A round-up of today's other stories in brief
Elliott back in action
Ireland and Sunderland striker Stephen Elliott may have to remain patient after making his long-awaited return from injury. The 22-year-old played his first match since November for the reserves on Wednesday after finally recovering from a stress fracture of the back which has limited him to just 13 senior appearances this season. Elliott managed 45 minutes of the second string's 4-0 home defeat by Aston Villa and came through unscathed, although manager Mick McCarthy will take no chances with a player whose absence has left a big hole. When asked what he had missed most during Elliott's lay-off McCarthy said: "Putting the ball in the net".
Kavanagh on mission
Graham Kavanagh is aiming to write the ultimate happy ending to his own personal fairytale when he returns to Cardiff on Sunday. Twelve months ago, the 32-year-old midfielder, was sold to Wigan for £1 million. When Paul Jewell's men stride out under the Millennium Stadium roof to face Manchester United in Sunday's League Cup, Kavanagh accepts he will have to pinch himself just to believe he is not still living a dream. "It's been a fairytale 12 months without a shadow of a doubt," said Kavanagh. "I was very settled and very happy at Cardiff and I really thought I was going to end my career with them. But then came the opportunity to join Wigan."
Draw to decide
A draw will be held next week to decide the schedule for England's Euro 2008 qualifying campaign after the seven countries in Group E were unable to reach agreement. Uefa will therefore make a draw at their headquarters in Nyon on Thursday, March 2nd, to determine when the matches will be played.
Concern for Sissoko
Liverpool chief executive Rick Parry has moved to try to ease concerns over Mohamed Sissoko after a Portuguese medic suggested his vision could be severely compromised. Sissoko flew back from Portugal yesterday following an overnight stay in hospital after a kick in the head by Brazilian midfielder Beto in the 1-0 Champions League defeat to Benfica forced him off in the first half. The Mali international suffered damage to the retina in his right eye and is currently being cared for by specialists in London. Parry said it was too early to say what the extent of the problem: "We don't want to sound too pessimistic because it's too early to tell," Parry said.
Support for Woodgate
Real Madrid vice-president Emilio Butragueno has not given up on Jonathan Woodgate despite the England defender sustaining yet another injury. Woodgate limped off after just nine minutes of Arsenal's 1-0 Champions League first-leg victory at the Bernabeu on Tuesday. "We must continue to help him and support him," said Butragueno. "He has had many physical problems, we could never have predicted it would reach these extremes. He is an exceptional case in the world of sport." Woodgate (26) underwent further tests on Wednesday but it is yet unknown how long he will be out of action.
Game re-scheduled
Blackburn have agreed to switch the kick-off time of their match with Liverpool at Ewood Park on April 15th to avoid a clash with the Hillsborough memorial service on the same day. The Premiership fixture will now start at 5.15 pm on the 17th anniversary of the disaster when 96 fans died at the FA Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest at Sheffield Wednesday's ground.
"We are very grateful to Blackburn Rovers for their co-operation in the re-scheduling of the game," said a Liverpool statement.
Westerveld signs
Everton have signed former Liverpool player Sander Westerveld on a 28-day loan to ease their goalkeeping crisis. They were given permission by the Premier League to sign emergency cover after suffering a number of injuries and suspensions.
Attack condemned
Manchester United and Liverpool have condemned fans who attacked the ambulance carrying United midfielder Alan Smith to hospital after he broke a leg in last Saturday's FA Cup tie at Anfield. The ambulance was hit by missiles and rocked from side to side by a group of people outside the Liverpool ground, newspapers reported. "Manchester United were very impressed with and grateful for the speedy and efficient help of Liverpool staff. Both clubs feel that these are the mindless actions of a few idiots and they should not overshadow the efforts of all involved to make sure that Alan received the best treatment possible as quickly as possible," the clubs said in a joint statement.
Dismay over Fifa rule
The World Association of Newspapers and the world's major news agencies yesterday expressed dismay at Fifa's decision to insist on severe restrictions on photo publication for this year's World Cup finals.
Fifa has banned publication of World Cup photos through the Internet, including on thousands of newspaper web sites, during matches and has severely restricted the number that can be published, regardless of time limits.
