Aaron Ramsey has been named as Wales captain following the retirement of Gareth Bale. The 32-year-old midfielder, who has won 78 caps, will lead his country for the first time in the forthcoming Euro 2024 qualifiers against Croatia and Latvia later this month. Ramsey will spearhead a youthful looking 24-man squad named by boss Rob Page on Tuesday.

Wales manager Rob Page has left the country in suspense after delaying confirming his new captain in succession to Gareth Bale. Page has named a 24-man squad for the opening two qualifiers of Euro 2024, against Croatia and Latvia, but without specifying who will be his skipper. Former regular matchwinner and talisman Bale took off the armband for the last time at the World Cup last year and announced his retirement from football in January.

David Brooks’ return to first team duty felt a privilege for the man who selected him for club action last weekend. The Wales international was picked on the bench by Bournemouth manager Gary O’Neil for his team’s 1-0 victory over Liverpool last Saturday. It was Brooks’ first inclusion in a match day squad for 525 days after his recovery from Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.

Wales midfielder Jonny Williams has announced his retirement from international football at the age of 29. The Swindon player, who was a member of the Welsh squad at last year’s World Cup in Qatar, has earned 33 caps since his debut in 2013. His retirement comes after those of team-mates Gareth Bale, Joe Allen and Chris Gunter in recent months.

Sabri Lamouchi took no prisoners after Cardiff City’s defeat at Preston North End – accusing his players of “stupid mistakes” after they lost 2-0. The defeat might have been costly had any of the clubs beneath Cardiff picked up points, but all three of those in the relegation zone lost, so the gap remains at six points. Bluebirds boss Lamouchi proved he is not one for hard luck stories as he accused his players of decisive errors which enabled Preston to add to Tom Cannon’s goal with another for Ched Evans after Cardiff goalkeeper Jac Alnwick was sent off.

Russell Martin was grateful for small mercies after Swansea City succumbed to defeat again – making them the team with the worst current form in the Championship. The Swans lost 3-1 at home to Middlesbrough to make it four defeats and a draw in their last five games – a poorer return than any of the clubs either below or above them. The gap between Martin’s side and the bottom three remains at 11 points, though, after Blackpool, Huddersfield and Wigan all lost.

Russel Martin is far more worried about upsetting his mother than any clip around the ear from the Football Association. The Swansea City head coach – whose team face Middlesbrough at home on Saturday – has been getting it in the neck from all sides recently. But Martin won’t be losing any sleep over the red card he received in Swansea’’s 1-0 defeat at Luton Town, despite being charged by the FA.

Cardiff City manager Sabri Lamouchi insists he wants to stay at Cardiff City – but only after he has steered the club to safety in the Championship. The Bluebirds boss has a deal that runs to the end of the campaign after becoming the third manager of a chaotic season. The Lamouchi effect took a while to work, but if Cardiff can win at Preston North End on Saturday, then it would be their fourth in five matches.

Chris Gunter insists the future is still bright for Welsh international football – despite his decision to further underline how last year’s World Cup was the end of an era. Gunter became the third Wales player in recent weeks to announce his retirement from the international game following the departures of record goalscorer Gareth Bale and midfielder Joe Allen. The trio’s departure means the end of an era and the withdrawal of huge combined experience for manager Rob Page ahead of Wales’ Euro 2024 qualifying campaign, which starts later this month.

Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson hailed his team’s emphatic victory at Dagenham and Redbridge as their best away display of the season as they moved four points clear of Notts County at the top of the National League. “I thought it was a strong all-round performance from us,” said Parkinson. “We had to respond from the weekend and we’ve done that. Four points from two potentially tricky away games is a good return.”

Gemma Grainger’s Wales team will face Portugal in a friendly on Tuesday 11 April (KO 17:30) in Guimarães. Portugal, who are ranked 22nd in the world rankings, booked their place in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup last month after beating Cameroon in the intercontinental play-off final. The fixture will take place at Estádio D. Afonso Henriques and will be the first meeting between the two sides since 2018, when they played out a goalless draw in a friendly in Almada.

Football’s lawmakers have been accused of losing “further credibility” by a leading brain injury charity after a trial of temporary concussion substitutes was not approved last week. The International Football Association Board (IFAB) confirmed the decision to reject a trial in the Premier League, France’s Ligue 1 and Major League Soccer in the United States at its annual general meeting in London on Saturday. The Premier League and Professional Footballers’ Association spoke out against the decision and now charity Headway says the IFAB and football’s governing body FIFA have lacked leadership on the matter.

Russell Martin insists he has been “energised” by another troubled Swansea City defeat that ended with a red card for the head coach. Despite being sent off following a stoppage time bust up with Luton Town – and a fifth defeat in seven games – Martin believes there are signs of fight that can stop the Swans’ freefall. A 1-0 loss to the Hatters leaves Swansea in 17th place – 11 points above the relegation zone with 11 matches of an imploding season remaining.

Sabri Lamouchi has promised there are good times ahead for Cardiff City after guiding the club six points clear of the relegation zone. The Bluebirds manager has overseen three victories in four games to dramatically alter the picture for a club which had previously not won since the start of November. A 2-0 win at home to Bristol City has pushed Cardiff six points clear of Blackpool and just five behind fading Swansea City, who they will face in a derby clash on April 1.

There will be no need for introductions when Bala Town meet Connah’s Quay Nomads in the first JD Welsh Cup semi-final on Friday night. The Cup clash – staged at Flint Town United’s Essity Stadium – will be the fifth time the clubs have met this season and the third time they have eye-balled each other in the last six weeks. Anyone looking for a form guide will have to sift through the fine detail, though, as the four meetings so far leave nothing between them. They have one victory apiece, with two of the previous encounters ending in draws.

Sabri Lamouchi reckons Cardiff City need 15 more points before his players can hit the beach rather than land in League One. The Bluebirds manager has told his squad they can relax and enjoy themselves if they gather another five victories, which he feels will be enough to stave off the threat of relegation. But five victories from 12 remaining games – starting with Saturday’s home 12.30pm clash against Bristol City – is a tall order when you’re a side that took 21 matches to win your last five.

Wales defender Connor Roberts ensured Vincent Kompany is looking forward to an emotional return to Manchester City after Roberts’ goal put Championship leaders Burnley into the last eight of the FA Cup for the first time in 20 years. A few minutes after former Swansea City star Roberts had snatched a 1-0 win over Fleetwood at Turf Moor, the quarter-final draw handed Burnley a match-up against Kompany’s old boss Pep Guardiola and a club he captained to four Premier League titles and two FA Cups.

Former Swansea City manager Brendan Rodgers took the blame after Leicester City crashed out of the FA Cup. Tyrhys Dolan and Sammie Szmodics capitalised on awful defending to earn Blackburn Rovers a 2-1 win as they reached a first FA Cup quarter-final for eight years. Kelechi Iheanacho grabbed a second-half consolation but the error-prone Foxes got what they deserved against the Championship side.

Wrexham moved top of the National League and extended their unbeaten league run to 22 matches with a 2-1 home win against Chesterfield. Elliot Lee’s spectacular opener and Sam Dalby’s neat finish put the Red Dragons in control at half-time and despite Ryan Colclough’s stoppage-time effort, Phil Parkinson’s side secured a fourth straight win. Former Luton midfielder Lee crashed home a stunning effort into the top corner after stepping on to Paul Mullin’s knockdown in the fourth minute.

Russell Martin has admitted that “anxiety and fear” are undermining Swansea City’s season as the club continue to struggle. The Swansea head coach admitted his team’s 1-1 draw at home to lowly Rotherham represented a new low point in terms of performance. But Martin insisted his players would dig in and redouble their efforts to stem a season that is in danger of imploding into a relegation battle after just one win in seven games and only three wins in their last 18.