Quantcast
Channel: Croydon Advertiser Latest Stories Feed
Viewing all 5354 articles
Browse latest View live

VIDEO: Watch former Crystal Palace striker Leon McKenzie in fight action

0
0
LEON McKenzie fought out a brave 38-38 draw in his third professional boxing match on Saturday night. The former Crystal Palace striker, who also played for Peterborough United, Coventry City and Norwich City among others, is still undefeated following his two wins earlier this year. McKenzie managed to secure sponsorship from a company based just outside of Croydon last weekend, Formark Scaffolding, who are based in Whyteleafe - and he didn't let his army of fans down either. Former footballers Michael Duberry and Kieron Dyer were at ringside for the fight, while the likes of Clinton Morrison and Hayden Mullins supported their friend for his previous two fights. Now you can watch McKenzie's battle against Darren McKenna, which took place at York Hall, Bethnal Green - the place where he made his debut.WATCH THE VIDEO HEREIF YOU WANT TO WATCH IT WITH COMMENTARY, WATCH HERE

VIDEO: Watch former Crystal Palace striker Leon McKenzie in fight action


Croydon Central library fifth most popular in the UK

0
0
CROYDON Central library is the fifth most popular library in the country, a new survey has shown. Some 889,504 people visited the library, in Katharine Street, in the year ending April 2013, making it the second busiest in London, behind only Woolwich. Norfolk & Norwich Millennium library is the UK's most popular library for the seventh year running. The figures were compiled by CIPFA as part of its annual libraries survey, which includes statistics on visits, books issues and staffing levels. Croydon Central does not feature in the top 20 for number of books borrowed each year. The borough's library service has been beset by funding cuts and threats of closure. The service was outsourced to John Laing but then taken over by the Carillion group, which announced around a dozen redundancies in November.

Croydon Central library fifth most popular in the UK

Paedophile jailed after neighbour inadvertantly opens letter

0
0
A PAEDOPHILE has been brought to justice after a neighbour mistakenly opened a letter to him that referred to sexual acts. John Howard Baker, 66, of Addiscombe, has been jailed for two years after police found hundreds of indecent images of children at his Addiscombe home. Baker came to the attention of police in June when a neighbour contacted police after inadvertently opening a letter addressed to him that had been mistakenly delivered to her address. The letter contained references to sexual acts with adults as well as references to children. After further checks on Baker, officers raided his home on July 24 and seized computers, hard drives, USB sticks, photographs and photographic equipment. Hundreds of indecent images of children were found on the hard drives and memory sticks. On October 9 Baker was charged with 12 counts of making, possessing and distributing indecent images of children. He was sentenced to two years' imprisonment at Croydon Crown Court on Monday after pleading guilty and will be placed on the sex offenders' register for life. Detective Sergeant Hayley Stanesby, from Croydon CID, said: "This case was solved due to some excellent work by the Addiscombe Safer Neighbourhood Team, working in conjunction with my Jigsaw Team that deals with and manages registered sex offenders. "Baker was not known to us before this case was brought to light and did not use the internet to communicate or send and receive images, which can make it slightly harder to identify and detect what he was doing. "But thanks to the excellent work of PC Cranshaw of the Addiscombe SNT and DC George Sinclair from my team, a dangerous sex offender has been identified and put behind bars and he will also be subject to all the constraints and checks upon his release under the sex offenders register."

Paedophile jailed after neighbour inadvertantly opens letter

Crystal Palace assistant Keith Millen: Your career is over if found guilty of match-fixing

0
0
CRYSTAL Palace assistant manager Keith Millen says any footballer found guilty of match-fixing should be banned from the game. Last week, two non-league footballers from Croydon, Michael Boateng and Hakeem Adelakun, who played for Brighton-based club Whitehawk, were charged with "conspiracy to defraud contrary to common law" in relation to match-fixing. They have since been sacked. It is understood that both played for Palace as youngsters too. In an unrelated investigation, six people were arrested and questioned this week after allegations of so-called "spot fixing" were reported by The Sun newspaper. It is alleged the players in question deliberately got themselves booked or sent off to win bets. The six, who were all released on bail, pending further enquiries, included Blackburn Rovers striker DJ Campbell and former Portsmouth defender Sam Sodje. "It's a massive concern, especially when you've got players who are playing, and players I played against," Millen exclusively told the Advertiser. "Hopefully they can get to the bottom of it, whether it's true or how much truth is in it. "If these men are found guilty, they need to be banned from the game. It's as simple as that. "If there is evidence in that, there isn't a second life. That's your career finished. "There has to be that strong a punishment that they don't do it again. Hopefully they get to the bottom of it, but if it is true and they are guilty, they need to be punished to stamp it out of the game." Adelakun and Boateng are charged with conspiring together with two men who have also been charged, and others, to "defraud bookmakers by influencing the course of football matches and placing bets thereon". They have been bailed to appear at Birmingham Magistrates' Court on December 11.

Crystal Palace assistant Keith Millen: Your career is over if found guilty of match-fixing

Crystal Palace midfielder set to miss Christmas period with injury

0
0
CRYSTAL Palace winger Jerome Thomas is set to miss out on the club's Christmas period of games, Keith Millen has told the Advertiser. The 30-year-old picked up a groin injury in training three weeks ago and it doesn't look like he will feature again this year. "He is progressing and luckily no surgery was needed," Millen said. "However, it was quite a tear in his groin. He'll be a while still, I don't know the exact time on it but it's certainly weeks. "I don't think he'll be available for the Christmas period."

Crystal Palace midfielder set to miss Christmas period with injury

Teen in court over fatal stabbing of South Norwood boy, 14

0
0
A TEENAGER has appeared in court accused of fatally stabbing a 14-year-old South Norwood boy on a bus. Appearing at the Old Bailey on Tuesday Roree Cox, who denies murder, insisted knifing victim Kevin Ssali was a "bully". The 18-year-old admitted carrying a knife on to the bus where the fatal stabbing took place – but insisted he had no intention of using it. He said he had picked up the knife from a bush at the back of his friend's house. Giving evidence through an intermediary he added: "I put it in my shoe because I did not want to use it. I had it so if I got attacked I could use it to scare people away." Asked by prosecutor Sean Larkin if he would hope to scare people by showing them the knife, New Cross resident Cox replied: "Yes." Mr Larkin asked Cox: "If you stab somebody in the heart, do you know you might kill them?" Cox replied: "No." The teenager was then asked: "What do you think would happen if you stabbed them in the heart?" Cox replied: "I don't know." Jurors were shown CCTV footage of Cox entering the bus on the night of the incident, September 15 last year, and the teenager admitted getting the knife out of his shoe and carrying it on to the bus. Asked what he was holding in his hands the defendant said: "A knife in my right hand and a shoe in my left hand." Jurors had heard there was a history of rivalry between Kevin Ssali and Cox's family. Cox said: "When I was at college my little sister was being threatened over the phone and they were saying they knew what college I go to and could come get me. I went back to college when I got back from Jamaica and they told me it was not safe. "Problems started with Kevin around Easter – my older brother was labelled a snitch because he had told the police about some people and that is when trouble escalated." He went on to recount to the court instances in which Kevin had attacked and threatened him, including an incident in which the 14-year-old broke his nose and another when he threatened him with a three-inch blade. Asked how he felt about Kevin before the stabbing on the bus, Cox replied: "He's a boy I thought went round bullying people, trying to intimidate people. It just wasn't friendly." The court heard Kevin tried to chase his attacker down the stairs of the bus before collapsing at a stop in Burnt Ash Road, Lee, at about 9.45pm. Kevin had been reported as missing from his home in Whitworth Road weeks before he died. The trial continues.

Teen in court over fatal stabbing of South Norwood boy, 14

Croydon has eight failing primary schools in new league tables

0
0
EIGHT primary schools in Croydon are failing according to league tables released today. Figures released by the Department for Education (DfE) show none of the borough's primaries feature in the country's top 1,000 schools for the Sats tests taken by 11-year-olds last summer. Eight schools have failed to meet the government target of at least 60 per cent of pupils achieving a level 4 in reading, writing and maths. In English, level 4 means pupils can spell properly, use joined-up handwriting and start using complex sentences. In maths, pupils need to be able to use percentages and fractions and divide and multiply by 10 and 100. They include Winterbourne Junior Boys' School, in Thornton Heath, as well as Wolsey Junior and Castle Hill primaries in New Addington. High fliers in the Sats tests are given a level 5. Hayes Primary School came top in this category with 45 per cent of its pupils achieving the higher level. Wolsey Junior School came bottom with only 2 per cent of pupils achieving a level 5. All schools were also given an average score which assigned points to each level with level 2 or below scoring 15 and level 6 scoring 39. In this category, Keston Primary School came top with an average score of 31 and Castle Hill Primary School coming last with 24.8. South Norwood Primary School had their results annulled after an administration error in September.Schools that failed to make the grade They are: - Winterbourne Junior Boys' School, 45 pupils, 36 per cent - Wolsey Junior School, 81 pupils - 41 per cent - Castle Hill Primary School, 39 pupils - 44 per cent - Broadmead Primary School, 76 pupils, - 51 per cent - Wattenden Primary School, 26 pupils - 58 per cent - Kingsley Primary School, 82 pupils - 59 per cent - Ryelands Primary School, 49 pupils - 59 per cent - St Mark's CofE Primary School, 29 pupils - 59 per cent.Croydon's top primaries - Whitehorse Manor Junior School, 55 pupils - 95 per cent - St Cyprian's Greek Orthodox Primary School, 53 pupils - 94 per cent - Keston Primary School, 59 pupils - 93 per cent - St John's CofE Primary School, 29 pupils - 93 per cent - Fairchildes Primary School, 59 pupils - 93 per cent - Courtwood Primary School, 28 pupils - 93 per cent - West Thornton Primary School, 89 pupils - 92 per cent - Rockmount Primary School, 55 pupils - 91 per cent - Kenley Primary School, 22 pupils - 91 per cent - Beaumont Primary School, 21 pupils - 90 per cent

Croydon has eight failing primary schools in new league tables

New Addington sex attacker tried to rape girl on way to school

0
0
A SEX attacker was brought to justice because he told his 15-year-old victim his name during an attempted rape. Dean Moran, 26, of Cunningham House, Montacute Road, New Addington, tried to rape the girl, a stranger, as she walked down an alleyway on her way to school on June 27. He grabbed her from behind near as she walked along Conker Alley, off Farnborough Avenue at about 7.15am, police said. Covering her mouth, he then forced her into a wooded area nearby and threatened to "snap your neck" if she made any noise. A police spokesman added: "The victim reported the attack when she got to school and was able to identify Moran as her attacker when interviewed by officers because he had told her his name." Police arrested Moran at his home that day on suspicion of rape, and charged him the next day after he was identified by his victim. He pleaded not guilty to attempted rape on October 4 at Croydon Crown Court, but was unanimously convicted by a jury on October 25 after a one-week trial. Last Wednesday, at the same court, he was jailed for seven years, as detectives praised his victim's bravery. Detective Constable Heather Wilders, of the Sexual Offences, Exploitation and Child Abuse Command, said: "We are pleased that a conviction has now been secured against Moran, who has subjected a 15-year-old girl to a terrifying ordeal on her way to school. "The victim has shown a huge amount of courage in helping to put this dangerous man in prison. "She can now look to regain her confidence and feel safe again knowing that he will be off the streets for a long time."

New Addington sex attacker tried to rape girl on way to school


Crystal Palace boss: No interest in Blackburn Rovers striker Jordan Rhodes

0
0
CRYSTAL Palace boss Tony Pulis has revealed the Eagles are not interested in signing Jordan Rhodes. The Scottish international striker has been linked in recent weeks ahead of the January transfer window, but when asked in his pre-match press conference on Thursday, Pulis quashed all talk. "He's out of our price range", said the boss. "We'll get linked with every Tom, Dick and Harry from now until the window closes, I should imagine, but the answer is no." And he hinted he will wait to see what the progress of last season top goalscorer Glenn Murray is before making a decision on adding to that department. "It will be like signing a new player (when Glenn Murray returns)," Pulis added. Rhodes has been in good form for Blackburn Rovers so far this season with 11 goals and could command a fee of up to £8m. However, that is a price way out of Palace's range, and it is thought Pulis is after Stoke City forward Peter Crouch instead.

Crystal Palace boss: No interest in Blackburn Rovers striker Jordan Rhodes

Crystal Palace boss hints at Joel Ward position for Chelsea clash

0
0
TONY Pulis looks set to continue with Joel Ward at left-back against Chelsea on Saturday. The former Portsmouth man switched to the left side of the defence after Dean Moxey was forced off with a hamstring injury after 25 minutes against Cardiff City last weekend. But Pulis hinted at his Thursday press conference that he was happy with Adrian Mariappa's contribution with Ward on the opposite side, and he could play the pair again at Stamford Bridge. "It was only a grade one tear," Pulis said when asked of Moxey's scan earlier this week. "I thought Wardy did well at left-back. The lads said Deano trained well today too. "Moxey is the only one we're a bit concerned about, but most of them have trained well this week. "I felt Mariappa did well at right-back. We looked solid enough with that pairing. "This team is not about the defence. It's about keeping the ball and getting the ball into areas when we get it. It's not just about the back four and goalkeeper." The club's other left-back Jonathan Parr has been touted as a replacement to make his first appearance of the season, but Pulis admitted he hasn't seen enough of the Norwegian international. "The problem with Jonny Parr is I haven't seen him play," said the boss. "I have seen players train but not playing in any (reserve) games."

Crystal Palace boss hints at Joel Ward position for Chelsea clash

Crystal Palace boss: Pressure is off us at Chelsea on Saturday

0
0
CRYSTAL Palace boss Tony Pulis says there is "no pressure" on his side at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. Chelsea boast an array of talent, especially in the midfield areas, but Pulis admits the confidence is high within his squad as they look to cause an upset. And he hopes Jose Mourinho's men suffer a rare "off-day" too in front of their own fans. "They play fantastic football and have some top, top players there," said Pulis. "We're concentrating on Chelsea then we'll move on to the next one and next one. "The pressure is off us. Nobody expects us to go to Chelsea and win. "I expect Chelsea to be a lot stronger in the second half of the season. The acid test will be what we do over next 4-5 weeks. "Confidence is high at the moment. Just get out there and do your best. There is a massive gulf between what they have got and us. "I think the top sides, it's always difficult going away to them. You need them to be off-form and you need some breaks."

Crystal Palace boss: Pressure is off us at Chelsea on Saturday

Tony Pulis: It's ridiculous for Crystal Palace fans to travel to Birmingham on Boxing Day

0
0
TONY Pulis has called on the Premier League and Football League to have local derbies for Boxing Day matches instead of some clubs travelling long distances. The Eagles are set to face Aston Villa this year, and then 48 hours they travel further to Manchester City. But Pulis believes it would be a good thing for football and at a time when finances are tested for supporters. "Personally, I'd love to see those Christmas local derbies back for the supporters," Pulis said. "It's ridiculous to ask Crystal Palace supporters to pay to go up to Birmingham (on Boxing Day). "I'm a traditionalist. I think it's great (having football over Christmas). In today's game, I'd love to see local derbies." Meanwhile, Pulis reiterated that he will be looking to strengthen his squad in January. "It's important we deal with the Christmas period, then I'll be sitting down with Steve (Parish) and directors to see what we can do.," he said, "There has to be certain change around. The attitude around the place has been brilliant but we do need some help. "The game (football) means a lot to me. Every minute I'm in it, I thank God I've been lucky enough to do it."

Tony Pulis: It's ridiculous for Crystal Palace fans to travel to Birmingham on Boxing Day

Gimmie shelter! Kenley bus passengers anger over lack of action

0
0

BUS passengers in Kenley are increasingly irate their shelter – which was flattened in a dramatic crash in September – has still not been replaced.

The bus stop was destroyed in a three-car collision in September, which miraculously left drivers unharmed.

Since then passengers have been left out in the cold as Transport for London do not have shelters in storage and need to make each one specially.

Steve O'Connell, the London Assembly member for Croydon and Sutton, said he had written to TfL urging them to hurry the process along.

"I am very much badgering TfL about this as it's a particularly bad time of year to not have a bus shelter and the residents require it,

"I've written to TfL at the highest level as this time period is unfortunate but they do not have a great big hangar with lots of bus shelters – they have to be made to size.

"They have said it can take up to three months but I have asked them to shorten that time as much they can."

Simon Horsley, TfL's operational services manager for bus infrastructure, said concerns over the safety of the shelter's location had led to a reassessment of the site and delayed its replacement.

"Our engineers have confirmed the position is safe and a replacement shelter will be installed by February 2014," he said.

Gimmie shelter! Kenley bus passengers anger over lack of action

BBC One Show presenter fears Croydon/Sutton incinerator will destroy bird colonies

0
0

A BBC presenter and birdwatcher has voiced his concern about the potential impact of the Beddington Lane incinerator on nearby wildlife.

David Lindo, known as the Urban Birder through his work on BBC's The One Show, said the facility could have a devastating impact on the resident bird population.

Beddington Farmlands, the site of the proposed incinerator, is home to more than 100 species of birds, including one of the largest populations of tree sparrow in the UK.

Its numbers have dropped dramatically in the past 40 years, and Beddington is one of the few places to have retained breeding pairs in significant numbers.

Mr Lindo said he was "devastated" after learning the incinerator had been approved by Sutton Council in May.

"My heart sank when I heard the council, London Assembly and the Secretary of State have sanctioned the construction of the incinerator at Beddington Farmlands," he said.

"I used to regularly watch birds at this amazing site. To this day it still remains a giant in the London birding scene and an important area for wildlife in general.

"Unfortunately its massive potential as a major site for Londoners, and for youngsters especially, to learn about the beauty of nature has already been blighted. It's nationally- renowned tree sparrow colony is already in steep decline.

"We cannot stand by and let this wonderful area be destroyed."

Mr Lindo has backed campaigners opposing the facility, which would burn 275,000 tonnes of waste each year.

They claim Viridor, the company chosen by the South London Waste Partnership to run the incinerator, has already cut down trees used by the birds for roosting at the site.

Paul Pickering, chairman of Stop the Incinerator, said: "Viridor hoped for early approval of its planning application to Sutton Council and wanted to ensure there were no obstacles that could delay site development.

"This cynical act has left the once-thriving colony of tree sparrow all but extinct on the site."

Peter Alfrey, a member of Beddington Farmlands Bird Group, said the felling has had a dramatic impact on tree sparrow numbers.

He said: "Of the eleven special bird species that breed on site that were protected under Viridor's previous planning permissions, all eleven have either declined or become extinct.

"Most alarmingly the tree sparrow – an iconic species for the site – has reduced from 1,000 in 2007 to only 15 today."

Campaigners also claim the incinerator will pose a significant health risk, citing reports of increased rates of cancer, birth defects and infant mortality in areas next to similar facilities.

They are trying to raise money to fund a judicial review which must be launched six weeks from the official decision date, which Sutton Council is expected to issue imminently, once a Section 106 agreement is signed with Viridor.

Victor Perez-Mares, from Viridor, said the company regularly engages with local wildlife groups and the management at Beddington is overseen by the Conservation Science Group.

He added a small amount of scrub and tree clearance had been carried out on the request of English Heritage, which believed it could have been damaging a Roman bath house. He said all necessary environmental checks were carried out, and before further works, advice would be sought from ecologists and local groups would be consulted.

BBC One Show presenter fears Croydon/Sutton incinerator will destroy bird colonies

PREVIEW: Chelsea vs Crystal Palace

0
0

JUST when we were getting used to clean sheets and goals flying in for Palace, the fixture list throws up the challenge of Chelsea – at Stamford Bridge.

It has been a quite brilliant few weeks for the Eagles, notching three wins, and one draw in their last five games.

But, make no mistake about it, tomorrow's game is going to be a mammoth task. Chelsea are extremely strong at home, especially under boss Jose Mourinho, who is still undefeated at the Bridge in the league over two spells in the dugout.

And past results aren't too favourable for the Eagles either. Ten goals have been shipped in west London during their last two visits; in 2005 and 1998.

In fact, the statistics don't make good reading at all. Palace have won just once in the league at Stamford Bridge – that was way back in 1982 thanks to a 2-1 win.

The last time Palace beat Chelsea? A 3-1 win in the League Cup at Selhurst Park in 1993.

OK, I'm not one for being pessimistic, but then again, Palace do go into this game in very confident mood.

Furthermore, the Eagles will be fully aware that the Blues defence can be breached, with just one clean sheet kept in their last ten league games. Buoyed by back-to-back clean sheets against West Ham and Cardiff City, boss Tony Pulis may have stuck with the same starting XI again in 4-4-2 formation but it looks like he will be forced to tinker one or two positions.

Most teams visiting Stamford Bridge tend to play five in midfield, but they say the best form of defence is attack, so keeping in-form strike duo Cameron Jerome and Marouane Chamakh might be a good idea.

But that means the midfield are going to have to work their socks off, including the wide men, who will need to help out the full-backs to stop the threat Chelsea pose.

The Blues have quality all over. Eden Hazard, Juan Mata, Frank Lampard, Oscar, Willian and Ramires – the list goes on – and all are expected to feature at some point on Saturday depending on their fitness levels from their Champions League win against Steaua Bucharest on Wednesday.

They had the luxury of changing their team around against the Romanians, having started with Lampard, Willian, Hazard and Oscar. And then Schurrle and Ramires came off the bench. The likes of Mata and Torres didn't even come on, which could mean they face the Eagles.

Demba Ba grabbed the winner after ten minutes, so Mourinho may decide to stick with the striker, while Ashley Cole, who spent time on loan at Palace in 2000, returned to the starting XI.

In terms of team news for Palace at the time of going to press, Yannick Bolasie's three-game suspension was up and he will be vying for a return to the starting XI.

Dean Moxey suffered a hamstring injury last weekend against Cardiff and was replaced by Adrian Mariappa after 25 minutes. However, Advertiser Sport understands Moxey has "a chance" of featuring, according to assistant manager Keith Millen.

"It's not too bad, the hamstring," he said. "We did the right thing bringing him off last Saturday.

"There is minimal damage, which is good. We won't risk it but it's not torn or a long-term thing.

"The worst case is he'll miss this weekend, but he has got a chance. We just need to see how he is."

If Moxey does miss out, that could mean right-back Joel Ward may have to continue on the left side of the defence, although Jonathan Parr, who is yet to feature this season after his comeback from injury, will be desperate to take part.

Jonny Williams, who was a Chelsea fan as a youngster, will be hoping to step out onto the Stamford Bridge turf for the first time as a professional although he is yet to start under Pulis.

As expected, Palace fans have bought all their allocation in the far corner of the stadium - so the team can expect plenty of vocal support from the travelling army, as they take on one of the league's toughest assignments.

PREVIEW: Chelsea vs Crystal Palace


Man arrested for anti-Semitic tweets after Spurs v West Ham match

0
0
A MAN from Croydon has been arrested after anti-Semitic comments were made on Twitter following a match between Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United. Haringey CID said tweets after the match on October 6 had made reference to Hitler and gas chambers. A 24-year-old man was arrested at his home address in Croydon on Thursday on suspicion of inciting racial hatred. A 22-year-old man was arrested on the same day in Wiltshire suspected of committing the same offence. A third man, aged 48, was arrested in Canning Town on December 5 as part of the same investigation. All three have been bailed until late January. Police had warned fans before the fixture not to use the word "yid" and said supporters who did so could be committing a crime. Spurs have a large Jewish following and have been the target of abuse from opposition fans. West Ham told supporters that anyone caught behaving in a racist, anti-Semitic or homophobic way would be punished to the full extent of the law. In a separate investigation relating to the same match, a 55-year-old man from Hemel Hempstead was arrested and cautioned on November 28 for anti-Semitic communications.

Man arrested for anti-Semitic tweets after Spurs v West Ham match

Residents flee Lower Addiscombe Road flat after bed catches fire

0
0
FOUR people and a two-year-old child fled a flat after the bed caught fire. One man was taken to hospital suffering from smoke inhalation following the blaze shortly after 1am this morning (Friday December 13). A firefighter with Woodside's red watch, who attended the scene, said: "Smoke was issuing from the door on the first floor when we arrived. "We entered via the back with breathing apparatus. "About twenty percent of the flat is damaged by fire." The cause of the fire is being investigated, he added. London Ambulance Service sent an ambulance crew and supervisor from its Hazardous Area Response team to the scene. A spokesman added: "We treated a man, reported to be in his 30s, for the effects of smoke inhalation and took him to Croydon University hospital."

Residents flee Lower Addiscombe Road flat after bed catches fire

Police investigate possible arson at Golden Lion pub in Stanley Road

0
0
POLICE are investigating a possible arson attack at a pub in Thornton Heath this morning. Firefighters were called at about 5.30am to the Golden Lion pub in Stanley Road. A spokesman for Norbury's red watch said: "Someone had thrown a brick through the window and there was a smell of petrol. "A small fire had been put out by the landlord." A Met spokesman said: "We were called at 5.50am this morning to a pub in Stanley Road to reports of a fire. "Police are investigating. We believe it might have been started deliberately."

Police investigate possible arson at Golden Lion pub in Stanley Road

Footballers at centre of match-fixing investigation appear in court

0
0
TWO non-league footballers from Croydon charged as part of an investigation into match-fixing are set to appear in court. Michael Boateng and Hakeem Adelakun, both 22 and from Croydon, have been charged with conspiracy to defraud bookmakers in Manchester between November 1 and 26, 2013. They appeared at Birmingham Magistrates' Court on Wednesday and were bailed to appear at Birmingham Crown Court today (Friday). Boateng and Adelakun were playing for Brighton-based Conference South club Whitehawk when the allegations came to light but have both since been sacked. Singaporean nationals Chann Sankaran and Krishna Ganeshan are also accused of being part of the conspiracy.

Footballers at centre of match-fixing investigation appear in court

Fancy a flutter? Crystal Palace priced at 16/1 to beat Chelsea

0
0
IF YOU'VE burnt a considerable hole in your wallet or maxed out the credit card before Christmas, here's one potential way of clawing some money back. Have a bet on Palace. The Eagles are priced as high as 16/1 with some bookies to beat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge tomorrow, with the Blues as short as 2/11 on. Tony Pulis' men, for all their good recent form, are outsiders with good reason – Jose Mourinho has NEVER lost a home Premier League match in charge of Chelsea (66 games and counting). Yet in what is effectively a three-horse race (including the draw) surely Palace are worth a cheeky punt? Elsewhere, Marouane Chamakh is 16/1 with most firms to continue his hot streak by bagging the opening goal on Saturday. Other first scorer bets include Cameron Jerome (20/1) Barry Bannan (33/1) and, for an outsider, how about Danny Gabbidon at 80/1. And, if you really fancy striking it rich, look at predicting the correct score. Palace are 40/1 to register a 2-1 victory – as scoreline which, save for a dodgy refereeing decision, West Brom would have come away from the Bridge with last month. A fiver on that would win you £200. A tenner - £400.

Fancy a flutter? Crystal Palace priced at 16/1 to beat Chelsea

Viewing all 5354 articles
Browse latest View live




Latest Images