A round-up of today's other stories in brief

Surgeons reach Collingwood last four

ROYAL College of Surgeons made history at the Irish Universities Collingwood Cup, hosted by University of Limerick, when they reached the semi-final stage of the competition for the first time.

The Surgeons knocked out the University of Ulster Jordanstown 4-3 on penalties after a scoreless extra-time.

Surgeons will now meet UCD in today’s semi-final.

They overcame Maynooth after a late Mark Langtry equaliser forced the match extra-time.

UCD dominated the extra-time period, and goals from Stiofain Sexton and Ross King gave them a semi-final place.

UCC scored a comfortable 4-0 win over a disappointing NUI Galway and will face Mary Immaculate – who beat UL 2-1 – in the other semi-final.

United's bank balance falls

MANCHESTER United’s bank balance has fallen by almost €119 million in the space of six months according to the club’s quarterly accounts, as a result of buying back bonds, player arrivals and stadium improvements, reports Owen Gibson.

The latest accounts show that while revenues continued to rise as a result of improved TV income, increased corporate hospitality revenue and new commercial contracts, higher wages contributed to sharply increased operating costs.

Overall revenues in the six months to the end of 2011 increased to €208 million from €186 million a year earlier, driven largely by increases in media and commercial income including a new training kit deal with DHL, but operating costs rose to €131 million from €115 million.

Wages increased by 17.3 per cent to €46 million. Guardian Service

Sligo chairman under pressure to go

SLIGO Rovers chairman Michael Toolan remains under pressure to resign in the wake of the club’s stormy open meeting at the Clarion Hotel on Monday night, reports Emmet Malone.

Supporters criticised the decision by Toolan and board members to waive a demand for compensation from Accrington Stanley for manager Paul Cook, who was under contract with Sligo when he left.

The decision was taken, it seems, on the basis that the move was about to fall through because of the demand for a figure believed to be in the region of €25,000 and there was a belief that relations with Cook, already strained, would become impossible if he was forced to stay.

The process of finding Cook’s replacement continues, with the short list believed to include Damien Richardson, Brian Little, Cook’s assistant Gerry Carr, Johnny McDonnell and Mike Newell.

Season tickets cash 'paid off debt'

RANGERS’ administrators have confirmed the sale of future season ticket monies was used to repay a €21.4 million debt to the Lloyds Banking Group as part of Craig Whyte’s takeover.

Whyte paid £1 to buy David Murray’s majority stake in Rangers last May. As part of that deal, bank borrowing was cleared and left as a debt to one of Whyte’s companies.

Since Rangers plunged into administration last week, intrigue has surrounded the whereabouts of the €29 million payment received by Whyte from the football finance firm Ticketus.

That deal involved selling 100,000 of advanced season tickets to a third party in exchange for instant funds. Whyte issued a statement in which he sought to justify his actions by claiming he is "personally on the line for £27.5 million in guarantees and cash" relating to the takeover. Guardian Service

Lennon will make a case for Stokes to Trapattoni

CELTIC manager Neil Lennon has said he will contact Giovanni Trapattoni to recommend the inclusion of Anthony Stokes in Ireland’s plans for Euro 2012 if the Italian continues to overlook the Dubliner in the build-up to the naming of his squad for the championships, reports Emmet Malone.

Stokes has been in the international wilderness since pulling out of Ireland’s final games of last season, including a qualifying tie against Macedonia, on the grounds of tiredness and Lennon may have his work cut out persuading Trapattoni that the striker is worth giving another opportunity, but he insists he will try.

“Trapattoni is probably looking at the players that got him there,” Lennon acknowledged. “But I think the way Anthony is playing, he cannot be ignored.”