FA Cup first round roundup: Ryan Blake helps Chesham stun Bristol Rovers

Chesham were the most notable giant-killers in the FA Cup first round on Sunday as the seventh-tier outfit pulled off a shock 1-0 victory at League Two Bristol Rovers.

The visitors passed up the opportunity to open the scoring in the 29th minute as Dave Pearce’s penalty was saved by Lee Nicholls, but Ryan Blake then struck in the 77th minute to secure a famous win.

Meanwhile, it was an historic afternoon for sixth-tier Whitehawk as they reached the second round for the first time with a thrilling 5-3 home triumph against National League side Lincoln.

The hosts went 2-0 up through Danny Mills and Jake Robinson, before Matt Rhead’s penalty reduced the deficit.

Sam Deering and Rhead exchanged efforts to leave the score at 3-2, and Dave Martin extended the lead with a few minutes to go.

An eventful finale then saw Lincoln’s Rhead complete his hat-trick before Deering netted from the spot having been fouled by Alan Power, who was sent off.

Cristiano Ronaldo: I want to retire with 'dignity', not in USA, Qatar or Dubai

Cristiano Ronaldo said Friday that he wants to end his career “with dignity” and not playing in “the United States, Qatar or Dubai”. The Real Madrid and Portugal star, the subject of a new documentary that premiered on Monday in London, said Thursday in an interview on ITV’s The Jonathan Ross Show that he expected to play six or seven more seasons and hoped to finish his career at the highest level. The remarks ostensibly referenced the recent wave of top players who have finished their careers outside of Europe’s top leagues, among them MLS imports Didier Drogba, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Andrea Pirlo and David Villa, along with Xavi, the lifelong Barcelona midfielder who signed with Qatari club Al Sadd in May. “That does not mean it’s bad play in the leagues of the United States, Qatar or Dubai, but I do not see myself there,” Ronaldo said. Ronaldo, who turns 31 in February, became Real Madrid’s all-time leading goalscorer last month and has th...

Falkirk chairman calls for restructure of ‘outdated’ Scottish league

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Young people to lose access to unemployment benefits as part of welfare reforms

YOUNG people will not be able to get unemployment benefits until they turn 25 under reforms introduced by the Turnbull Government today. The coalition has unveiled wide-ranging welfare reforms in parliament today, including changes to the Newstart program. It hopes to stop people aged 22 to 24 getting Newstart or the Sickness allowance, and they will instead be shifted to the Youth Allowance payment. This will reduce the amount of money that they will be able to get, costing a single person living away from home about $90 a fortnight. They will also be required to study in order to qualify for the payments. “The key aim of this measure is to provide incentives for young unemployed people to obtain the relevant education and training to increase employability,” according to an explanatory memorandum for the bill. However, it says Youth Allowance does allow students to earn a higher amount of money from part-time or casual work than Newstart, before this begins imp...

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