Premier League Match Time: Wigan Vs Bolton

The DW Stadium will be the venue of a local derby between Wigan Athletic and Bolton Wanderers due for a Saturday afternoon kick off in match-week nine of the Premiership.

The Latics will seek to extend their unbeaten match streak to four, while if Wanderers stay unbeaten in Saturday's game, it will be their fifth in a row. Bolton will be especially enthused coming as they are off a 2-1 win against Stoke City.

Contrastingly, Roberto Martinez's side played in a 2-2 draw at Newcastle in match week eight. Hugo Rodalegga, who missed the Newcastle game, could be in the starting eleven against Bolton, though Stven Gouhouri who also sat out last week's game is less certain to play against the Wanderers, though. The Ivorian defender tore his calf muscle ahead of ast week's game against Newcastle United.

Last season's match between the sides, ended in a draw at this venue, while Bolton won their home match 4-0.

Wigan must consider Wanderers' striker Kevin Davies as the greatest threat in the game. Davies is in great form this season, and that has resulted in an England call up as well. Davies will have effective support in the Bolton squad in the form of Elmander, Lee, Muamba and Cahill.

Chris Kirkland could return to action between the posts for Wigan in the Bolton game. Al Habsi is the number one goalie for Wigan but he is on loan from Bolton, and the rules forbid a player on loan from playing against his parent club. This renders Al Habsi ineligible, thereby paving the way for Kirkland to take charge in goal.

Elbow surgery has sidelined Wigan's other goalie Mike Pollitt and Lee Nicholls could be the back up for Kirkland. Di Santo and Caldwell are also due to miss the match owing to injury.

Bolton will be without Ivan Klasnik who is serving a suspension.with a second yellow card in the Stoke game. Klasnik shot home the match winner against Stoke in the last minute of regulation time. Manager Owen Coyle could take a late call on Andy O'Brien who is still working with the team physio to get fit ahead of the Wigan match. But Sean Davis, Jlloyd Samuel, Ricardo Gardner and Joey O'Brien appear certain to miss Saturday's game.

Wigan's probable eleven for this match could be: Kirkland, Figueroa, Alcaraz, Gohouri, Boyce, Gomez, McCarthy, Thomas, N'Zogbia, Di Santo, Rodalegga

Bolton's starting eleven could comprise: Jaaskelainen, Robinson, Knight, Cahill, Steinssen, Petrov, Muamba, Holden, Lee, K Davies, Elmander

The History Of Bangor City Football Club

Bangor City Football Club are one of the oldest football clubs in Wales, they were formed in 1876, a few months after a club was formed in nearby Caernarfon, a fierce rivalry has existed between the two teams ever since.

During the early years there wasn't a structured league for Bangor to compete and they would play friendly matches and also entered the Welsh cup when it began 1877, Bangor being the first team from North Wales to win the Welsh Cup in 1889.

A league was formed in 1893 consisting of teams from the North Wales Coast, Bangor's earlier attempts to join an all Wales league had been rejected as they would not have been able to meet the fixture commitments due to difficulty with travel arrangements and the costs involved. Bangor won the inaugural league in 1896, as well as winning the Welsh Cup, and the North West Wales Challenge Cup.

In 1898 Bangor were entered into the Combination League, where they would face a higher level of competition from teams from the North of England, which included Everton and Liverpool's reserve sides, they remained in this league until 1910 when the league disbanded.

Bangor joined the North Wales Alliance League for the following season, following a period of inactivity during the First World War, Bangor rejoined the North Wales Coast league in 1919 and for a short time were known as Bangor Comrades FC in memory of those who had fallen in the war. Bangor also moved from their original playing field at Maes-y-Dref to their The Farrar Road ground in 1919, which was originally shared with Bangor cricket club, they have remained at the Farrar Road ground ever since.

In 1932 Bangor joined the Birmingham & District League following much turbulence and constant re-organising of the Welsh leagues, where they usually finished in the top half of the table, they remained in this league until 1939 when they joined the Lancashire Combination League before joining the Cheshire League in 1950.

Bangor City won the Welsh Cup in 1962, which qualified them to enter the European Cup Winners Cup, which saw them face Italian Side Napoli. The game resulted in a 3-3 draw over to legs, which under today's rules would have seen Bangor win on the away goals, unfortunately they were forced to play a reply where they lost 2-1 at Arsenal's Highbury stadium.

At the end of 1977/78 Bangor were considered for promotion to the English Fourth Division, but as their stadium was in better order, Wigan Athletic (who now play in the Premier League) were chosen instead. Bangor instead joined the Alliance Premier League, which is the conference league of today.

In 1984-85, Bangor again qualified for the European Cup-Winners' Cup., after beating Norwegian side Fredrickstad in the First Round, Bangor lost 3-0 to Spanish side Athletico Madrid.

Following this, Bangor have qualified the UEFA Cup and Europa League qualifying rounds, but are placed at a major disadvantage having to play their European 'home' games at Wrexham's Racecourse ground which is sixty miles away, as Bangor's Farrar Road ground does not meet European specifications.

Bangor have remained a major force in Welsh football in recent years, winning the Welsh cup for the last three consecutive years and they are now one of twelve teams contesting the Welsh Premier League, at the beginning of the 2010-11 season Bangor have recorded 10 victories from 10 games.

English Premier League Season 2010-2011 Preview

The English Premier League season is going to begin next weekend, 14 August 2010. After a long break from the Premier League football. Twenty teams will be challenging for the elusive title. Following are the teams:

1) Arsenal
2) Aston Villa
3) Birmingham
4) Blackburn Rovers
5) Blackpool
6) Bolton Wonderers
7) Chelsea
8) Everton
9) Fulham
10) Liverpool
11) Manchester City
12) Manchester United
13) Newcastle United
14) Stoke City
15) Sunderland
16) Tottenham Hotspur
17) West Bromwich Albion
18) West Ham United
19) Wigan Atheletic
20) Wolverhampton Wanderers

As the defending champion, Chelsea starts as one of the favorite to winner the title again. However, there are several teams which also have the ability and among the favorites to wrestle the title from Chelsea. Manchester United and Arsenal are two of Chelsea closest contenders for the past several seasons. They are expected to be near anywhere at top of the table coming next May 2011, fighting for the championship. Apart from them, we should not neglect Liverpool and Manchester City as the other dark houses for the championship. Liverpool has the history and players behind them while Manchester City is spending millions of pounds on players to launch their assault on the championship. Manchester City is mimicking Chelsea success when they spend lots of money acquiring good players to their clubs since the arrival of the current owner in 2003. They money from Roman Abramovich has turn Chelsea into a football power house. It seem like Manchester City are heading the same direction as well with money from Abu Dhabi United Group.

Therefore, by end of the season we should see one of this team capturing the English Premier League Championship.

Premier League Match Time: West Ham Vs Newcastle

West Ham host Newcastle United this Saturday afternoon at Upton Park, in what manager Avram Grant is likely to see as an opportunity to get off the bottom off the table where his squad currently reside.

If you considered all competition, you would see that the Magpies have a great record on the road, in the ongoing season. Their only away losses have come against Manchester City and Manchester United.

The Hammers had a horrendous start to the premiership, with four losses on the trot. That said, West Ham's last loss came five matches ago, and they will look to extend that unbeaten streak against the Magpies, who have in contrast just garnered the solitary point from their last three games. Unlike west Ham, Newcastle began the league season well getting a brilliant win against Villa in only their second match. But thereafter their campaign has fallen apart.

But for Fabricio Colloccini's equaliser in injury time, Newcastle would not have salvaged the single point they did in their last game against Wigan. Newcastle returned to the Premiership this season, and the last game between the two sides was during the Magpies' relegation year in 2009. The Upton Park game that year went to the Hammers, 3-1, while the Magpies' home game ended in a 2-2 draw.

Head to head however, Newcastle have a 44-37 advantage over Avram Grant's men, though on current form, they would be hard pressed to preserve that record. In Andy Carroll, the Magpies have one of the top scorers of the season, and they will look him to provide the impetus.

The Hammers have few injury worries with the list being restricted to Hitzlsperger with a thigh injury and Collison and Hines with knee problems.

Newcastle captain Kevin Nolan, who was sidelined due to an ankle injury in his side's game against Wigan in match-week eight, is set to return for the Upton Park game. Chris Hughton also hopes to welcome Danny Simpson back after a long hiatus owing to an ankle injury.

Sol Campbell's thigh and Steven Taylor's shoulder will continue to keep the respective players out of the Saturday game, though Taylor could get back to training on Monday. Dan Gosling, Ben Arfa, Steve Harper and Leaon Best continue to figure on the injury list for the Magpies.

The probable eleven for West Ham should be: Green, Da Costa, Jacobsen, Gabbidon, Upson, Parker, Dyer, Boa Morte, Noble, Piquionne, Obinna.

The following men are likely to comprise the starting eleven for Newcastle: Krul, Coloccini, Perch, Enrique, Williamson, Tiote, Nolan, Guttierez, Barton, Carroll, Lovenkrands.

Essential Football Equipment

When a player suits up for a new season they rarely think about all the equipment they will need to participate in there chosen sport. Supplying yourself with the correct equipment is essential as having this equipment can protect a player from injury, allow a player to play their best and it is required to play in most football leagues.

Having the correct equipment for football can help a player enjoy the game more and feel save while doing so. Here is a list of the essential equipment needed to play the wonderful game of football safely.

Shin-guards:

Shin-guards protect player's shins and ankles from the kicks that they may receive while playing football. Shin-guards should also come with an ankle guard to protect the ankle and should cover the entire shin to lower the risk of an injury.

Football Kit:

The football kit is provided to a player when they sign up to play for a team in a league and is only given to them once the manager wishes to sign that player. Once the player has the kit its there responsibility.

Football boots:

Football boots provide the strength needed to play football efficiently. Football boots come in many different materials and shapes giving them a unique style. The best type of material seems to be leather as it lasts a long time and can resist ware and tear. Football boots give players the ability to do more with a ball as the boot itself has special material for certain aspects of football such as shooting and passing.

Football Exercises - Warm Up Drills

Various football exercises are a great way to get your players ready for a training session or a match. The following warm-up drills can make some effective exercise for your players.

Passing Through A Circle

Passing through a circle is an effective warm up drill and gives your players good warm up before you start a training session or before they are getting ready for a match.

In this exercise, have five of your players stand in a circle with twenty-yard diameter. Now, have another five of your players stand behind each of these players. Now the front-standing players have to pass the ball to each other in a random way while standing at the same place. No doubt, this is an effective technique, but since this exercise requires lots of movement, your communication skill will be at test here.

You need to use your communication skill and vision in order to instruct the players for this exercise. You will have to use your imagination in order to make this exercise more innovative by adding variations to the same. For example, you may want to put a defender in the middle of the circle.

Acquire Explosive Acceleration And Fast Sprinting Speed

The following exercise can be highly effective for your players to help them acquire explosive acceleration and fast sprinting speed. You must have your players do these soccer exercises as fast as possible.

Leg Circuit Exercises

o Two-footed squat thrusts can be a good exercise for the youth soccer players. In this exercise, you should have your players aim for a twelve-inch jump.

o Have your players walk lunge forward and then rapidly repeat the process by changing the lead leg.

o Alternate leg squat thrusts is another great exercise for the young soccer players. In this exercise, the coach should have the players count reps on their one leg only.

Upper Body exercise

o Normal press-ups are also quite effective, but you must make sure that your players are aim to keep a straight line through their back.

o You can also have your players try the wide-arm press-ups. In this exercise, have your players take elbows out to their sides.

o Close-hand press-ups are also worth giving a try. Make sure that while doping this exercise, your players are aim to keep their thumbs touching each other.

Apart from the above football exercises, you should also include abdominal exercises. They are very important in keeping your players fit and strong.

Premier League Match Time: Stoke Vs Blackburn

Stoke City will host Blackburn Rovers in a Saturday afternoon Premier League game at the Britannia Stadium.

Stoke have made a come-back after a bad start that would have prompted their greatest fans to write them off. But not only do the squad look tough but have actually proved hard to beat, after three successive defeats in their first three matches. In their next three, Stoke banked seven points out of a possible nine.

Tony Pulis will happy at the tenacious quality of his squad and that should stand them in good stead in the Birmingham match. But the interesting thing will be to see if the mood lasts, as the longest streak of unbeaten matches Stoke have had, in two previous seasons of the Premiership, is seven matches.

Against a similar team, in Blackburn, the Potters will look to Kenwyne Jones to continue his goal scoring form; Jones has had a strike in every match he has played for Stoke this season. Ricardo Fuller and Jermaine Pennant are unlikely to play in the Birmingham game.

Blackburn have had three successive matches unbeaten, and after a 2-1 win against Blackpool, they will look for a back to back win against Stoke, something they last achieved in March 2009. The Rovers, like their rivals on the weekend, are a never-say-die outfit, and a keen tussle can be expected on the day.

But Blackburn haven't been great travellers, in recent years. But their away win against Blackpool at Bloomfield road last week was an exception and their uncharacteristic willingness to attack in that game saw the Rovers gain two lucky goals.

But an interesting stat is that although Blackburn have scored in all of their last 10 Premier league games, they have not scored a goal in their last three against the Potters.

Blackburn's record at the Britannia is not very encouraging, with just nine wins to show in 41 games at the venue. Also, other than the Bloomfield Road win against Blackpool, they have not had an away win since beating Aston Villa, in their last match of the 2009-10 Premiership season.

Blackburn lost their last match against Stoke at the Britannia, after they were reduced to 10-men following Samaba's send-off with a red card. The final score was 3-0 in the Potters' favour. I am inclined to believing that this year's match will have a similar result.

Stoke are likely to go with the following starting eleven: Sorensen, Collins, Shawcross, Huth, Wilkinson, Etherington, Diao, Whelan, Whitehead, Walters, Jones

Blackburn's possible starting eleven are: Robinson, Givet, Nelsen, Samba, Salgado, Jones, Nzonzi, Kalinic, E Diouf, Pedersen, M Diouf.