Luton Town were beaten 2-0 by local rivals Watford as their winless start to 2025 continued.
Two first half goals did the damage at Vicarage Road, as a Tom Dele-Bashiru penalty and a strike from Edo Kayembe won the day for the play-off chasing Hornets.
Defeat means Luton are still awaiting a first win under Matt Bloomfield, with the Hatters also now winless in 12 Championship outings. They remain bottom of the table, and with Hull winning on Saturday and Cardiff drawing, it means there is now a 5 point gap between Luton and safety.
The Hatters had made the short trip to their rivals at Vicarage Road still chasing a first win since replacing Rob Edwards with Bloomfield last month, with the hosts having failed to win a home game since Boxing Day and Luton having memories of winning the reverse fixture at home in October.
Luton had started off by looking competitive, but things went wrong for the visitors in the opening ten minutes. A through pass had looked set to be claimed by Hatters keeper Thomas Kaminski, but a mix-up between him and Mads Andersen allowed Mamadou Doumbia to sneak in, and contact with the keeper saw the Watford man go down.
Kaminsi was deemed to have committed the foul, with the referee giving Watford a penalty, which Dele-Bashiru duly converted to put the home side in front in the eleventh minute.
This raised the difficulty for a Luton side that had only collected five points away from home so far this season, and after falling behind, they struggled for chance creation.
Watford had an opportunity when Imran Louza had a shot held by Kaminski, but a second goal would come Watford’s way in the 23rd minute.
Around 30 yards from goal, the ball was picked up by Giorgi Chakvetadze, who was allowed to charge forward down the left flank. He duly drew Kaminski out before squaring to Kayembe, who rolled the ball over the line from a yard out.
Luton had a few half-chances in response, with a penalty appeal waved away and Mads Andersen heading over, but they entered the break still 2-0 behind.
The visitors improved after a triple change at half-time, with Jacob Brown having a shot deflected wide before Isaiah Jones’ strike flew narrowly wide.
But chances would be at a premium for the visitors, whose attacking momentum dissipated as the game wore on, and they nearly fell 3-0 down at the end of the regular 90 when Chakvetadze was denied by Kaminski.
The result continued Luton’s miserable run, with the Hatters at risk of a second consecutive relegation. Luton have not won a league game since December 20th and face another big game next weekend when they welcome 17th place Portsmouth.
Northampton Town took the points as they came from behind to beat Bristol Rovers 2-1 at Sixfields.
The visitors had scored first through Scott Sinclair in the opening minute of the second half, but Dara Costelloe’s equaliser was followed by a strike from substitute Nesta Guinness-Walker to win the day for Kevin Nolan’s side.
The three points lifts Northampton to 17th position in the League One table, jumping above Rovers in the table and seeing the Cobblers hold a 4 point lead on the relegation zone.
Both sides went close early on, with Nik Tzanev denying Rovers’ Ruel Sotiriou before Costelloe and Hoskins had strikes blocked.
Few chances were created as the opening half wore on, although the best chances came for the hosts, as Cameron McGeehan’s strike was deflected wide before Jed Ward made a flying stop to keep out Mitch Pinnock.
The two sides duly entered the half-time break on level terms, but they wouldn’t stay that way for long after the break as Bristol Rovers opened the scoring in the opening minute of the second half.
Isaac Hutchinson’s pass released Sinclair, and the former Chelsea, Manchester City & Celtic man duly advanced before beating Tzanev with a strike that went in off a post.
Sinclair was denied by Tzanev shortly after that as the visitors chased the comfort of a second goal.
But the game’s second goal would end up being a Northampton equaliser. Terry Taylor’s free-kick was kept alive by Max Dyche and the ball fell for Costelloe, who was able to head home his first Cobblers goal.
Seventeen minutes later, the Cobblers completed the turnaround. Guinness-Walker had only just come on off the bench when the full-back was picked out by McGeehan and volleyed home.
The hosts were able to keep Bristol Rovers at arms length for the rest of the contest, grinding out the three points and with it a third win in four outings.
Northampton will be chasing back-to-back wins on Tuesday, as they welcome Barnsley.
Fashion retailer Quiz will be closing their branch at the centre:mk in Milton Keynes after entering administration.
The Milton Keynes store is one of 23 branches across the UK and Ireland that Quiz will be closing down after the parent company fell into administration in January, with the shop closing with immediate effect.
A rescue deal will see 43 branches saved, but the Milton Keynes branch failed to meet the cut. It’s been reported that around 200 people have lost their jobs as a result of the closures.
Quiz’s administrators Teneo have said that they will communicate with staff and government regulators as to next steps.
In a statement, Teneo’s joint administrator Gavin Maher said, “Although the sale has resulted in the transfer of a number of jobs, it has been necessary to make redundancies. We appreciate that this is a difficult and uncertain time for all involved and are communicating appropriately with all employees, customers and stakeholders.”
MK Dons suffered a tenth defeat in 15 outings after they were beaten 2-0 by former boss Graham Alexander’s Bradford City.
A goal in each half by the Bantams’ Antoni Sarcevic decided the game in the home side’s favour, as Bradford recorded a ninth straight home win and maintained their promotion push.
Any hopes the Dons have of making the play-offs are hanging by a thread, meanwhile, with Scott Lindsey’s side falling to 17th position in the table. They are equidistant from the play-offs and relegation zone in League Two, with the Dons 13 points from either extreme with 14 games to go.
Facing off against a side that beat the Dons at Stadium MK on the opening day of the season, an early opportunity came MK Dons’ way as Danilo Orsi had a header blocked.
But the high-flying hosts wouldn’t take long to open their account, as they went ahead after ten minutes. The ball fell kindly for Sarcevic, who evaded Luke Offord and Nico Lawrence before advancing to the goal and firing beyond Connal Trueman.
Bradford duly carried on their attacking momentum, with Lawrence and Travis Patterson having to clear efforts off the line and Trueman denying Tayo Adaramola.
Both sides had penalty appeals waved away during the first half, before Bradford missed further chances after the restart as the home side looked to find their way to grabbing a second goal.
After missing a few opportunities, Bradford made it 2-0 on the hour as Sarcevic was released by substitute Bobby Pointon and he was duly able to lash the strike beyond Trueman.
The visitors’ best chance to get a goal back saw Orsi denied by Sam Walker, but there was no way back for the Dons as they continue their miserable start to 2025.
MK Dons will be chasing just a third win of the new year next Saturday, when they begin March by hosting Colchester United.
Music stars Sam Fender, Raye, Fatboy Slim and Becky Hill have been announced as performers at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone.
The organisers of the race announced the all-British quartet of performers as their F1 Headliners group for 2025, as the circuit continues to add musical performers alongside the car race. Further acts are expected to be announced closer to the dates of the race.
Ticket holders to each of the four nights will get to see the performers without paying extra.
The opening headliner on Thursday July 3rd will be rising British rock star Sam Fender, who is also scheduled to play the London Olympic Stadium and three nights at the Newcastle United stadium during this summer. The Brit-award singer/songwriter will perform as part of the tour for his new album People Watching.
RAYE will then perform on Friday July 4th, with the chart-topping award-winning artist treating the crowd to a performance of her soul, R&B, jazz and dance inspired pop.
Dance music star Fatboy Slim will then perform a set on Saturday July 5th. The acclaimed dance DJ will be treating the crowds to renditions of many of his hits, such as Praise You, Right Here, Right Now, Weapone of Choice and Eat, Sleep, Rave, Repeat.
Becky Hill will be performing in the slot directly after the British Grand Prix race itself on Sunday July 6th, with the pop and D&B star to take to the stage as part of the tour for her latest album Believe Me Now?. The performance at the British Grand Prix will be Hill’s latest performance at a sporting event, having previously played sets at the final of the Women’s European football championships and at the Commonwealth Games.
In a statement, Silverstone’s Chief Commercial Officer, Nick Read, said, “Over the past few years we have established Silverstone as a world-class venue that attracts the biggest and best artists to deliver unforgettable experiences, and it’s an honour to continue that as we announce Sam Fender, RAYE, Fatboy Slim, and Becky Hill as our stellar all-British headliners for the 2025 Formula 1 British Grand Prix.
“Following the incredible success of last year’s music offering, we knew we had to raise the bar again—and we’re thrilled to be delivering a line-up packed with homegrown talent at the very top of their game.”
