar, which are happening as part of the ‘New Deal For Football’ talks which also include financial distribution between the Premier League, the FA and the EFL, plus cost controls.

The FA representatives present assured fans they value the FA Cup and are determined to do everything they can to protect it, and pledged to discuss the detail of any possible changes once a firm proposal is available to share.

Changes of some sort in both domestic knockout competitions seem inevitable due to an expansion of UEFA’s club competitions from 2024-25 and also the introduction of a new 32-team Club World Cup by FIFA from 2025, plus an extended World Cup from 2026 which impacts upon when players can take their off-season breaks.

However, the FA told fans these considerations have been conflated with the separate process of selling overseas FA Cup rights.

The Infront Sports and Media agency has instructed lawyers over the FA’s handling of the initial tender process for a portion of the international rights.

Infront had been given preferred bidder status for a portion of the overseas rights by the FA in early May in the original process, before the FA paused that process to assess what an Infront statement described as a “third party offer”.

The FA opened a new, longer-term tender which ran from July 4 to 17. Infront is understood not to have made an offer in the new process.

The FA has so far not commented on the tender for its overseas FA Cup rights.

Fan representatives will meet with the Football Association over the next two weeks amid concerns over the FA Cup’s future.

The FA is in talks with the Premier League over a long-term partnership to sell overseas Premier League and FA Cup rights collectively in the future, the PA news agency understands.

It has been reported the partnership would effectively lead to the FA handing control over its most prestigious competition to the Premier League.

The Football Supporters’ Association expressed its concern at the reports on Thursday and said it had written to the FA to request a meeting.

PA understands the fans’ group got a swift response from FA chief executive Mark Bullingham. No date has been fixed, but it is understood the intention is for the meeting to take place over the next couple of weeks.

The FSA has been encouraged by the level of engagement it has had with the FA in recent years, with FA chair Debbie Hewitt becoming the first person in her position to attend one of the FSA’s events in person when she helped open the European Football Fans Congress in Manchester last month.

Fan sources hope the governing body will be able to allay concerns over what any deal with the Premier League might mean for the FA Cup.

Reports have suggested it could mean the scrapping of replays, making the cup a midweek competition and stripping the final of its own slot at the end of the domestic season.

Talks around how the domestic calendar could look from 2024-25, when the expansion of UEFA’s club competitions will create extra pressure, were already part of the ‘New Deal For Football’ discussions involving the FA, the Premier League and the EFL.

Those talks are aimed at finding an ‘all game solution’ to various issues including financial distribution from the Premier League to the EFL and the pyramid, cost controls and work permits.

The FSA’s most recent fan survey found 70 per cent of supporters wanted replays to remain a part of the FA Cup, while fewer than 10 per cent backed the idea of all FA Cup ties being played in midweek.

The meeting is likely to come after the new tender process for the overseas rights has closed, with the deadline for invitations set at July 17.

The Infront Sports and Media agency had been given preferred bidder status for a portion of the overseas rights by the FA in early May in the original tender process, but said the FA had abruptly paused negotiations after receiving a third party offer which it needed to assess.

PA understands the new tender is much longer term than the original, and includes all overseas rights when existing deals expire.

Sleep-deprived Manchester City winger Jack Grealish admits he has had “the best day and night” as the club celebrated their treble-winning season following the capture of the Champions League title.

Even a typical Manchester downpour and passing lightning storm could not dampen spirits as Pep Guardiola and his squad paraded their newly-acquired European Cup alongside the Premier League trophy and FA Cup.

City returned from Istanbul on Sunday afternoon and it has been one long party – with celebrations set to continue for a while longer as Grealish was overheard to ask striker Erling Haaland: ‘Are we having it?’ while on their one-mile tour around the city centre.

Haaland’s response was to empty a bottle of champagne over the £100million signing, who later told a large crowd assembled in St Peter’s Square: “For the past 24 hours I’ve had the best day and night. To be fair I don’t think I’ve had any sleep.”

The players had arrived for their parade via Metrolink tram from the Etihad Stadium but the weather delayed proceedings somewhat.

Supporters had expected to be let into the fanzone in front of the stage at 5pm but due to the threat of lighting storms that was pushed back by 90 minutes.

Rain started falling shortly after 6pm and, as a result, the start of the proceedings was delayed by 40 minutes but it did not deter the fans who came out in their droves to cheer on City’s squad and manager Guardiola, all wearing matching ‘Treble winners’ T-shirts.

Halfway around those now-drenched T-shirts started to be dispensed with as City’s 52-goal striker Haaland threw his into the crowd and, with the rest of the squad, arrived on stage 45 minutes later than expected still topless.

“We had to be the best parade with this rain, otherwise it is not Manchester,” Guardiola said to the delight of the waiting crowd.

“We don’t want sunshine, we want rain, so it was perfect. They (fans) are used to the rain.”

Manchester City reached the pinnacle of the European game with victory in the Champions League final on Saturday, which also saw them complete the treble.

Here, the PA news agency looks at what could come next for the club.

Could this be the first of many European triumphs for City?

The club will certainly hope so. While winning the Champions League may have been a long-held ambition and the culmination of everything hitherto done in a now 15-year project under Abu Dhabi ownership, it was not a one-off target. The club have advanced considerably on and off the field and they intend to establish themselves firmly among the continent’s heavyweights. Winning every season is obviously not realistic but they want reaching the latter stages each time to become the norm.

Will Pep Guardiola carry on at the helm?


The inspirational Catalan has been the central factor in City’s success. The club identified Guardiola as the man to bring them European glory long before they even appointed him and their set-up is tailored to him. Their trust in him has paid off handsomely and they will naturally want him to stay as long as possible. There is uncertainty as Guardiola has never favoured long-term commitments. All his contract renewals at City have been relatively short. After winning the Champions League there is a feeling he could see his business as done when his current deal expires in 2025. On the other hand, he does seem firmly wedded to the City project and spoke on Saturday of not wanting the club to win one Champions League “and disappear”. City fans can expect at least a couple more campaigns from him.

 

Will he need to reshape the team?


With the way City have charged through the closing stages of the season to sweep up three trophies, there would seem little reason to make major changes. A specialist left-back would be desirable after Joao Cancelo left on loan in January and seems likely to move on, but that position has been a recurring problem throughout Guardiola’s tenure and has hardly hindered them. Some new signings may be necessary if the influential pair of Ilkay Gundogan and Bernardo Silva leave. Gundogan is out of contract this summer and yet to commit while Silva is apparently open to a new challenge and could go if a suitable offer arrived. City are hopeful both will stay, however. Other than that, there seem no pressing issues.

 

Can they maintain their standards?


It would surely be impossible for City to remain at the same level they have been this season. Last year Liverpool produced a very high standard and came within a whisker of winning the quadruple but, after their exertions took their toll, fell away this term. City will be anxious to ensure any downturn is not as dramatic. Five Premier League titles in six years, however, suggests Guardiola has a good idea how to prevent this.

 

There is an elephant in the room though isn’t there?

Yes. The Premier League’s Financial Fair Play investigation into City may be out of sight at times but it has not gone away. City are facing more than 100 charges for alleged rule breaches. This could loom over them for some considerable time but, with little clarity over the process or the nature of the charges, it will be business as usual in the meantime.

VAR was wrong to intervene in the incident which caused Jack Grealish to be penalised for handball in the FA Cup final.

That is the view of former Premier League referee Mark Halsey, who feels the Manchester City and England star had been hard done by after conceding a penalty in the first half.

There was relief for Grealish and City at Wembley on Saturday, as they went on to win the final 2-1 despite Bruno Fernandes' equaliser from the penalty spot.

That 33rd-minute spot-kick came after a VAR intervention. Aaron Wan-Bissaka headed the ball into Grealish's arm from close range as the pair battled to reach a cross-field pass from Fernandes.

The match referee Paul Tierney initially waved away strong United appeals, but VAR called him to the monitor at the next break in play.

Halsey told Stats Perform: "The problem we have at present; we have got too many inconsistencies about when to get involved or when not to get involved. 

"VAR is here to stay and I think it's a great tool because we have seen many goals given where the system has then put the flag up and we have seen goals ruled out when the flag hasn't gone up and the player has been just offside, so that is factual. 

"But I'm seeing many subjective decisions being recommended for review – some being recommended, some not being recommended. 

"Then we have some handballs given, some handballs not given, and some holding offences in the penalty area recommend for review, some not. 

"Since Howard Webb has come in I think the consistency has improved, but there is still some inconsistency there, so there's a lot of work still to be done with VAR. 

"It's simple – VAR should only get involved if it's a clear and obvious error, an absolute howler. That is when VAR has to get involved."

Asked specifically about the Grealish decision, Halsey added: "If you look at the game, that incident, that passage of play, was that a deliberate act? No. 

"A player that deliberately moves his hand or arm towards the ball or if they are making themselves unnaturally bigger, then they run the risk of a handball being given against him. 

"But were his arms in an unnatural or natural position for that passage of play? I've played the game at very, very high levels as a semi-professional – for me his arms for that passage of play were in a natural position. 

"So I think we have a problem of understanding what is natural and what is unnatural. I don't think anybody knows anymore, do they?

"Paul Tierney is there [near the incident], he has seen it and he's not given it. On that situation, it is subjective. 

"So is that clear enough and obvious error by Paul Tierney for VAR to get involved? For me, no, because Paul Tierney is in a great position. He has possibly seen it and he thinks, 'Well hang on I don't think that's deliberate, I think arms are in a natural position'. 

"We don't know that because we don't hear the conversation, I'm just assuming. So VAR then gets involved and I question should David Coote have got involved. 

"Was it correct in law? Perhaps if he's [Coote] is refereeing his opinion is [Grealish] has made himself bigger, and his arms are in the air, and it is an unnatural position. 

"But Paul Tierney the on field referee doesn't give that. So was that clear enough and obvious enough for VAR to get involved? For me, no. 

"The law is an ass – we need players involved as well because it's no criticism of the referee. It's the law that needs looking at. It is the same with offside, no one knows what is or what isn't and it's the same with handball.

"There is so much subjectivity involved in handball – we have seen some awful decisions regarding handball. So it's all over the place and difficult for referees because the way the law is worded and obviously they are unsure what is natural and what is unnatural with your arms."

For Halsey, the solution to the dilemma over the handball law is clear.

He said: "Back to how it used to be, that it has to be a deliberate act. Deliberate with your arm moving towards the ball.

"None of this unnatural or natural? Was his arm up in the air? Did you make yourself bigger? It's simple – ask was that a deliberate act of handling the ball?"

Victory for Premier League winners City gave them a seventh FA Cup triumph, with Saturday's Champions League final against Inter giving Pep Guardiola's men a chance to win the treble, a feat which would match rivals United's accomplishment in 1999.

A man has been charged after he was seen wearing a football shirt at Wembley which appeared to make an offensive reference to the Hillsborough disaster.

James White, 33, of Warwickshire, was charged on Sunday with displaying threatening or abusive writing likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress, Scotland Yard said.

The Metropolitan Police Events Twitter account retweeted a picture on Saturday of a man wearing a Manchester United shirt that had the number 97 on the back and the words “Not Enough”.

Wembley was hosting the FA Cup final, where Manchester City beat local rivals Manchester United 2-1.

The Met said White was arrested “after being seen wearing a shirt which appeared to refer in offensive terms to those who died in the Hillsborough tragedy”.

He was bailed to appear at Willesden Magistrates’ Court on June 19.

Meanwhile, police said a further 22 people were arrested during the course of the policing operation for offences including assault, affray, possession of drugs, and drunk and disorderly behaviour.

Inquiries continue in respect of an item thrown on to the pitch shortly after the Manchester United goal, and there has been no arrest at this stage in relation to that matter.

On Sunday, the FA said in a statement: “The FA strongly condemns the actions of the individual who wore a shirt referencing the Hillsborough disaster ahead of the Emirates FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium.

“We saw a photograph of the offensive shirt on social media and immediately started working to identify the perpetrator.

“Our security team were able to quickly locate the individual based on the image, and we welcome the swift action which was then taken by the police.

“We will not tolerate abuse relating to Hillsborough or any football tragedy at Wembley Stadium and we will continue to work with the authorities to ensure strong action is taken against perpetrators.”

Ninety-seven football fans died as a result of a crush at a match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield on April 15, 1989.

An inquest jury ruled in 2016 that they were unlawfully killed amid a number of police errors.

The Football Association has condemned the actions of a fan at Wembley who wore a jersey referencing the Hillsborough disaster.

The Metropolitan Police Events Twitter account retweeted a picture on Saturday of a man wearing a Manchester United shirt that had the number 97 on the back and the words “Not Enough”.

Wembley was hosting the FA Cup final where Manchester City beat their rivals Manchester United.

Police said a man was arrested on suspicion of a public order offence and taken into custody.

On Sunday, the FA said in a statement: “The FA strongly condemns the actions of the individual who wore a shirt referencing the Hillsborough disaster ahead of the Emirates FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium.

“We saw a photograph of the offensive shirt on social media and immediately started working to identify the perpetrator.

“Our security team were able to quickly locate the individual based on the image, and we welcome the swift action which was then taken by the police.

“We will not tolerate abuse relating to Hillsborough or any football tragedy at Wembley Stadium and we will continue to work with the authorities to ensure strong action is taken against perpetrators.”

Sharing a tweet which featured a photo of the man wearing the jersey, the Met’s events Twitter account said on Saturday: “We are aware of this and have worked proactively with officials at @wembleystadium to identify the individual.

“He has been arrested on suspicion of a public order offence and taken into custody.”

Ninety-seven football fans died as a result of a crush at a match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield on April 15, 1989.

They were unlawfully killed amid a number of police errors, an inquest jury ruled in 2016.

Manchester City were greeted by singer Elton John as they touched down at Manchester Airport on their return from winning the FA Cup at Wembley.

The club posted videos of the squad posing for pictures with the 76-year-old on the tarmac as they disembarked from their plane late on Saturday.

Pep Guardiola said in advance of the final, which City won 2-1 against Manchester United to secure the second leg of a possible treble, that he had attended John’s concert in the city last week as he sought to take his mind off a defining period in the club’s history.

The club’s Twitter feed headed one of the videos “you can tell everybody we have won the FA Cup”, a reference to a line from the 1971 hit Your Song.

City were victorious at Wembley thanks to a goal in either half from Ilkay Gundogan – his first the fastest in FA Cup final history – as they added the trophy to the Premier League title they won in May.

They face Inter Milan in the Champions League final in Istanbul on Saturday seeking to become only the second English club after Manchester United to have won all three major trophies in a single season.

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