Ospreys coach Allen Clarke says he is going through the toughest period of his career after watching his side suffer five defeats in six games.

Steve Cooper’s men had to do it the tough way, with Paul Cook’s Wigan dominating an entertaining encounter at the DW Stadium that they will feel they should have won.

Goals change games we know but, listening to Scott Hogan, it’s clear he feels his winner for Championship basement side Stoke City against high-flying Swansea City last Saturday, could be a personal game-changer of an altogether different magnitude.

Leeds’ Achilles heel hurt them once more as the Sky Bet Championship leaders were held 1-1 at home by Derby.

Wayne Routledge scored a last-minute winner as Swansea edged their top-of-the-table clash with Leeds at Elland Road.

Kyle Naughton, Bersant Celina and Borja Baston – who celebrated his 27th birthday by becoming the division’s top scorer – were on target as Birmingham’s resistance crumbled after the break.

The striker, on loan from Arsenal, struck just four minutes after his introduction as a 77th-minute substitute.

Paul Pogba squandered the chance to send Manchester United to the top of the fledgling table as he missed yet another Premier League penalty.

The draw was made after completion of 33 first-round fixtures last night and includes all the top-flight clubs who are not involved in European competitions.

Limerickman Paudie O’Connor could make his Bradford return against Preston in the Carabao Cup tonight.

In days gone by, a winger wasn’t a winger unless the soles of his boots were covered in white paint from spending so much time standing on the touchline; and that’s a tradition which might be making a return in 2019-20.

Considering Arsenal were pleading poverty at the start of the window, the capture of a player who has been of interest to every big club on the planet was a huge statement of intent from the Emirates’ new-look recruitment team.

Romelu Lukaku finally won his one-man battle to extricate himself from Old Trafford, Manchester United only losing £2m (€2.2m) on a player for whom they paid £75m two years ago, even if he left with a rebuke from Gary Neville ringing in his ears.

Promotion favourites Fulham suffered a blast of Championship reality with a shock opening-weekend 1-0 loss at Barnsley.

Manchester United may have finished only sixth in the table last season but they comfortably retained their position as the leading developers of Premier League talent.

Leicester have completed the club-record signing of Youri Tielemans from Monaco.

Birmingham have parted company with manager Garry Monk, the club have announced.

Manchester United fans were involved in more football-related arrests where racism was an aggravating factor or a feature than any other club in England in the four seasons up to 2017-18, data from the UK Home Office shows.

Troy Parrott made it back-to-back braces as he once again curled in a breath-taking free-kick for Tottenham.

Jack Carty stands alone among Irish goalkickers this season with not even Johnny Sexton able to keep him

Spring is in the air. The cold hand of the previous year’s winter, which resulted in heavy snow and fixture cancellations as late as March was conspicuous by its absence but as April begins no one is taking the warm weather for granted just yet.

Nottingham Forest manager Martin O’Neill hailed super-sub Daryl Murphy after the veteran striker sparked a comeback against Swansea in Saturday’s Championship clash at the City Ground.

The European Champions’ Cup emerges from hibernation next week offering a ray of sunshine for those Irish players hung out to dry after the deluge and days of cascading criticism.

It’s been another rough week for Pat. Or Tom. Or Ger. Whatever you want to call him, you know him well anyway.

Jurgen Klopp was at his snappiest with the Anfield press corps when it was suggested before this match that an exit from the Champions League against Bayern Munich would only boost their chances of winning a first domestic title in 29 years. He said the suggestion was mad. Now we will see if the energetic German coach is right.

The Ospreys chairman Mike Jones has resigned over the “catastrophic mismanagement” of plans to overhaul Wales' rugby regions.

Newport County’s remarkable FA Cup odyssey may have ended on Saturday but a 4-1 defeat didn’t stop Irish striker Pádraig Amond from leaving the pitch with a pep in his step.

There’s no Ireland striker in better form than David McGoldrick at the moment and the 31-year-old illustrated that reality again this weekend, opening the scoring as Sheffield United maintained their promotion push courtesy of a 2-0 win over Bolton Wanderers on Saturday.

How the Irish fared

The encouraging phone calls from Mick McCarthy helped, as did the support of his fellow Irishmen in the Deepdale dressing room and the countless monotonous, gruelling hours he has spent in the gym.

Holders Chelsea are safely through to the fourth round of the FA Cup but Premier League Cardiff were victims of a giant-killing act by Gillingham.

James McClean was subjected to a torrent of abuse for refusing to wear a Remembrance Day poppy in Stoke’s 0-0 draw against Middlesbrough. He later took to social media where he labelled a section of supporters “uneducated cavemen”.

Not many managers can claim to have sent a referee into early retirement but Mourinho was accused of precisely that in one of his first European adventures with Chelsea.

Leeds midfielder Pablo Hernandez salvaged Marcelo Bielsa's unbeaten start to the season with an equaliser in the 2-2 draw against former club Swansea.

It's back!

Four things Unai Emery must get right if his tenure at the Emirates is to be a success.

If there is one lesson to be taken from the football season almost gone, it’s that plans are not just for workshy scholars, writes Tommy Martin.

Southampton 0 Man City 1

Fantasy Premier League managers everywhere are strapping in for the wild ride that is Gameweek 38 - especially those for whom disaster struck last Friday.

Your morning headlines.

Daniel Storey on the weekend’s big talking points...

Don’t worry, I’m not expecting sympathy. The real cost of relegation comes when you see a flood of staff members with their lives packed into cardboard boxes that they pack into banged up old cars

Daniel Storey on the weekend’s major talking points...

Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers was “a little bit surprised” to see Steven Gerrard linked to the manager’s job at city rivals Rangers.