Luton Town slipped to a 3-1 defeat by Plymouth Argyle at Home Park.
Rami Al Hajj gave Plymouth an early lead before Ibrahim Cissoko scored a second goal for the home side in the second half.
Victor Moses scored a goal back for Luton in the second half, but a second for substitute Cissoko in stoppage time damned the Hatters to defeat in Devon.
The result saw Luton fall behind Plymouth in the Championship table as they missed out on a chance to make it 3 wins in a row. They now sit 16th, though could fall further depending on Saturday’s results.
Wayne Rooney’s side had beaten high-flying Sunderland in their last home game and it was Argyle who struck first with an 8th minute opener. Michael Obafemi’s low cross into the box wasn’t intercepted and the ball was laid off by Ryan Hardie back to Al Hajj, who drilled a fine first time shot into the back of the net.
Plymouth could’ve doubled their lead just after, as Obafemi drilled a low shot just wide. The home side continued to have chances, with Morgan Whittaker seeing a strike from range just miss the target before Thomas Kaminski thwarted Al Hajj.
As the half wore on, Luton began to have some joy in working the ball forwards, but a better chance still fell the way of the hosts when Joe Edwards was found at the back post and had a shot denied by Kaminski.
Luton’s fortunes were not helped when Teden Mengi, Tahith Chong and Mengi’s replacement Mads Andersen all have to be replaced due to injuries, and in-between that, Luton saw a chance come and go when Elijah Adebayo missed the target.
Adebayo would then see a further shot deflected wide, but the Hatters’ hopes of a comeback took a hit when with just over 20 minutes to go, Plymouth scored a second goal.
Darko Gyabi was given space to charge forward with the ball, which he did for a long way before he was able to tee up Cissoko, who fired the ball past Kaminski.
Just two minutes later, however, Luton grabbed a goal back. Substitute Moses collected Alfie Doughty’s cross and fired in a low half-volley that beat Plymouth goalkeeper Dan Grimshaw.
Hatters subs Joe Taylor and Cauley Woodrow missed the target just after coming on, but much closer was Plymouth’s Adam Randell, who saw a fine strike thump the bar.
Kaminski also had to keep out a strike by Adam Forshaw, before Luton had a goal disallowed when Moses was deemed to have been offside before his cross was converted by Taylor.
Luton’s defeat was ultimately confirmed when Plymouth scored a third goal in the third minute of stoppage time. Lewis Gibson won the ball back for the home side and after Argyle worked the ball into the box, Cissoko saw one shot blocked but had the ball ricochet his way to fire past Kaminski.
It consigned Luton to defeat, with the Hatters seeking to go again when they host Oxford at Kenilworth Road on Tuesday.
MK Dons’ first match under the charge of new boss Scott Lindsey saw his side draw 1-1 at Bromley.
The Dons’ first trip to Bromley’s Hayes Lane ground saw them make a bright start as Joe Tomlinson put them into the lead inside the opening ten minutes.
But Michael Cheek’s equaliser saw Bromley take a share of the points, in a match that saw neither side able to find a breakthrough after the break.
The result means that after 8 games, MK Dons have 8 points and sit 19th ahead of their midweek trip to Harrogate.
The visitors had started brightly with an early goal. Tommy Leigh won the ball high up for the home side and his cross found Tomlinson to convert.
But Bromley remained in the game and they equalised 15 minutes later when a through-pass released Cheek, who was able to beat Tom McGill in the one-on-one.
The single best chance in the remainder of a tight game fell for Bromley, only for McGill to deny Danny Imray.
MK Dons had positive moments but their first game under the new management was not one where a breakthrough moment just came their way as they had to settle for a draw in South East London.
A trip to Harrogate on Tuesday then follows before Lindsay makes his bow at Stadium MK next weekend when MK Dons host Tranmere Rovers.
The Red Bull Racing F1 team’s Head of Race Strategy Will Courtenay will leave the team to join rivals McLaren.
Courtenay will leave Red Bull after two decades working with the Milton Keynes-based team, having started work there when the team was known as Jaguar before their takeover by the Red Bull energy drinks firm in 2005.
He also leaves his position as Red Bull’s Head of Race Strategy after 14 years in the role.
Courtenay will join the Woking-based McLaren team as their new Sporting Director. They have confirmed that he will report to Randeep Singh, who is McLaren’s Racing Director.
A specific date has not been announced for when Courtenay will leave Red Bull for McLaren, with the arrangement seeing Courtenay serve out his Red Bull contract. Some have suggested that he will make the move to McLaren in 2026.
The move will see Courtenay be the latest part of Red Bull’s higher-up team to depart. The team’s Chief Technical Officer Adrian Newey announced his departure earlier this year, with the acclaimed designer announcing earlier this month that he will be joining Aston Martin in 2025.
Meanwhile, Red Bull’s Sporting Director Jonathan Wheatley announced that he will be leaving in 2025 to join Sauber, where he will take over as Team Principal for the Swiss-based team ahead of their takeover by motor manufacturer Audi.
Courtenay will also follow Rob Marshall to McLaren, who became McLaren’s Technical Director after moving from Red Bull to the team earlier this year.
Red Bull recently announced a reshuffle for how they will operate after Wheatley’s departure. Gianpiero Lambiase, who is the race engineer for the team’s star driver Max Verstappen, will be the team’s Head of Racing, while Stephen Knowles has been named Head of Sporting Regulations, with the two taking parts of Wheatley’s role.
In a brief statement shared to the official F1 website, Red Bull said, “Will has been offered the position of Sporting Director. After a long and successful service, being with the team since the Jaguar days, we are sad to see him go but wish him all the best in this step up.”
McLaren’s team principal Andrea Stella told their official website that he was confident Courtenay would make for a fine addition to his team.
He said, “We are delighted to welcome Will to McLaren. His experience, professionalism and passion for motorsport make him the ideal candidate to lead our F1 sporting function. We are now entering a key phase in our journey as a team, and we are confident that he will be a great addition to our strong leadership team as we strive to continue challenging for wins and championships.”
Northampton Town have announced the signing of defender Nesta Guinness-Walker on a free transfer.
The 25-year-old has signed a contract of undisclosed length that has been described as a “short-term contract” by the League One club, with Guinness-Walker arriving after his departure from Reading in the summer.
The move to sign Guinness-Walker is in response to injuries at Sixfields, with the Cobblers currently missing Patrick Brough and Ali Koiki through injuries.
Guinness-Walker represented Chelsea and Spurs at academy level before signing for AFC Wimbledon in 2019 after a spell with London-based non-league side Metropolitan Police.
He spent three years playing for the South London side, making 82 league appearances and nearly 100 in all competitions, before signing for Reading in 2022.
Guinness-Walker was released by Reading at the end of last season, having fallen out of favour at the Berkshire club in the 2023/24 campaign and spending the second half of last season out on loan at Stevenage.
Cobblers boss Jon Brady was delighted to confirm Guinness-Walker’s arrival, telling the club’s official site that he was happy the club had the option to dip into the free agent market.
He said, “Luke Mbete has performed really well for us but the injuries to Patrick Brough and Ali Koiki have left us a little short in that position and with a particularly busy run coming up over the next few months, we felt we needed to add some depth to the squad in that area and we are delighted to be able to bring in a player of Nesta’s quality and pedigree.
“While the transfer window may be closed, part of our recruitment work is to be aware of the players available so we are ready to move quickly to react to the circumstances that happen and that is what we have done.
“Nesta has been playing and training with the PFA squad recently so he is ready to go whenever we need him and that’s important.
“He can affect games both from a defensive and attacking point of view, he is athletic and he can get up and down the left hand side. He has done well in League One over the last few seasons, he is a good age with a decent amount of exuberance.
A launch event has been held for a new radio station that will cover Milton Keynes and Leighton Buzzard.
The new Horizon Radio is available on DAB Digital Radio, online and via smart speakers, which will broadcast live from an new custom-built studio in Midsummer Place shopping centre that will open this week.
The radio station plays a mix of music from the eighties to the present day from Whitney to Beyonce, Stevie Wonder to Harry Styles alongside everything that’s happening in MK.
The new station pays homage to the former Horizon Radio, which was the name of a station that covered Milton Keynes between 1989 and 2009. But although the name will be familiar, this is a brand new radio station, supporting local good causes, charities and community groups.
Behind this venture is Chris Gregg, who is a familiar voice in Milton Keynes’ radio scene with two decades of experience in the new city, including as the founder of MKFM and steering the programming of Heart and the former Horizon Radio.
Chris said, “We’re really excited to open our new radio, podcast and video studio in Midsummer Place. We’ve got some very exciting and ambitious plans for the station and we’d love to hear from anyone who’d like to get involved.”
“We listened to what people want to hear and we’ve carefully crafted a station for today’s listeners with a fresh sound, useful content, and a strong presence in our community.”
Simon Martin, Centre Manager at Midsummer Place, added, “We’re delighted to welcome Horizon Radio to Midsummer Place, bringing a vibrant new energy to the heart of Milton Keynes. Their commitment to supporting the local community aligns perfectly with our values, and we’re excited to see the station become a hub for creativity, entertainment, and connection with local people. The new studio is an exciting addition, and we’re proud to be part of this fantastic new chapter in Milton Keynes’ radio scene.”
Confirmed as presenters for the new Horizon Radio include former Chiltern Radio breakfast duo Tony Dibbin and Emma Saint, local comedian Dan Mayo on drivetime, theatre reviews from Steven Gordon-Wilson and Nancy Stevens’ award winning arts show plus coverage of grassroots sports as well as live broadcasts from local events.
Local artists are able to perform live on the radio from the new bandstand near the studio in the Central Boulevard at Midsummer Place and be featured on the weekly local music show with Jodie Erica.
As the flagship station of the new Milton Keynes DAB multiplex, Horizon Radio will be available alongside dozens of exciting new radio stations covering different local communities, music tastes and cultures. To find the new services, press the ‘rescan’ button on your digital radio.
Anyone interested in learning more can find out more at horizonradio.com
