FA Cup third round latest scores and updates: Wimbledon 1-1 Liverpool, Burnley 0-0 Tottenham - LIVE

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8:38:  Henderson tries to skate his way across goal, looking for the shot, but has no luck. He instead offloads to Coutinho who tries the same, darting in from the left but his eventual effort is blocked and Wimbledon come forward again. 

8:36: Akenfenwa is shown a yellow card for persistent fouling, this time sending Martin Skrtel sprawling to the turf while trying to win the ball. 

HALF TIME 

Burnley 1-1 Tottenham 

8:34: And Wimbledon are level! Francomb whips a terrific ball into the six yard area that Mignolet meekly comes out to claim. He gets nowhere near it as the ball bounces off Sakho onto the bar and eventually into the path of Akenfenwa, who prods the ball home. 

Goal! Wimbledon 1-1 Liverpool (Adebayo Akenfenwa, 36)

8:31: Rigg, Wimbledon's most impressive outlet this evening, flies down the left wing and wins another corner for his side. 

8:30: What a chance for Wimbledon to equalise! A long punt upfield from goalkeeper Shea is again knocked by Akinfenwa. Rigg bravely gets to it ahead of Lucas and flicks it on over the challenge of Skrtel who has lost Tubbs. The Wimbledon forward tries to hook one towards the bottom corner but watches on in agony as it trickles the wrong side of the post. 

8:27: Wimbledon swing another ball into the box that Akinfenwa meets, but he can't keep it down and the ball sails over the bar. 

8:26: Mignolet denies Wimbledon! That corner causes havoc in the box and the ball eventually breaks to Rigg who lashes a vicious effort on target. It's straight at Mignolet, but the Belgian reacts brilliantly to palm it over the bar. 

8:24: Suddenly Francomb is freed in space down the right flank and drills a cross into the six yard box, looking for Tubbs. Skrtel however is across to divert the ball out for a corner. 

8:23: Sakho invites pressure on himself after overhitting a poor pass straight out of play. Wimbledon advance and press Liverpool in the final third. 

8:18: It's been a fairly desperate opening half hour between Burnley and Tottenham. The away side have enjoyed the greater share of possession but have failed to trouble the opposition. While Burnley has been well drilled at the back, they haven't contributed much to this game either. 

8:16: Lazar Markovic does well to scamper into space down the inside left channel before reaching the byline and slamming a ball across the face of the goal but there is no one on the end of it. It has been a bright start from the young Serbian.

8:14: Liverpool have taken control of this contest since that goal went in. Akinfenwa is, as you would expect, doing his best to dominate Sakho and Skrtel at any opportunity but the Liverpool defenders have coped well so far. 

8:11: Meanwhile at Turf Moor Burnley are a bit miffed to see their appeals for a foul turned away after Danny Ings appeared to be hauled down by Ben Davies in the final third. The full back was the last man back and would have been in real trouble had he penalised, but the referee waves away Burnley protests. 

8:07: Liverpool take the lead through their captain. Gerrard starts the move, finding a pocket of space in the centre about 30 yards out from goal before spraying a pass wide to Manquillo. The skipper continues his run into the box and connects with the Spaniard's cross with a brave, accurate header into the far corner. 

Goal! Wimbledon 0-1 Liverpool (Steven Gerrard, 11)

8:04: Chance for Wimbledon! A throw in just beyond the half way line is nodded on by Akinfenwa into his strike partner Tubbs who flicks the ball wide for the onrushing run of Rigg. The wideman tries his luck from a tight angle and his drive whistles across the face of goal and out for a goal kick. 

8:02: Liverpool spend a couple of minutes stroking the ball across their backline, occasionally getting Lucas and Gerrard involved. Wimbledon's rigid 4-4-2 prevents them from getting anywhere, however. 

8:00: Lucas steams into the back of the 16-stone  Akinfenwa but wins the ball fairly. Liverpool are trying to get the ball down after a bit of a frantic opening. 

7:58: Javi Manquillo is down inside a minute after having his trailing ankle caught by the studs of Sean Rigg out on the right. 

7:56: And we are underway in Kingston-Upon-Thames as Wimbledon get the ball rolling. 

7:52: Burnley and Ashley Barnes have been caught offside three times in quick succession already. Tottenham's backline looks well drilled and organised in these early stages. 

7:45: And we are underway at Turf Moore with a fourth round tie against Leicester City awaiting the winner. 

7:42: The fourth round draw is finished and the pick of the fixtures sees Cambridge United of League Two welcome Manchester United at the Abbey Stadium. Holders Arsenal face a potentially tricky tie away to Brighton, now managed by former Tottenham man Chris Hughton while there is a potentially tasty London derby in store as Chelsea welcome either Milwall or Bradford City to Stamford Bridge.

AFC Wimbledon and Liverpool kick off in the next ten minutes knowing that the winners will welcome Neil Lennon's Bolton Wanderers to their gaff. Burnley or Tottenham will take on Leicester City. 

FA CUP FOURTH ROUND DRAW

Southampton/Ipswich v Crystal Palace

Cambridge United v Manchester United

Blackburn Rovers v Swansea City

Chelsea v Millwall/Bradford City

Derby v Scunthorpe/Chesterfield

Preston v Sheffield United

Birmingham City v West Brom

Aston Villa v AFC Bournemouth

Cardiff v Reading

AFC Wimbledon/Liverpool v Bolton

Burnley/Tottenham v Leicester City

Brighton v Arsenal

Rochdale v Stoke City

Sunderland v Fulham/Wolves

Doncaster/Bristol City v Everton/West Ham

Manchester City v Middlesbrough

LINE UPS

AFC Wimbledon: Shea, Fuller, Kennedy, Moore, Barrett, Goodman, Rigg, Bulman, Akinfenwa, Tubbs, Francomb.

Liverpool: Mignolet, Manquillo, Sakho, Skrtel, Can, Markovic, Lucas, Henderson, Gerrard, Coutinho, Lambert.

7:15: We are also on top of the fourth round draw for the competition. It's expected to get underway at 7:35 and you can follow it live with us right here. 

TEAM NEWS - Liverpool: Rickie Lambert leads the line for Brendan Rodgers this evening with Steven Gerrard, Jordan Henderson and Lucas all starting in midfield behind him. 

LINE UPS

Burnley: Heaton; Trippier, Keane, Mee, Lafferty; Kightly, Marney (c), Arfield, Boyd; Barnes, Ings

Subs: Heaton; Trippier, Keane, Mee, Lafferty; Kightly, Marney (c), Arfield, Boyd; Barnes, Ings

Tottenham: Vorm, Chiriches, Fazio, Vertonghen (c), Davies; Dembele, Stambouli; Chadli, Eriksen, Paulinho; Soldado

Subs: Vorm, Chiriches, Fazio, Vertonghen (c), Davies; Dembele, Stambouli; Chadli, Eriksen, Paulinho; Soldado

TEAM NEWS

Burnley v Tottenham

Tottenham: Mauricio Pochettino names a fairly strong line up that sees Michel Vorm step into replace Hugo Lloris in goal. Benjamin Stambouli and Moussa Dembele come into midfield where there is also a rare start for Paulinho. Roberto Soldado leads the Spurs attack. 

6:50: The draw for the fourth round of the FA Cup dominates this evening's build up and pushes back kick off at Kingsmeadow to the slightly obscure time slot of 7:55. Burnley v Tottenham get started 10 minutes earlier at Turf Moor with the line ups expected to be announced imminently. 

6:48: Tonight's game at Kingsmeadow is a repeat of the 1988 Cup final of sorts. On that day the Crazy Gang toppled English football's dominant force in one of the most famous victories this competition has ever seen. In a new incarnation, Neal Ardley's side are looking to inflict a similar misery on Brendan Rodgers in what is their first competitive meeting with a top flight club since their inception in 2002. 

6:45: A weekend packed full of FA Cup action saw the biggest upsets come in the form of Sheffield United's emphatic victory over Queens Park Rangers and League One Rochdale humbling the Championship's Nottingham Forest. With three fixtures of the round remaining, there is still plenty of room for one huge giant killing at Kingsmeadow this evening where AFC Wimbledon host Liverpool. 

By the time these two sides kick off both will know what will be waiting for them should they prevail this evening with the fourth round draw taking place prior to kick off. Burnley and Tottenham Hotspur will also be keeping an eye on that ahead of their meeting at Turf Moor. 

Source : ibtimes[dot]co[dot]uk

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Parker relishes his return to Bafana

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05 January 2015, 14:24

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Kaizer Chiefs striker Bernard Parker made a timely return from injury to be part of the 23-man Bafana Bafana squad travelling to Equatorial Guinea for the Caf Orange Africa Cup of Nations 2015.

He last played for South Africa in the 5-0 loss to Brazil in March. The match was played in Johannesburg.

Over the next few months following that he was sidelined by injuries which also kept him out his club matches.

He missed the Afcon 2015 qualifiers during that period while he was working his way back into playing again.

He made his return to Bafana Bafana in the second half of the international friendly match against Zambia on Sunday, 4 January at Orlando Stadium. South Africa won the match 1-0.

“It feels great to be back in the team and thanks to the coach for selecting me and believing in me by taking me with the team to Equatorial Guinea. It is just an unbelievable team spirit that we have here in the team, the guys are just out of this world to work with,” said Parker.

“When the coach announced the preliminary squad, it was just perfect timing with me coming back from injury. I think I proved myself in the league that I am Bafana Bafana material and that I can help the squad. I am still as hungry as I was from day one. I still want to be the top goal scorer of all time in Bafana Bafana. You all saw the hunger I showed when I got the chance to play against Zambia after being out of the national team for a long time. I still want to be here and instill the pride back to Bafana Bafana.”

Bafana Bafana will face Algeria, who are ranked number one on the continent, as well as Ghana and Senegal at the Afcon 2015 tournament, but Parker is not fazed.

“The group is almost the same as the qualifiers where many were scared of Nigeria, but look what happened to the Super Eagles – this is football. The coach told us on the first day of camp that we have to believe in ourselves and put our focus on winning each and every game. The coach is calling us champions, and from the outside you can see that we are confident. I think with the positive mentality, the right attitude, a good fighting spirit and God with us, we can come out of this group,” said Parker.

The striker has scored 23 goals in 69 appearances for South Africa. His first goal was against Malawi in 2008.

Bafana Bafana are left with just one day’s training session before departing for Gabon on Wednesday, 7 January for a pre-tournament camp.

Source : supersport[dot]com

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Video: Iraq captain is no Pirlo as 'Panenka' penalty fails

Having presumably watched reruns of Andrea Pirlo's perfectly executed 'Penanka' penalty for Italy against England at the 2012 European Championship, Iraq captain Younis Mahmoud thought he would have a go during his side's Asia Cup clash with rivals Iran. It didn't work out for him.

Source : talksport[dot]com

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Revealed: Manchester United have used five more players than any other Premier League club this season

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Manchester United have been forced to field five players more than all other Premier League clubs this campaign despite playing fewer matches than almost any other side.

Louis van Gaal's squad has been beset by injuries since the Dutchman took charge at Old Trafford, with David de Gea, Wayne Rooney, Robin van Persie and Juan Mata the only players to have started 15 or more league games.

Injuries to Rafael da Silva and Luke Shaw in the FA Cup victory at Yeovil Town on Sunday took the tally to 55 separate injuries suffered by United's players since Van Gaal joined the club on July 16.

Such problems have seen United field 37 different players in all competitions, five more than Arsenal and six more than Crystal Palace and Everton. At the other end of the scale Aston Villa and Sunderland have used just 23 players this season.

The statistics are all the more surprising considering the lack of cup football played by Van Gaal's side this campaign. United did not qualify for the Champions League or Europa League, while they were unceremoniously dumped out of the League Cup at the first time of asking by MK Dons and have played just one FA Cup fixture.

Arsenal and Tottenham have already navigated nine more fixtures than United, using fewer men in the process.

Mike Phelan, Sir Alex Ferguson’s former assistant manager at United, last month claimed Van Gaal must shoulder the blame for the ongoing injury crisis after overhauling the fitness regime at Old Trafford.

Shaw and Angel Di Maria have both suffered five injuries since Van Gaal took charge, with 25 first-team players spending time in the doctor's room at some point this season.

Phelan, who was relieved of his duties at United by David Moyes in May 2013, claimed that Van Gaal’s decision to move fitness coach Tony Strudwick from his first-team role may have contributed to the injury problems.

"What's happened is a continuation of the same players getting injured all the time, so you have to look to the reasons why,” Phelan told the International Business Times.

“I think Manchester United changed their thoughts on the fitness regime, they looked at it a little bit differently.

"Tony Strudwick, who was operating as head of sports science, was involved day to day with the first team.

“He understood the ins and outs of how to keep players fit, how to keep them ready for competition.

“Then suddenly they moved him sideways and did something completely different. That may have had an effect. That one area has changed.”

Source : telegraph[dot]co[dot]uk

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Arsene Wenger expects Mathieu Flamini and Aaron Ramsey to be available for Stoke clash

Aaron Ramsey will be available against Stoke (Getty Images)

Arsene Wenger has revealed that Mathieu Flamini and Aaron Ramsey have a chance to be back for their crucial clash against Stoke City at the Emirates 11 January.

Ramsey has been out for over a month after picking up a hamstring strain against Galatasaray in their final group game in the Champions League. The Welshman has been showing glimpses of his form since last season, when he scored a cracker from 30 yards out against the Turkish club for his second goal in the game.

Ramsey was arguably Arsenal's best player last season, scoring nine goals in the league, however was out of action for three months then, due to injury.

His return to form will be a major push for Arsene Wenger's side, who have Alexis Sanchez in prime form, alongside a returning Theo Walcott, whose pace will be vital for Arsenal to progress in the Premier League and secure a top-four spot.

Flamini is also likely to be available while Olivier Giroud will have served his three game suspension after he was shown a straight red card for dangerous play against Queens Park Rangers. 

"Mathieu Flamini could be back, Aaron Ramsey has little chance. Nobody else. Mikel Arteta will be longer. I think Flamini should be available for selection and maybe Ramsey has a little chance to be back," Wenger told the official Arsenal site.

Walcott, who started his first game after a year on the sidelines was noticeably rusty but Wenger believes that it is only a matter of time before he is up to speed.

"There were some positive signs because he was dangerous. You could see that he has not lost the quality of his runs and he looked dangerous. He lacks a little bit of competition and is not used to challenges but that will come. He has been out for a year. For what he has done after being out for a year, it's quite positive," the Frenchman added.

Source : ibtimes[dot]co[dot]uk

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Readers Respond: The best advice I received from her coach

Great coaches do more than explain the rules. A good coach is also a great teacher who inspires and empowers an athlete to realize and develop their full athletic potential. In some cases, the advice of a coach can extend far beyond the playing field and even mold the character of an athlete off the court.

And you? What is the best advice you ever received from a coach? He helped his athletic performance or goes beyond sport and change the way you live your life?

T-E-A-M togehter Each performs more

It is true that many people are not going to win any team sport

Smile

If not smile, at least once before, during or after your workout, you're with the wrong coach.

National standards for coaches

Today Coaches should aim to meet the requirements of national standards for coaches. The rules coaches responsibilities are broken down into eight main areas. Do not worry about what the standards cover a high level coach must be competent, and a youth sports coach.

I will never forget ..

Preparation prevents poor performance ..Proper really all you need to know that you are competing in the same way it does.

Have Fun!

My coach always reminded me that no matter what you have fun with it and enjoy the ride. There were some ESE its been sucked hard, but that the board always calmmed down and reminded me that I can do bigger and better things.

See where to go

When the bike when cornering or in a box ... "Watch where you want to go, not where you do not want to go." True advice - watch where you do not want to go somehow always gets you there. Strange but true.

Train with no pain

Simple tips that often ignore ... "not train in pain."

Everyone is anxious before a game

My coach told me that everyone is concerned. Yes, even the guy on the other team I'm so threatened. Once I realized that they are not better or worse, make them seem more human and then I felt like I could compete and win against them, and my self-esteem also increased.

Use images

I had a coach who taught me to use images of metal before a game and totally worked to help calm and feel more confident in my game (golf). She told me that if I can experience shooting in my mind and body before the game, during the game I can remember. It takes practice, but it helped me a lot.

Introducing Your Baby to New Fruits and Vegetables

When your baby has mastered the very fine purees and simple flavors most often introduced as the first solid foods, it's time to start incorporating new flavors into your baby's diet. When your baby starts to enjoy more variety, it's time to think outside of the box. Get beyond the typical apples and bananas and offer your baby some different and often overlooked fruits and vegetables that offer up tons of nutrition and plenty of flavor.

Avocados. Avocados are an excellent early food for babies. They have a silky, smooth texture that only requires fork mashing, rather than real pureeing. The mild flavor is very often a hit with babies, and avocados are loaded with the good fat that babies need.

Kiwi. Kiwi also has a naturally soft texture so it is easy to mash to the correct consistency for your baby. While kiwis may be a little sour for your baby at first, they are a wonderful source of vitamin C.

Melons. Melons such as cantaloupe, honeydew, and watermelon are great fruits for your baby to try. Again, they have a naturally soft texture so they are easy to chew. Cantaloupe is packed with vitamins A and C. Honeydew is also a great source of vitamin C and watermelon has lycopene, vitamin C, and vitamin A.

Cherries. Bing cherries, chopped into tiny pieces, are another great fruit for your baby to try. Cherries provide vitamin C and potassium.

Broccoli. Because of the naturally firm texture of broccoli, it is sometimes overlooked as a baby food. Removing the florets and chopping them finely, however, makes broccoli a great vegetable to mix in with another puree such as carrots. Broccoli is a nutritional powerhouse providing vitamin C, fiber, iron, calcium, potassium, and folate. The gassiness that broccoli often gives adults, typically does not translate to babies.

Spinach. Spinach can be pureed alone or mixed with other purees. Because it has a rather strong flavor, your baby may like it better when mixed with something else. Spinach is packed with nutrients including Vitamin A, C, magnesium, folate, and iron.

Summer Squash. Your baby probably already likes butternut or acorn squash, but what about yellow summer squash? This vegetable provides vitamin C and has a mild flavor that many babies love. Just make sure you leave the skin on and chop it very finely.

Corn. Corn too is often overlooked as a vegetable because it is sometimes considered to be a grain. But with vitamin C and fiber, and a naturally sweet taste, corn can be a nice addition to your baby's diet. Be sure your baby is accustomed to chewing before trying smashed corn kernels.

Tomatoes. Tomatoes are acidic so make sure your baby is a little older (8 or 9 months) before incorporating tomatoes into his diet. Chopped tomato makes a great finger food. Tomatoes are full of lycopene, vitamins A and C, and potassium.

When feeding your baby make sure you consider all that your grocery store produce section has to offer, not just the same old fruits and vegetables. Introducing your baby to plenty of new flavors from a young age will help her to be open to new foods for a lifetime, and will give her the ultimate in good nutrition.