Town’s chief is excited by club’s future
LEE Johnson has confirmed Sunderland would be at the front of the queue if Wolves were willing to let Dion Sanderson leave Molineux at the end of the season.
Phil Parkinson signed Sanderson (right) on loan in the summer and the 21-year-old will spend the rest of the season on Wearside.
He has been utilised in both full-back roles and in his natural centre-back position at various times and both Parkinson and his successor Johnson have been impressed by the youngster.
Just before joining Sunderland in October, Sanderson signed a new contract with Wolves which runs until 2022 and there is nothing to indicate the Midlands outfit is looking to let him move on. However, if that situation changes, Johnson says Sunderland would be interested.
He said: “If he stays on at Wolves then of course we will wish him all the best but if he does not stay there then a club like us would be interested in a young talent like Dion.”
MORPETH Town chairman Ken Beattie has revealed his excitement at overseeing a “period of transformation” at the Northern Premier League club.
The Highwaymen announced the formation of their first academy last week and confirmed former first-team manager Nicky Gray will take charge of the project.
The news is the latest step in the evolution of the Craik Park club and continues the rapid progress they have made over the last decade.
Gray’s time in charge saw him lead the club to three promotions as he took Morpeth from bottom of the Northern League’s second tier to within two steps of the Football League.
The former Highwaymen boss stepped down last summer but will remain with the club to front their new academy – and Beattie confirmed more exciting developments are in the pipeline.
He said: “The club is going through a period of transformation which has not been seen before.
“Although I cannot go into specifics just yet, there are a number of exciting things happening which we hope to reveal over the summer.
“These moves will have the local community at the heart of things and ensure we continue to give back to a town which we are proud to represent.
“It is fantastic news. We have a thriving junior section with dozens of teams across the age groups and hundreds of children enjoying the sport.
“To compliment that, we want the academy to provide a tangible link between youth football and the adult level.
“We have the right people leading it and expert coaches ready to provide outstanding provision for the students who enrol.
“It is an incredibly exciting time to be associated with the club.”
Morpeth’s on-field focus will now turn towards next season after the Football Association confirmed on Wednesday that the current campaign was to be curtailed.
The Highwaymen have been without a Northern Premier League fixture since November as the introduction of stricter Covid-19 restrictions led to the suspension of “non-elite” football.
NICK De Marco has described Newcastle United supporters as “some of the most friendly, funny yet passionate bunch you could meet.”
Mike Ashley has turned to De Marco and fellow QC Shaheed Fatima to represent Newcastle in the club’s legal battle with the Premier League after a Saudi-led consortium encountered complications with the top flight’s owner and director test.
The long-running takeover saga has entered its next stage – arbitration – and the Magpies confirmed last November the club was pressing for a “fair, full and timely hearing.”
De Marco physically met with club officials ahead of Newcastle’s FA Cup third-round defeat against Arsenal at the Emirates last month and it is easy to see why Ashley has appointed the sports lawyer and Fatima.
Although Fatima is a human rights law expert, the barrister has also dealt with high-profile commercial matters, stood in front of regulatory bodies and tribunals and handled cases with a political edge.
There has often been an international dimension to Fatima’s work and the QC previously acted for Prince Abdul Aziz, a member of the Saudi royal family, in relation to a claim worth more than £12m.
De Marco, meanwhile, has made his name as a sports lawyer and has represented players, clubs, sponsors, broadcasters, agents and sports governing bodies.
Lawyer Jason Kallis, who once served as a non-executive director at QPR alongside De Marco, previously told The Chronicle the QC “will know what the regulatory bodies are thinking and how therefore to deal with it” and that will be quite an asset for Newcastle to have.
De Marco, clearly, is relishing his role in the case and the QC regularly interacts with Newcastle supporters.
When one fan asked De Marco if there was anything he cannot do, the sports lawyer said he was “no good at sport, terrible at languages” and had “a low tolerance threshold for boring things or daft people.”
Newcastle supporter Alex Parsons then quipped: “You have just described every Newcastle United fan.”
In response, De Marco tweeted: “From my experience on here, most Newcastle fans appear to be some of the most friendly, funny yet passionate bunch you could meet.”