Dean Saunders

YOU’VE got to wonder what Dragons boss Dean Saunders has to do to a) make the job work and b) get fans behind him.

He came with lots of pomp and ceremony just over two years ago and was regarded as a major coup for the club.

We (and by that I mean the majority of the fans and the media) thought appointing him was a great idea after the largely unpopular spell under Brian Little.

His first moves were to weed out what we thought we were players not good enough for Wrexham FC such as Darran Kempson, Shaun Whalley and Simon Brown, replacing them with bright young talents on loan, such as Swansea’s Joe Allen.

Dean Saunders

WREXHAM FC manager Dean Saunders has hit out at having to play their opening six Blue Square Bet Premier fixtures in the space of just 16 days.

The Dragons won two, drew two and lost two, and find themselves 12th in the table with eight points.

But Saunders blamed the loss of three players in Monday’s 2-0 win at Bath City on the amount of fixtures played.

“It’s a ridiculous schedule that they’ve had to go through,” Saunders said.

“Marvin Andrews has come off with a hamstring, Adrian Cieslewicz has come off with a hamstring, Frank Sinclair pulled his groin and it’s just overuse of players.

Dean Saunders

WREXHAM FC manager Dean Saunders last night denied the Dragons had signed goalkeeper Russell Saunders.

Reports yesterday claimed Saunders (right) had signed his namesake, who was released by the Dragons’ Blue Square Bet Premier rivals Altrincham in August.

However, the Dragons boss – currently with the Wales squad – last night said he had not done a deal for the Bury-born player, who had joined Alty after being released by Premier League side Wigan last year.

Crusaders' Mark Bryant in action

MARK BRYANT says helping Crusaders into the play-offs will rank as one of the greatest achievements of his career.

Hull KR visit the Racecourse Ground tonight (kick-off 6.45pm) in what is the most important game in Crusaders’ history.

Brian Noble’s men must beat Hull KR and hope that St Helens defeat eighth-placed Castleford, who currently occupy the final play-off spot on points difference.

Both games kick-off at 6.45 and it is all set to be a tense evening in Wrexham.

But Australian prop Bryant, 29, is used to the big occasion. He played over 100 first-grade NRL games before joining the North Wales outfit, and famously captained Manly to glory in the 2008 NRL Grand Final win.

Scott Shearer

GOALKEEPER Scott Shearer insists Wrexham’s season is in safe hands ahead of tomorrow’s Welsh derby against Newport County.

The former Coventry City and Bristol Rovers stopper has come in for criticism from sections of the fans after conceding 10 goals in six games since signing from Wycombe Wanderers in July.

Arguably the low point for the Scotsman was the barracking he received during the team’s 2-2 draw with Kidderminster Harriers.

But the 29-year-old insists he belongs between the sticks and vowed to put in a performance against the Blue Square Bet Premier League newcomers during tomorrow’s televised match at the Newport Stadium.

Paul Scholes

PAUL SCHOLES has admitted that he thought he would have retired by now.

The veteran Manchester United star is currently one of the most talked about players in the Premier League.

Fabio Capello tried and failed to talk him out of international retirement in order to play a part in England’s World Cup campaign and man-of-the-match performances in the Community Shield and opening day Premier League win over Newcastle confirm the 35-year-old is on top form once more.

Hat-trick hero Jermain Defoe hailed his partnership with Wayne Rooney after the pair teamed up profitably in Friday night’s 4-0 win over Bulgaria in the opening Euro 2012 qualifier at Wembley.

The Tottenham Hotspur striker lifted the 73,000 crowd by netting after only three minutes and added a second just after the hour mark.

Substitute Adam Johnson made sure of the points in the 83rd minute before Defoe completed his treble four minutes from time. Wayne Rooney helped to set up all four goals.

And Defoe said: "I’m delighted with the performance tonight, not just the goals but the way we played and pressed in the first half."

James Collins was injured after this challenge in Wales' 1-0 defeat to Montenegro

Wales manager John Toshack voiced his anger after defender James Collins suffered a nasty facial injury in tonight’s Euro 2012 qualifying defeat in Montenegro.

The Aston Villa centre-back was injured in a clash with Montenegro defender Miodrag Dzudovic in the second half of Wales’ demoralising 1-0 loss at Podgorica’s Gradksi Stadium.

Zoe Edwards

SICK gun thugs shot 14 lambs with an airgun – three miles from where a pony was killed with a bullet.

Police and RSPCA experts are investigating whether the shootings are linked.

Over the last two weeks a staggering 14 lambs have died “long and lingering” deaths after being shot and wounded by airgun pellets in Carrog, near Corwen.

The shooting spree started soon after a Shetland pony named Minnie was shot with a firearm in a field near Ruthin, where devastated owners found it dead.

John Gizzi

NINE men will stand trial next year after denying being involved in supplying cocaine.

John Damon Gizzi and eight others are charged with conspiracy to supply cocaine between August 6 last year and last April 22 .

Gizzi, 38, of St George, Abergele, appeared at Mold Crown Court alongside David Edward Clarke, 48, Kenneth Cain, 34, Neil Sutemire, 37, all of Liverpool, Derek Richards, 49, of Ocean View, Rhyl, Karl Evans, 29; Michael Bennett, 33; John Ethereridge, 30 and Gregory Gorst, 27, all of various addresses in Towyn.

Ysgol Llanddeusant

A SCHOOL that backed its own closure to support a new state-of-the-art area school claims it has been let down after those plans collapsed.

Ysgol Llanddeusant looks doomed with Anglesey council’s Executive meeting on Tuesday to discuss its closure.

The governing body had supported its closure on the condition an area school would be built.

But these plans have been left in tatters after opposition from other schools – leaving the 18 pupils to be relocated and “destroying the community”.

Elfyn Llwyd

PLAID Cymru’s Westminster leader is jetting off to the United States to find out how its troops are treated when they return from warfare.

Elfyn Llwyd has been a long-time campaigner for improved support for armed service personnel believing too many ex soldiers spiral into a life of crime because they are not given proper care when they return home.

He is part of the Howard League for Penal Reform’s pioneering inquiry into what can be done to prevent veterans ending up in prison.

The Dwyfor Meirionnydd MP will head out with the team to visit a special veterans’ court in Buffalo, plus a maximum security prison and the Crownsville State Veterans Cemetery in Baltimore. They will also take part in a one-day seminar organised by the US Department of Veterans Affairs.

Ashleigh Tonia Robinson

A DAUGHTER denied murdering her own dad who was found dead at his home.

Ashleigh Tonia Robinson, 18, of no fixed address, and three others are accused of killing French polisher Antoni David Robinson.

The 61-year-old was found at his bungalow in Llanelian Road, Old Colwyn, early on July 7.

Also accused are Gorden William Harding, 19, of no fixed address; Sacha Andrew Powell Roberts, 19, of Woodland Road West, Colwyn Bay; and a 16-year-old girl,who cannot be named for legal reasons.

THE circumstances leading to the death of a popular Rhyl waitress remained a mystery after an inquest yesterday.

Amanda Cheung, 41, was found on the floor of her lounge in Fern Way, Rhyl, on April 16. A post-mortem examination revealed she suffered a head trauma.

Blood was found in other parts of the house, but the place where she suffered the injury could not be resolved.

The hearing in Prestatyn was told Miss Cheung, who lived alone with her two cats, was found lying on two large cushions near the hearth, having apparently tried to make herself comfortable.

FEARS are growing for a kayaker missing off the coast of Anglesey since Sunday afternoon.

The 53-year-old mum-of-two from Shrewsbury was separated from a group of four other canoeists in strong winds at around 2.30pm close to Ynys Feurig, near Rhosneigr.

The alarm was raised yesterday evening after the other kayakers finally reached their base after being washed to shore on a nasty part of the coast and forced to carry their canoes up a cliff.