Getting to know Qais Ashfaq

Yorkshire boxer sets his sights on more medals 

Qais and Froch 

Qais Ashfaq is a name not many people have heard around the sporting world, but the youngster from Leeds is aiming high. Qais competes in the Bantamweight division and wants to win gold in the 2016 Olympics in Rio.

After winning gold at the Tammer Tournament in Finland in 2012, Qais has set high goals for himself in future events. He said: “This year I hope to win the National Championships and then win the Commonwealth games. After that I want to do well in the European games and then win gold at the 2016 Olympics.”  The youngster also says that he will not turn professional until after the 2016 Olympics as he wants to represent his country first, “I would like to turn professional, but only after the Olympics, because if I turn professional before the Olympics I wouldn't be able to compete in them. So without a doubt after the games in Brazil.”

Qais began boxing when he was just eight years old when his Uncle took him to the gym and he has loved the sport ever since.  Not only has he won gold in Finland he also won the ABAE championship, which was recognised by the boxing coaches. Qais was soon promoted to the Great British boxing squad because of his success back in 2012, and he is very proud to represent his country. “Representing my country is something I never thought I’d ever do when I first started, but like I say I kept training hard kept getting better and better and got to the level.”

The Yorkshire born boxer is funded by the National Lottery who have seen great potential in the youngster. The National Lottery have released a video on YouTube about his road to Rio. Qais is happy that they are funding him as he thinks it will make him a better boxer. “It helps a lot because, well, everyone wants to be the best but on the way you need the money to help you through it and money is a motivator as well, especially for us because we are lottery funded. The better we do the more we win and the more money we get, so it’s always one thing that is on the back of my mind. Success comes first but obviously with the success comes money so it always helps a lot.”

Amateur boxing is a massive factor in the success of boxing, most boxers start off from the bottom and work their way up and Qais certainly did that. In Amateur boxing it is normally three, 3 minute rounds which doesn't really sound a lot but Qais disagrees he said: “It’s totally different to professionals because in a professional game you can do 3 rounds without even breaking a sweat because the pace is slower. But 3 minutes in amateur boxing is like a burst, it’s like a sprint. It's fast pace, you have to be switched on in your mind.”

Qais described himself as someone who didn't have much confidence and a quiet lad when he was younger, but he said boxing has changed him. “Confidence wise, it brought me up loads because, like I said, I was quiet when I was younger and wasn't confident at all, but with boxing the more you win the more confident you get and the more you see it in your own persona and the way you are.”

Qais will be fighting in the National Championships in Liverpool next month and will also be aiming to win the competition.  The future looks bright for the young man and we certainly haven’t seen the last of him.

Mickleover Sport 2-0 Newcastle Town (16.11.13)

Karl Demidh bagged his ninth goal of the season as Mickleover Sports ran out two nil winners to strengthen their promotion campaign. 


An own goal from Newcastle Town defender Leon Ashman began the scoring as he managed to put the ball into his own net. Then the lively Karl Demidh slotted the ball home to give Sports a two goal advantage going into the second half. 


The game was a scrappy one with both teams struggling to keep the ball on the ground; the pitch was in poor conditions and caused problems for both sides. 


Town got off to a lively start as a mistake by Nico Degirolamo let Tim Sanders in for Newcastle who took the ball round the keeper but his shot was well stopped by Kyle Bryant who cleared off the line. 


But this is as good as it got for Newcastle as Mickleover took the lead from an Ashman own goal, Warren Hadfield’s cross was met by Ashman who was at the wrong place at the wrong time. The reds were in front. 


Town looked for an instant reply, after a defensive error Dan Skelton picked up the ball and struck it onto the crossbar. 


Demidh’s first opportunity of the game came as he was one on one with the keeper but Dave Parton saved well. 


Town tried to reply to Mickleover’s pressure, a free kick in a dangerous area was handed to them, Tim Sanders whipped the ball in but the header went inches wide. 


With thirty eight minutes on the clock Demidh fired the ball home to give Mickleover a two goal lead, the home side were showing signs on why they are in the promotion running. 


The second half was a tight affair as the game became scrappy; the only chance in the first 10 minutes of the half came from Demidh whose free kick was saved by the keeper. 


Newcastle were struggling to fight back, their best chance of the half came when Tom Urwin skipped past right-back Kyle Bryant and he crossed it in for James Askey but the keeper saved well. 


Seventy seven minutes were on the clock as Jordan Hall picked the ball up from his own half and ran the length of the pitch, he got past one defender but his effort was weak. 


Mickleover claimed all three points at the Raygar stadium leaving them fifth in the table.

Promotion race - Championship

Leicester lead the way at the top of the championship 



We are past the half way stage of the season and at least 10 teams are still fighting for the play offs. In this article I will have a look at the teams challenging for those crucial play off spots and also the automatic spots, currently Leicester are top of the league as Nigel Pearson's men are to hot to handle this season. QPR are the other team who occupy the automatic spot.

Burnley, Derby, Nottingham Forest and Reading are all sitting in the play offs at the moment and are definitely showing signs that they are ready to enter the big time.

Leicester 

Unbeaten in the league since December in a 3-1 defeat the Brighton, Leicester have definitely shown why they are at the top of the league. Strength in depth has been one of the main reasons why we see Leicester at the top of the table and also the attacking options. David Nugent is currently the leading scorer for the foxes scoring 17 goals and Vardy is behind him on the list with 10. Pearson has strengthened Leicester's defence and 10 clean sheets this season is a sign of a top quality team.

Pearson added Kevin Phillips to his squad in January because he wanted another experienced player to help them win promotion and avoid a repeat of the play offs last season.

Can they go up?

I will be very surprised if they don't, they are the most consistent team in the division and they should be playing premier league football next season. If they get into the Premier league I think they'll stay up they have the financial backing to sign some great players to help them.

Predicted finish- 1st. 

QPR  

Harry Redknapp hasn't done a bad job this season at QPR but in my opinion he should be doing better, at the moment they are ten points behind Leicester and only four points off 4th position. On deadline day we saw QPR sign five players including 4 strikers, this is no surprise as they have scored the least out of everyone in the top six with just 36 goals.

Top scorer Austin is out for the season which is a huge blow for the side but they still have a great squad and they SHOULD go up with the squad they have.

Can they go up? 

Yes. Their squad is fantastic nearly all of them have played in the premier league and have got wealth of experience which you need to get out of this division. However motivation is hard for these players as they don't really want to play in the championship but if they want to go to the prem then they have to step it up.

Predicted finish - 2nd. 

Burnley 

Burnley have surprised everyone this season, Dyche's men are doing brilliantly in the league especially the attacking men Danny Ings and Sam Vokes, between them they have scored 37 goals. At the other end in defence they have kept eleven clean sheets. Following the departure of Jay Rodriguez many predicted Burnley not to do very well but they certainly shut the critics up.

The next two games see Burnley play championship strugglers Millwall and Bolton and many expect them to pick up maximum points.

Can they go up?

Of course they have a chance but I think next season would be the season for them, this season maybe a bit early for them as they don't have enough quality to compete with the likes of Leicester.

Predicted finish- 4th.

Derby

Similar to Burnley the Rams have surprised most people this season. After Nigel Clough got sacked Derby were left in 14th position and in stepped Steve McClaren who so far has done a fantastic job. Talented young players such as Andre Wisdom, Patrick Bamford and George Thorne have all signed for Derby on loan till the end of the season.

The Rams have been receiving praise because of their attacking play and they deserve it. Chris Martin, Ward and Bamford have been leading the line in recent matches and have been causing a threat to most teams. Martin who was with Derby last season signed on a free from Norwich and has scored 17 goals so far which has guided Derby to 4th spot.

Can they go up? 

Like Burnley I think next season Derby can challenge for those automatic spots, the team is young and has a lot of talent but they do struggle against the teams around them.

Predicted finish - 5th

Nottingham Forest

With the financial backing from the owners you could say Forest have underachieved this season. The reds are six points off 2nd and are eleven games unbeaten, Billy Davies' men seem to be getting better and better as each game is going along, but can they maintain the unbeaten run. Strikers have been the big worry for them so far this season but Davies has signed Djebbour to sort out their problems.

Forest have done well against the teams around them this season but do struggle against the teams at the bottom half of the table which is one of the reasons why they sit 5th behind their fierce rivals Derby.

Can they go up?

They do have the squad to challenge and if they keep their unbeaten run up then who knows, however if they don't go up this season then they have a great chance next season.

Predicted finish - 3rd 

Reading



 Reading are the last team who occupy that crucial play off spots. Adkins men have been in and out of the play offs all season but are now finding form to push higher up the league. Adam Le Fondre is the Royals top goal scorer with 13 goals. Reading trashed out of form Blackpool and Bolton 5-1 and 7-1, Le Fondre scored a hat-trick in both games.

They are now four points ahead of Ipswich who sit in 7th place and are now aiming to open the gap between them, can Adkins pull out some more great results.

Can they go up?

The strike force is the problem for them at the moment, I don't think they have the squad to do it but if they sign a striker in the summer then I think next season they'll be more of a threat.

Predicted finish - 6th 

Predicted table:

1. Leicester
2. QPR
3. Forest
4. Burnley
5. Derby
6. Reading

Do Derby need a change?

Who's to blame Clough or the board?


With only 1 win in the last 11 league games the fans are starting to turn on manager Nigel Clough, Clough who came in 4 years ago has managed to lower the wage bill and start fresh with his own squad. Derby started this season slow but managed to get some decent results with the first win coming against Watford in a 5-1 battering, but Derby have been lacking consistency which isn't really a surprise to any of the fans. I went down to Birmingham on Saturday hoping to see a win on the road, as half time approached I thought we could win it Birmingham didn't look a threat what so ever, but Clark threw on 2 players at half time who changed the game and both scored.

Over recent years Clough has fallen out with many players, there are so many players he has fallen out with you can make your own XI. In early January, Derby had just beaten promotion chasing side Middlesbrough 3-1 at home and were just 3 points off the play offs, but now in early March Derby are now 12 points from the play offs and 6 points from relegation. Connor Sammon is a player that has had a lot of criticism this season, he was signed in August for 1.2m from Wigan. Most fans at the time couldn't believe Derby wasted 1.2m on an unproven goal scorer and with only 8 goals this season you can see why. Other summer signings this season Coutts and Jacobs have made a small impact on the squad, Coutts who started the season brightly linking up with Brayford on the right side well has now dropped his performance levels. Jacobs however has not really had a chance in the squad and has been on the bench for most of the season.

Do I think Clough should go?      
Yes I do think Clough should go, I think that he is out of his depth in the championship and would suit a league 1 side, but however the board should give Clough more money for transfers and help him sign better players. I would also like to see the board go as they aren't putting much money in transfer wise and we haven't really been pushing for a top 6 finish.

Please select an answer on the poll on the right, I would be interested in your views.

Derby County 3-0 Huddersfield town (Player Ratings)

Derby run riot in 3-0 victory over new boys Huddersfield

Derby County: Legzdins; Brayford, Keogh, O’Brien, Roberts (Freeman 87); Coutts, Hendrick, Hughes (Jacobs 89), Bryson; Ward (Robinson 82), Sammon.

Subs Not Used: Fielding, O’Connor, Davies, Doyle.

Huddersfield Town: Smithies; Woods, Gerrard, Clarke (Wallace 46), Hunt; Norwood (Lee 78), Arfield, Danns, Clayton; Novak (Scannell 54), Vaughan.

Subs Not Used: Bennett, Dixon, Gobern, Sinnott.

Attendance: 21,561 (1654 Visiting Supporters).

Derby County:

Legzdins-6. Didn't have a lot to do in goal, Huddersfield strikers rarely tested the rams keeper.

Brayford-7. Linked up well with Coutts again on the right hand side, got more and more better as the game went on.

Keogh-7. Kept both strikers quiet and hardly let them have any sight on goal.

O'Brien-7. The Irish defender had a great game winning every ball in the air, also kept the strikers quiet. Worked well with Keogh at the back.

Roberts-7. Pushed up very well, put in a great cross for Jamie Wards goal.

Coutts-7. Linked up well with Brayford on the right wing, put in a delightful cross for Bryson to put away.

Hughes-6. Didn't have much to do in the middle of the park, passed the ball well but wasn't back to his best.

Hendrick-8. By far the best player on the pitch and my man of the match, didn't put a foot wrong in midfield and helped the Rams in attack and defence.

Bryson-6. The energetic midfielder helped the Rams in both attack and defence, again didn't really have a lot to do.

Ward-7. Was very good, scored a fantastic goal and helped the Rams in attack. Him and Sammon up front is now starting to work.

Sammon-7. Had a good game up front with Ward, plays better in the 4-4-2 formation rather than the 4-5-1. Never stopped running and did well to help with the 2nd goal.

Excellent in midfield