Sports

Notts County: Why Nick Tsaroulla is ‘cherishing’ the Magpies’ play-off campaign

Published

3 months ago

May 14, 2026

Tsaroulla knows he is lucky to talk about growing old and have a career to reflect on after the head-on collision he was involved in Winchmore Hill, north London when driving to Spurs training.

He survived the crash but endured months of pain that kept him out of the game for a year and threatened to end his career before it ever really got going.

Spurs released him in 2018 but he found his way back into the game with Brentford’s B team before going on to thrive at Crawley Town – a side he helped to a famous FA Cup win over Leeds United with a stunning first senior goal in January 2021 before going on to play a part in their League Two promotion play-off success in 2024.

When Tsaroulla appeared in front of the BBC’s cameras pitchside to speak after scoring against Leeds, he was overcome with emotion, external.

He readily admits that reflecting on what he went through nearly nine years ago and how it has shaped him as a footballer “hits a nerve” as he steadies himself with a promise “not to cry again on TV”.

Tsaroulla plays with plenty of energy on the wing and talks passionately about giving everything to Notts’ promotion cause, having missed last year’s play-off campaign after having to undergo surgery to remove his appendix.

But all the while, he talks of football’s importance – and the enormity of Notts’ home tie with Chesterfield, having won the opening leg 1-0 – with sobering perspective.

“When you have the opportunity to play football like this, everyone hypes it up like it’s the end of the world, but it’s not,” he said.

“We will play like our lives depend on it but at the end of the day, they don’t. That does relieve the pressure.”

The early career trauma that Tsaroulla went through and how he is preparing for the match is something that Notts head coach Martin Paterson says all players in the Magpies dressing room can draw on.

“His story is really important. There’s 23-26 players, if not more, in there and they’ve all got their own individual stories about why they’re here, why they want to achieve something. It’s really important and we do harness that and we do speak about it,” Paterson said.

“It’s all a balance of emotion, passion and then control and the tactical side of it. So all my players’ stories and pasts are really important.

“All of us can just chip in together and focus on the future.”

Sports

Wolves overwhelm Bradford in emphatic away victory

Published

3 minutes ago

August 9, 2026

qasimgillani

Highlights of the Super League clash between Bradford Bulls and Warrington Wolves as Matty Ashton scored twice in a dominant 42-4 victory for the visitors.

Sports

Wigan overpower Toulouse to close gap on leaders

Published

9 minutes ago

August 9, 2026

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Highlights of the Super League clash between Wigan Warriors and Toulouse Olympique.

Sports

How to watch Blue Jays vs. Phillies: TV channel and streaming options for August 8

Published

16 minutes ago

August 9, 2026

qasimgillani

Aug. 8, 2026 Updated 5:13 pm EDT

The Toronto Blue Jays visit the Philadelphia Phillies at 6:05 p.m. ET on Saturday. Aaron Nola (3-9, 5.55 ERA) gets the start for the Phillies, who are 62-55 this season and second in the NL East. Max Scherzer (1-4, 7.92 ERA) is starting for the Blue Jays, who are 55-62 and fifth in the AL East.

How to watch Toronto Blue Jays vs. Philadelphia Phillies

Blue Jays vs. Phillies odds

Favorite Moneyline: Phillies -175
Underdog Moneyline: Blue Jays +145
Total: 9.5
Total Over Odds: -102
Total Under Odds: -118

Injury reports

Phillies

Rafael Marchan: 10 Day IL (Knee), Johan Rojas: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Brad Keller: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Adolis Garcia: 60 Day IL (Lat), Tanner Banks: 60 Day IL (Forearm), Derek Hill: day-to-day (Shoulder), Andrew Painter: day-to-day (Hamstring)

Blue Jays

Luis Urias: 10 Day IL (Quadricep), Jonatan Clase: 10 Day IL (Foot), Spencer Arrighetti: 15 Day IL (Foot), Trey Yesavage: 15 Day IL (Knee), Cody Ponce: 60 Day IL (Knee), Anthony Santander: 60 Day IL (Shoulder), Bowden Francis: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Joe Mantiply: 60 Day IL (Knee), Addison Barger: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Yimi Garcia: 60 Day IL (Elbow), José Berrios: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Lenyn Sosa: 60 Day IL (Wrist), Patrick Corbin: 60 Day IL (Shoulder), Vladimir Guerrero Jr.: day-to-day (Hamstring)

Stats to know

Philadelphia’s Bryce Harper is slashing .257/.366/.500 this season with 24 home runs (16th in MLB), 70 RBIs (17th in MLB) and an OPS of .866 (16th in MLB). He has a 21.1% strikeout rate and a 15% walk rate in 494 plate appearances, and he has scored 71 total runs. Harper has recorded six steals on 11 attempts.
In 482 plate appearances, Luis Arraez has hit five long balls, tallied 47 RBIs and scored 54 runs. He is batting .323/.359/.446 and has posted a 4.6% strikeout rate and a 5.4% walk rate. Arraez has recorded 10 steals on 10 attempts.
Ernie Clement has hit nine home runs this season. He has also tallied 38 RBIs and has scored 48 runs. In 461 plate appearances, he has recorded a .284 BA, .308 OBP and .411 SLG with a 3.3% walk rate and a 9.5% strikeout rate.
In 456 plate appearances, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has hit six long balls, tallied 44 RBIs and scored 56 runs. He is batting .259/.338/.349 and has posted a 13.6% strikeout rate and a 10.1% walk rate. Guerrero has recorded seven steals on 10 attempts.

This watch guide was created using technology provided by Data Skrive.

Betting/odds, ticketing and streaming links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.

Photo: Jamie Squire, Ishika Samant, Scott Taetsch, Alika Jenner / Getty Images

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Aug 9, 2026