Luke McCullough gives lift to Doncaster Rovers by agreeing new deal

LUKE McCULLOUGH has given Doncaster Rovers a timely boost ahead of the club's first season in the basement division for 12 years by signing a new three-year contract.
Doncaster Rovers' Luke McCullough.Doncaster Rovers' Luke McCullough.
Doncaster Rovers' Luke McCullough.

The 22-year-old, capped five times by Northern Ireland, was one of the few bright spots in a miserable 2015-16 at the Keepmoat Stadium.

Manager Darren Ferguson switched McCullough from defence to a holding role in midfield last term and he is expected to be a key figure for Rovers this term.

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Burnley have handed an indefinite club ban to a fan for the alleged racist abuse aimed at a Bradford City player during Saturday’s pre-season friendly.

A 30-year-old supporter from Accrington has been barred from attending Clarets matches both home and away for comments made during Saturday’s game at Valley Parade, when a Bradford player informed match officials that he was being subjected to racial abuse. It led to a fan being ejected from the ground.

Burnley had issued a statement on Sunday apologising to Bradford and yesterday confirmed they have stopped a fan from going to their games.

“An investigation is still ongoing by West Yorkshire Police, but Burnley Football Club would like to thank Bradford City Football Club and West Yorkshire Police for their assistance in this matter,” said yesterday’s statement. “The club would like to reiterate that we have a zero tolerance approach to any such behaviour and strongly condemn discrimination of any type.”

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Lewis McGugan has been told he can leave Sheffield Wednesday.

The midfielder was left out of the squad that travelled to Portugal’s Algarve last weekend for the club’s five-day training camp.

Head coach Carlos Carvalhal said: “Lewis is a very good player and can play in a lot of teams in the Championship, but he has difficulties playing our game. Sometimes, these kind of things happen in football.”

Rival managers Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola were left frustrated by the late cancellation of the International Champions Cup clash between Manchester United and City in Beijing. Heavy rain during the build-up left the Bird’s Nest playing surface in a terrible state.