Jayne Ludlow insisted Wales are back in the old routine after Rachel Rowe’s goal rekindled hopes of qualification for the Women’s Euro 2021 finals. A vital 1-0 win away in Belarus has put Wales in second place in Group C, just two points behind leaders Norway, who thrashed the Faroe Island 13-0 and have now scored an incredible 26 goals in just three qualification matches. There was no such goal feast for Wales in Borisov, but single goal victories are the currency Wales deal in  – there were four of them in their last campaign – and Ludlow could not have been more pleased with a crucial return to her team’s old strengths of tight defending and alertness when a chance comes their way.

Jayne Ludlow insists she will be happy with a narrow victory in Belarus this evening as Wales bid to get their Euro 2021 qualifying campaign back on track. The Wales manager will be hoping for a positive result to make up for the points dropped in the recent 2-2 home draw with Northern Ireland. Belarus were thumped 7-1 by powerful Group C leaders Norway in their last match, but Ludlow says any kind of win in Borisov will be mission accomplished.

Dan James is used to joining up with Wales from a middling club, nor more than on the fringes of finding success, but just not as a player with Manchester United. A year ago, he was trying to help Swansea City keep pace with the pack of clubs above them vying for the top six positions in the Championship. Now, despite joining the biggest football club in the world, he’s in a similar position in the Premier League.

Joe Allen believes he can earn himself a week to remember by helping Wales improve their Euro 2020 hopes just days after starting a repair job at Stoke City. The Wales midfielder will be in Slovakia on Thursday as his country battle to revive a qualification campaign that was seriously undermined by back-to-back defeats to Croatia and Hungary. A vital win at home to Azerbaijan steadied the ship, but now come more testing assignments – with little margin for error – away to the Slovaks and then at home to the Croatians on Sunday night.

Neil Warnock has revealed the moment he thought about walking away from Cardiff City. It came after the Bluebirds slumped to a 3-0 defeat at Reading six weeks ago and the City manager says: “I wouldn’t have wanted to stand on the touchline with performances like that, with the crowd unhappy.” Warnock, aged 70, badly […]

Ryan Giggs expects to get it in the neck over his decision to include Tow Lawrence in his Wales squad and the message that could send. Despite accepting there were very valid reasons for making the opposite call, the Wales manager decided to include the Derby forward in his squad named on Thursday. Lawrence is due to appear at Southern Derbyshire Magistrates’ Court on October 15 – two days after Wales’ vital Euro 2020 qualifier with Croatia – having been charged with drink-driving.

Jayne Ludlow has revealed the extent of her frustration as Wales manager as she bids to guide her team to qualification for Euro 2021. Ludlow has named her squad to visit Belarus on October 8 and has been able to recall Rachel Rowe and Nadia Lawrence, who have both recovered from injury. But the Wales boss has admitted there needs to be a huge improvement from the 2-2 draw at home to Northern Ireland in their last match, where she says there was a “blank moment” where she has confessed the team looked clueless.

Steve Cooper has dedicated his August EFL Championship manager of the month award to the Swansea City fans who have cheered his team to the top of the table. Cooper has won the first award of the campaign in his first competitive month as a club manager. During that time the former England U17 head coach has guided the unbeaten Swans to five victories and one draw in their opening six league fixtures.

Ethan Ampadu has been backed to pass his German test – even though the Wales midfielder has yet to play a single minute for RB Leipzig. The vote of confidence has come from Amapdu’s Wales teammate Joe Allen who insists Ampadu will soon make his debut at the Bundesliga club. The 18-year-old left Chelsea on a season-long loan, but has so far been overlooked by manager Julian Nagelsmann, whose judgement is hard to question as Leipzig are currently top of the table in Germany and the only club with maximum points from three matches.

Ryan Giggs has hailed Daniel James after the Wales flier fired a stunning winner in the 1-0 friendly victory over Belarus. The 21-year-old maintained his spectacular start to the season having urged his manager not to rest him.

Ryan Giggs admitted Wales have to improve after Gareth Bale came to their rescue with the late winner in the 2-1 win over Azerbaijan in Cardiff. The win for kept alive their hopes of qualifying for Euro 2020 despite a disappointing display against a side ranked 109th in the world.

Daniel James can carry his brilliant early season Manchester United form into Wales duty on Friday evening, according to his manager Ryan Giggs. James has hit the ground running at Old Trafford since moving for what now looks an under-valued £15m from Swansea City earlier this summer. The 21-year-old winger has already scored three times for United and given the fallen giants exactly the kind of youthful dynamism they were desperate he might provide.