Craig Bellamy remained upbeat after Wales surrendered a two-goal interval lead to draw their Nations League tie in Iceland. Brennan Johnson and Harry Wilson rewarded some incisive first-half approach play to put Wales in command on a freezing night in Reykjavik.

Wales manager Craig Bellamy insists his team can build further on his first camp in charge last month when two positive performances created plenty of excitement among supporters to carry with them into Friday night’s match in Iceland. Euro 2024 quarter-finalists Turkey were somewhat fortunate to leave Cardiff with a goalless draw before Montenegro were beaten 2-1 in Niksic in Bellamy’s opening two matches in charge in the Nations League.

If Wales need inspiration as they head towards World Cup qualifiers later this season, then the man to supply it could be Rhys Norrington-Davies. The Sheffield United defender has shown bucketfuls of resilience to get to the point where he may now finally return for his country this weekend.

Joe Rodon is confident Wales can overcome the “massive loss” of his Leeds United team-mate Ethan Ampadu for the rest of their Nations League campaign. Leeds captain Ampadu will be out until at least January having sustained a knee ligament injury in their Sky Bet Championship win over Coventry on September 28.

Swansea City have parted company with sporting director Paul Watson after issuing a brief three-paragraph statement. Watson has left with immediate effect, little more than two months into the season and only five weeks after the close of the transfer window, over which he presided. The 38-year-old had been in the job for less than 18 months and had overseen three transfer windows, with mixed results when it came the success of the club’s recruitment.

Newport County manager Nelson Jardim insists he remains optimistic over his team’s progress this season despite a fourth defeat in six matches. County have dropped to 10th place in League Two after a 3-1 defeat at Bradford City that enabled the home club to leapfrog Jardim’s team in the table.

Craig Bellamy has warned his Wales captain Aaron Ramsey against taking up a player-coach role at Cardiff City. Ramsey was recently awarded his UEFA A Licence and has been linked with a Cardiff coaching job following the sacking of Erol Bulut and the interim appointment of Omer Riza.

Wales take on Slovakia in a two-legged semi-final at the end of this month as they seek to qualify for Women’s Euro 2025. It would be the team’s first major tournament finals and the fulfilment of a cherished ambition for so many past players, as Alys Haynes reports. Wales may be on the threshold of history, but they have not forgotten their past.

Omer Riza still insists he wants the Cardiff City job as his own despite the fact the club remain at the foot of the Championship. Current caretaker Riza appeared to have done his cause a power of good when the Bluebirds went 1-0 at Bristol City and appeared in sight of back-to-back victories.

Luke Williams admits he will head into the international break with a deep sense of frustration that Swansea City are no better than mid-table in the Championship. A goalless draw at home to Stoke City has left the Swans in 11th position and without a victory in their last three matches.

Lee Trundle used to score goals for fun in his pomp for Swansea City and he is still hitting the back of the net at the age of 47. An ambassador for the Swans these days, Trundle says he wants to carry on playing until he is at least 50 years old.

Wales have named Angharad James as captain on a permanent basis ahead of their Women’s Euro 2025 play-off tie with Slovakia. Seattle Reign midfielder James succeeds Chelsea’s Sophie Ingle, who stepped down in April after nine years in the job. The 122-times capped James has previously taken the armband three times in Euro 2025 qualifying as head coach Rhian Wilkinson rotated the role.

Brennan Johnson was given another vote of confidence by Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou after the Wales striker maintained his rich scoring streak. Johnson scored the crucial second goal for Spurs as they beat Hungarians Ferencvaros 2-1, in the Europa League at the Groupama Arena.

Craig Harrison was proud of his players after The New Saints put up impressive resistance before falling to a 2-0 defeat against Fiorentina on a historic night in Italy. TNS are the first Welsh League club to progress past the qualifying rounds of a Uefa competition, and their first Conference League group match threw up a daunting trip to Florence.

Danny Redmond only has to recall his career in Scotland to know The New Saints are capable of surprising Fiorentina in their apparent UEFA Conference League mismatch. TNS have become the first domestic Welsh side to reach the group stage of European competition and start the six-game Uefa Conference League phase at Fiorentina – beaten finalists in the last two seasons

Craig Bellamy may have tempted one Wales legend out of retirement, but he believes another is in the wings when he gets back to fitness. Joe Allen’s return to national duties at the age of 34 had been flagged up for some time after Swansea City revealed Wales manager Bellamy had been in touch.

Luke Williams admitted his Swansea City side had blown too many chances to win at Sheffield United, where they were beaten 1-0. The Swans dropped to 12th in the Championship table after seeing their three-game unbeaten run come to an end following some crucial errors.

Joe Allen has come out of international retirement and will be involved in Wales’ upcoming Nations League double-header with Iceland and Montenegro. Allen quit international football in February 2023 saying “time and injuries” had taken their toll, but the 34-year-old has been persuaded to rejoin the Dragons’ fold by new manager and former team-mate Craig Bellamy.

Newport County head coach Nelson Jardim believes his team is now starting to gel after a second impressive home win in four days with a 3-1 victory over Salford. “It was a great game, and I was chuffed for the fans,” said the Portuguese. “They were our 12th man and pushed us when we needed it.

Cardiff City’s interim manager Omer Riza admitted to an overriding sense of relief after ending the worst league start in the club’s 125-year history. Championship basement boys Cardiff won their first league game of the season at the eighth attempt with a 1-0 win over Millwall at the Cardiff City Stadium.