‘Second ball’ may be a Sunday league mantra but Yates showed its top-flight relevance

Midfielder’s old-school attributes came to the fore during Nottingham Forest’s win against Manchester City Modern football is more systematised and data-driven than ever but some things never change. Winning the first ball is important but the second ball – the Holy Grail for Sunday league footballers – is often more so. Nottingham Forest’s 3-1 win against Manchester City last weekend featured a classic example. Forest led 2-1 inside the last 20 minutes but City, lifted by Rayan Cherki’s sweet half-volley, were pushing for an equaliser. Continue reading...