Sports

EFL: Will Ferrell sees Portsmouth win, Kiyan Prince tributes & instant impacts


Isaac Vassell could become “kind of a big deal” at Cardiff if he repeats his debut winner against Luton

Why was a Hollywood star watching League One football on Saturday?

Which debutants made instant impacts for their new clubs? And who are the only two Championship teams with 100% records after two matches?

All that and more in our round-up of Saturday’s action in the English Football League…

Pompey are so hot right now

When Portsmouth hosted Tranmere Rovers in League One they welcomed a man who, in La La Land and on the silver screen, is kind of a big deal.

Will Ferrell met the victorious Portsmouth squad after their home win over Tranmere

Will Ferrell’s alter ego Ron Burgundy may have many leather-bound books and an apartment which smells of rich mahogany, but in real life the American actor is a big fan of the sport known as soccer on the other side of the pond.

The 52-year-old is a part-owner of Major League Soccer side Los Angeles FC – and he starred in the 2005 comedy Kicking & Screaming, about a father taking on coaching duties of his son’s football team.

Ferrell was guest of Pompey owner Michael Eisner and his son Breck at Fratton Park, with Michael’s other role as chief executive of the Walt Disney Company providing a link to the Anchorman star.

Ferrell did not regret the decision, seeing promotion-chasing Pompey run out 2-0 winners before visiting Kenny Jackett and his side in the dressing room after the full-time whistle.

“It was great to meet him – he is a great character,” Jackett told BBC Radio Solent. “He thought we ran offside too many times and the lads had a bit of banter with him.”

No doubt Ferrell also told both manager and squad to stay classy in their bid to mount another promotion challenge.

Poignant Prince tributes as Loftus Road renamed

Queens Park Rangers’ first home game of the Championship season proved to be a special and emotional occasion as Loftus Road was officially renamed as the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium ahead of the visit of Huddersfield.

The R’s had announced their intention to gift the naming rights to their historic home to a charity earlier this year and drew up a shortlist of five for fans to vote for their preference.

QPR fans were asked to decide which charity should be gifted naming rights to Loftus Road

The Kiyan Prince Foundation – a charity which educates young people about the consequences of knife crime – was the resounding victor with over 63% of the vote.

Prince was a member of QPR’s youth academy who was stabbed to death in May 2006 when he was 15 years old, and his father Mark set up a foundation in his name.

Among a number of activities to mark the occasion, Rangers wore a commemorative shirt, Kiyan’s photo adorned the cover of the matchday programme and Mark officially opened the stadium ahead of a minute’s silence before kick-off.

Both teams paid tribute to Kiyan Prince and other victims of knife and gun crime before kick-off

“The players were spoken to by Mark,” R’s boss Mark Warburton told BBC Radio London.

“It was a really powerful speech and they responded to a man.

“We knew the significance of today and what was involved for Mark, his family and the crowd. It was important before kick-off to see the respect shown.”

Mark Prince, Kiyan’s father, received an OBE earlier this year for services to tackling knife and gang crime

Relegated clubs off the mark

It was a depressing opening weekend in the Championship for the clubs relegated from the Premier League, but the trio all fared much better on their second attempt.

Defeats for Cardiff, Fulham and Huddersfield last time out meant it was the first time that all three teams dropping out of the top flight had begun without a point between them.

But two of the three got back to winning ways on Saturday – and all have something to build on.

Aleksandar Mitrovic (carrying ball) has scored 15 league goals at Craven Cottage since joining the club in February 2018

Fulham were 2-0 victors over Blackburn, with the talismanic figure of Aleksandar Mitrovic grabbing a second goal to ease any late tension.

Cardiff did it the hard way, bringing a bit of excitement to boss Neil Warnock’s day.

If winning goals were scripted, then this was spot on. An injury-time effort, scored by a new signing who came on as a substitute, to win the points a few minutes after coming on.

It was a big tick for Isaac Vassell in the “new hero” stakes as his stoppage-time goal earned a 2-1 win over Luton.

And only a late Grant Hall header prevented Huddersfield getting a victory to complete the “bounce back from relegation” hat-trick, the QPR defender getting the equaliser in a 1-1 draw.

Murphy’s instant impact

Steve Bruce said earlier this week that he could see why some Sheffield Wednesday would see him as “the devil” following his decision to resign his post at Hillsborough and take over at Newcastle.

Well, Wednesday fans may have something to thank Bruce for – if Jacob Murphy can build on the instant impact he made for his new club on Saturday.

Winger Murphy was one of three additions made by the Owls on transfer deadline day, joining on loan from Newcastle, and he took less than two minutes to find the net in a 2-0 home win over neighbours Barnsley.

Jacob Murphy (left) ended last season on loan at West Bromwich Albion

Wednesday, still under caretaker boss Lee Bullen, are one of only two Championship clubs to have won their opening two fixtures of the season.

The other side to take six points from their two games so far are Charlton.

Last season’s League One play-off winners followed their opening-day win at Blackburn by beating Stoke 3-1 at The Valley, giving an unfamiliar look to the top of the second tier at this early stage of the campaign.

Orient and Salford beaten

It was a very different feeling for both Salford City and Leyton Orient for their second fixtures in League Two.

Both clubs had significant wins on the opening weekend, with Salford able to celebrate their first game in the EFL with a 2-0 win over Stevenage and the O’s marking an emotional return following Justin Edinburgh’s tragic death by beating Cheltenham 1-0.

But road trips proved far less successful on Saturday.

The Ammies lost 2-0 at Crawley, managing just one shot on target against a side who had 30 attempts on goal.

Orient’s second game of the season brought an even more convincing defeat, the Londoners going down 3-0 against Macclesfield Town.



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