Colin Cooper resigns as Hartlepool United manager after latest defeat

Former Boro defender Colin Cooper has resigned as manager of Hartlepool United.

Cooper left his job after a 3-0 defeat to Carlisle United at Victoria Park.

In a statement on the club's website , Hartlepool chairman Ken Hodcroft thanked Cooper for his efforts.

“We are glad that we gave him his break in management and would like to wish him every success in the future.”

Cooper took over at The Vic in May 2013 and was assisted by Craig Hignett before the ex-Boro midfielder joined up with Aitor Karanka last season.

Pools have a number of Boro youngsters on loan including David Atkinson, Charlie Wyke and Ryan Brobbel.

Former Boro players Matty Bates and Stuart Parnaby were also signed by Cooper.

Hartlepool now sit bottom of League Two after today's defeat.

New £3.1m mental health centre plans for Middlesbrough put forward

A single new £3.1m mental health centre is being planned to replace two existing centres in central Middlesbrough.

Parkside Mental Health Resource Centre, on Park Road North, is already due to be vacated by the end of the year prior to being demolished.

The large, two-storey building was built in the early 20th century and once formed part of the old Middlesbrough Maternity Hospital.

A Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys (TEWV) NHS Foundation Trust has now applied for planning permission for a major new mental health centre.

A report to go before Middlesbrough Council’s planinng committee says: “The existing facilities are in a poor state of repair and not fit for purpose in the context of offering modern, efficient mental health care.”

Health bosses plan to demolish the current building and replace it with a three-storey building to take over its services plus those of Lakeside MHRC at Hemlington.

Both Parkside and Lakeside cater for out-patients.

The costs of renovating the current Parkside building to meet Government targets would be the same as building a new centre.

TEWV director of operations for Teesside, David Brown, said patients would benefit from more up-to-date surroundings from the development.

He said: “We currently have a psychosis team based at Parkside, and an affective team at Lakeside. The new Parkside will provide one base for both teams.

“We see patients in a number of places, their own homes, doctors’ surgeries, the centres - lots of different places. “Patients will continue to be treated wherever it’s needed.

“The Lakeside team isn’t being lost, they will just be based elsewhere.

“It’s important to point out as well that Park House, on the same site as Parkside, which caters for in-patients, won’t be affected by this and is staying where it is.”

The new build is not expected to be completed until 2016, once the current Parkside is vacated at the end of this year, staff will be housed temporarily at Phoenix Lodge, opposite Roseberry Park Hospital on Marton Road.

A public consultation to view the plans was recently held by the trust.

Guisborough slash attack accused Mark Julian Bunney was 'trying to survive' court hears

A man accused of slashing an opponent’s neck with a shard of broken glass in a fight told jurors: “I was trying to survive.”

Mark Julian Bunney, 36, said he was attacked outside a pub by a 6ft 5in bully who had his home town “on lockdown”.

He said Kellam Hodgson was armed with a knuckle duster and “a shard of glass or some type of makeshift weapon”.

Mr Hodgson came towards him as if to “finish me off” outside the Tap and Spile in Guisborough, Bunney told a jury.

“I’ve got a flash in my mind,” he said of the violence at Teesside Crown Court yesterday.

“I’ve seen myself in a hospital bed with tubes in my nose. I thought that was it for me.

“He’s moving in. I’m just thinking, I’m gone. I thought I can’t fight, I’m done.”

He said they rolled on the floor and he was stunned and dazed as he grabbed at Mr Hodgson “trying to stop him from battering me”.

Then he said Mr Hodgson jumped up and ran off.

He said he did not know Mr Hodgson had suffered a nasty 12cm slash injury to his cheek and neck at the time.

“I didn’t have a clue anything like that had happened,” Bunney said in the witness box.

“I thought he’s bashed me up and he’s getting out of the way before the police come.”

He said he heard his 10-year-old son had been threatened by Mr Hodgson so he wanted to talk to him - but not to fight him - on the night of March 1.

He said he was told Mr Hodgson wanted him outside the pub. He denied taking anything outside with him.

He told the court he saw Mr Hodgson with a knuckle duster on his hand and a car parked with “two lads glaring at me”.

“I thought, I’m done. Definitely. There’s only one outcome. Unless the police come here and someone stops it, I’m going to get seriously hurt.

“I should have run. I wish I’d run. I wish I’d never come out of the pub,” he added.

“I knew straight away what he was going to do. It was a flash. I’ve just reacted straight away. I just started hitting back thinking I’ve got to stop him, I’ve got to get away from it.”

He said he was struck about four times as he tried to retreat to “keep arm’s length from him” until the police arrived.

“He’s hit me. It’s gone black. I’ve gone to the floor,” he said.

He denied throwing the blood-covered glass shard in an alleyway afterwards.

Each man accuses the other of being a bully and troublemaker, the jury has heard.

Mr Hodgson was accused of being a “vicious money lender” and a drug dealer who went “to give Mr Bunney a serious pasting”. He denied these claims.

In his evidence, Bunney said Mr Hodgson came to Guisborough and pushed drug dealers out: “He took over that town, basically. He had the town on lockdown. He was running it.”

Bunney’s criminal record included two convictions for causing grievous bodily harm, including a stabbing in 2007.

“There’s a lot of things I’m not proud of,” he said.

Bunney, of High Street, Marske, denies wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

Proceeding

Middlesbrough KFC fire: CCTV image released of man wanted in connection with suspected arson

Police want to speak to this man after bins at the back of a Middlesbrough takeaway were set alight in the early hours of the morning.

Now, police are appealing for information regarding the incident - which took place at 5.50am today at the rear yard of the KFC takeaway on Linthorpe Road in Middlesbrough.

Officers say that the person responsible set fire to bins at the rear of the premises.

Whilst there was minimal damage, the fire could have had more serious consequences.

Anyone who recognises the person on this CCTV image is asked to contact Cleveland Police on 101.

Live: Boro v Fulham from the Riverside Stadium

Boro go into today's match against Fulham on the back of consecutive draws against Blackpool and Charlton, but are unbeaten in five league matches following an excellent September.

Three wins on the bounce means that everything is looking a little bit brighter for the Cottagers under caretaker manager Kit Symons.

Mark Proctor wants Middlesbrough FC to develop their own unique anthem

There's been a lot of talk about low crowds and the poor atmosphere at the Riverside Stadium lately and you can’t deny it is a real problem.

Maybe it is apathy, maybe it is the price, maybe it is results. Maybe it is a bit of all those.

Whatever it is, there’s no getting away from the fact that at Boro, 15,000 people are lost in a 35,000-seat stadium.

You need an atmosphere. That is part and parcel of why fans go to games - and the lack of it seem to be a big problem across football right now.

It is not just Boro. You see Anfield and Old Trafoord and Highbury on television and they are big clubs with big crowds but apart from when the home side score all you can hear on the box is the travelling fans.

We saw that at Liverpool in the League Cup: Apart from ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone” before kick-off, all you could hear was Boro fans singing.

A lot of my friends - diehard Boro fans - tell me they prefer away games now because the atmosphere is better.

It feels like a day out so there is a bit of a buzz and all the lads who like to sing and chant are concentrated together.

And I must say from my time as a player and in the dug-out as a coach, the Boro fans away from home have always made a fantastic noise.

You can really feel it. It makes the hairs stand up on your neck and gives you an extra spring in your step on the pitch.

What we need is to get that kind of atmosphere at home games too.

I always think it is brilliant when a crowd has a club song that everyone sings and identifies with. It unites everyone before kick-off and turns the volume right up. It sounds brilliant and it drowns out the away fans.

Even now after all these years it is incredible to hear “You’ll Never Walk Alone” at Anfield but they are not the only ones.

Sheffield United sing a version of “Annie’s Song,” Stoke have “Deliah” and Manchester City sing “Blue Moon”.

I really wish Boro had a unique anthem that the fans could belt out. Not clap along to but really raise the roof singing.

I have always thought that and a couple of years back, when I was in the dug-out, I tried to make it happen.

I tried to push for “Steel River” by Chris Rea.

I thought it would be perfect. It’s a distinct song. He’s a Middlesbrough lad. The lyrics are a celebration of the people and the industrial landscape of the area. You couldn’t get more Teesside if you tried.

I know a lot of young people might not have heard of Chris Rea or the song but I thought we could educate people, we could have the lyrics in the programme and on the big screen and that if we hammered away at it then everyone would quickly learn it and it would soon become our unique anthem.

Imagine if they cut the music on the PA at 2.55 and everyone stood together and roared that just as the team came out. It’d be fantastic.

As I say, I pushed for it, but it never quite happened. I don’t know why.

But something needs to be done. When the ground is flat you can really tell in the dug-out.

We all could - although we were all local lads and ex-players so maybe we could read it a bit more, pick up on it if there was a some tension or nerves in the air.

You can get the players pumped up going out there but if the team don’t score early on, or if there are a few mistakes and the opposition have a few chances then you can feel the positive pre-match energy quickly evaporate.

I’m not sure the players feel it in the same way. A lot have come from smaller clubs here or abroad so for them 15,000 may feel like a massive crowd.

For us who remember the buzz of a full house of 35,000 excited to watch Juninho or Ravanelli or Viduka, the same crowd is bound to feel flat.

The thing is, football is an expensive day out now and people need to feel they’re going to get their money’s worth before they buy a ticket.

It’s not like spending £30 to watch a stage show or a concert when you know exactly what you are getting. Football can’t guarantee that. Even Man United can’t these days.

Football is different because if it is poor, not just the result but the performance, it isn’t just a waste of money. It can ruin your Saturday night. And your Sunday too. The whole town is miserable if Boro are losing.

And even if Boro get a good result you can still come away feeling flat if the atmosphere hasn’t been great because being part of a crowd with a bit of a buzz is a part of that.

It is hard to know what the club can do about it. We can’t rent a crowd.

Or make them sing.

I suppose at the end of the day it is about results.

People want to see the team win and win well.

If Boro start to put a run of results together at home and get some momentum it helps convince the fans that there is something starting to happen they can believe in and want to be part of.

Redcar 'maniac' boyfriend jailed for vicious attack on partner and assaulting a PC

An enraged boyfriend described as “a maniac who could turn on a sixpence” has been locked up for a vicious attack on his partner.

Teesside Crown Court heard that Paul Summersgill pinned down his partner, kneeled on her chest and punched her repeatedly in the face in his flat in Soppett Street in Redcar, in front of his adult daughter.

His daughter contacted the police, which led Summersgill, 39, to say to his victim: “I might as well kill you, because I am going back to jail.”

He then dragged her across the floor and smashed her head through a mirror, before stamping on her head and chest.

Prosecuting, Emma Atkinson told the court that Summersgill then said to his daughter: “Come here and give me a cuddle, because I am going to kill her.”

Summersgill’s own daughter described his behaviour as “evil”, continued Miss Atkinson.

The attack - described by Recorder Paul Isaacs as “cowardly” - came after a day of drinking on August 14.

Miss Atkinson continued: “The victim had a fractured cheekbone, bruising, cuts and abrasions. When he was choking her she thought she would die. She said she thinks that he will kill her one day.”

The court heard Summersgill had previous convictions for common assault, battery and actual bodily harm - and went to prison for four years in 2009 for GBH.

Mitigating, Duncan McReddie said: “He pleaded guilty immediately. He does not see himself as an intrinsically violent man. He knows he has definite problems which are excacerbated by alcohol. He knows he needs some sort of help or what he calls it - therapy.”

Recorder Paul Isaacs jailed Summersgill for five years and three months for section 18 wounding, and an extra three months for a separate charge of assaulting a police constable.

A 10 year restraining order was also imposed on Summersgill.

Billingham Stars director of coaching Terry Ward wants to see a much improved performance at Blackburn

Billingham Stars director of coaching Terry Ward wants to see a much better performance from his side when they hit the road in the British Challenge Cup tomorrow.

Ward panned the Ultimate Window Stars following a lacklustre display in their 4-2 home defeat to Solway Sharks last Sunday.

And he is seeking a drastic improvement against a Blackburn Hawks side which has had the upper hand on the Teessiders in recent meetings in the 5.45pm face-off.

“We were very disappointed following last Sunday’s game,” Ward said.

“For whatever reason the guys seemed to think they could just turn up and the points would be theirs.

“We know now that there will be no easy games against anyone this season - we have learned the hard way.”

Ward said the Stars need to up their game at both ends of the rink after falling short against the Scotsmen.

“We will be looking to defend a little better this week, as we can point to ourselves for most of Solway’s goals last Sunday,” he said.

“But mostly we need to be way more accurate with our shots on goal.

“We had plenty against Solway but the quality of finishing was poor and we cannot afford to let so many chances go begging again.”

Blackburn finished one place above the Stars in the league last season, then saw off the Teessiders’ challenge in the play-off semi-finals.

Neither side will want to give an inch tomorrow as they try to put down a marker for the league meetings to come.

“We always look forward to games against Blackburn,” Ward said.

“They are usually eventful, especially in their own rink where they tend to be a bit braver and throw their weight around a bit more.

“They caught us lucky last season when we were in no position to give them a game, so we still owe them a few back.

“The match should give us both a chance to assess our league prospects, as well as trying to make sure we are ‘top dogs’ out of the three NIHL teams in the cup.”

The Stars report positive team news ahead of the tie with only Jack Davies and Will Robson missing from the bench, so they should be able to ice a strong squad.

Home side Blackburn have started both their league and cup campaigns in decent form, with just the odd hiccup to trouble player-coach Jared Owen.

An opening cup win at home to Solway Sharks has been followed by two defeats, although one of those was a creditable 7-1 road loss to English Premier League outfit Telford Tigers.

The scoreline not doing justice to the industry shown by the lower league side.

Blackburn are powered up front by brothers Adam and Luke Brittle, with Czech import Pavel Slowik patrolling the blue line.

They have quality throughout the squad, so Ward’s message to the Billingham players that they can ill-afford to repeat the complacency which crept in when they faced Solway at the Forum last Sunday at Blackburn Ice Arena should be noted.

Nathaniel Scott from Billingham trampoline club wins national trampoline title

A member of a Billingham trampoline club has become national champion in the sport.

Velocity Trampoline and DMT Club’s Nathaniel Scott won a title at the British National Finals for trampoline, tumbling and DMT held by British Gymnastics at the Echo Arena in Liverpoo recently.

The 19-year-old is now Men’s Senior Double Mini Trampoline Champion following a terrific series of performances against the best the country has to offer.

Nathaniel, who lives in Jarrow but trains at the Billingham club, led throughout the competition to trump British qualifiers and members of the Canadian national squad to claim the title.

Delighted Velocity coach Adam Rear said: “It was great to see Nathaniel’s hard work paying off with him performing six consistent passes.

“The scores he achieved put him in an an excellent position for selection to represent Great Britain at the World Championships in November.”

Ryan Fredericks: Middlesbrough FC will be at the right end of the table if they keep playing as they have

Boro will be at the right end of the table at the end of the season if they keep playing like they have in September.

That’s the considered opinion of Ryan Fredericks, who has been impressed by the quality within the squad since he joined the club on a season-long loan from Tottenham in August.

The talented London-born right-back, who celebrates his 22nd birthday on Friday, is settling in well in the North-east and believes Boro have the potential to genuinely compete for promotion.

“In the games I’ve been involved in and witnessed, we’ve put in some good performances,” he said.

“We should have taken three points against Blackpool but every game is a tough game regardless of whether you are playing top of the league or bottom of the league.

“It shows how strong the league is from top to bottom, anyone can beat anyone and that makes for a good, exciting league, I suppose.

“We know how hard games are but we also know we are a good team with good players so we are confident that if we keep on playing the way we are we should be up there come the end of the season.”

Fredericks was signed by Aitor Karanka primarily as cover for Damia Abella but has emerged as the head coach’s first choice right-back following the cruciate knee ligament injury suffered by Abella at Cardiff.

The Londoner impressed against Blackpool on Tuesday and is likely to retain his place in the team for match against Fulham this afternoon.

It’s been a far from impressive start to life in the Championship from the relegated Cottagers but their form has picked up recently under caretaker boss Kit Symons.

“Fulham’s going to be a tough,” said Fredericks. “I think they have won the last three or four so we know it’s going to be a tough game.

“They’ve got good players that played in the Premier League last year so we know how tough that’s going to be but we’ve got good players and we are confident going into the game.”

Fredericks says the highlight so far of his stay at Boro was the Capital One Cup third round tie at Anfield, which was decided on penalties.

And while he insists the players have put that dramatic tie behind them, the occasion is something he’s unlikely to forget in a hurry.

“It was the best experience I’ve had so far in a game I’ve played in,” he admitted. “It wasn’t so nice at the time, it would have been nice to win and go through to the next round.

“But I think we’ve all forgotten about the game now, it was nice at the time but we’re moving on now and concentrating on the league.”

Regarding his shoot-out spot-kick, the defender admits he’d never taken a penalty in a match before.

“I hadn’t taken one in a competitive game,” he said, “so it I was a bit nervous when I took it - but it just about snuck in!”

Aitor Karanka: Let's go into international break on the back of a win

Aitor Karanka wants his players to go in to the international break on the back of a positive result.

When the final whistle blows on today’s Championship fixture with Fulham at the Riverside Stadium, Boro will have completed a hectic period of seven games in 22 days.

So the two week gap between fixtures will come as a welcome opportunity for everybody connected with the club to pause for breath.

There’s no doubt, though, that the break will be much more enjoyable if Boro go into on the back of a win over Fulham.

“It’s very important to go into the break in a positive mood,” said Karanka.

“We have to make sure the players recover. Most of them are very, very tired, most of them have played a lot of games.

“The best thing now is for us to recover our fitness.

“We have a lot of players that have played a lot of games.

“They need a rest, then after we will have time to work on the things we need to improve.”

Since the last international break at the start of September, Boro have played six games, winning three, drawing two and taking Liverpool to a remarkable penalty shoot-out in the Capital One Cup third round at Anfield.

It’s been a draining, if largely successful period of time, but there are one or two players who could do with a breather.

“For me, these breaks are very important,” said Karanka.

“You have time to recover and time to work with the squad.

“If you don’t have these breaks it is very difficult to spend time on the training ground and it is very difficult for the players to recover from games every two or three games.”

The immediate priority is this afternoon’s game and the Boro boss is demanding a reaction from his players following Tuesday’s disappointing 1-1 draw with lowly Blackpool at the Riverside.

Karanka said he could understand why some fans expressed their frustration after the game.

“I understand why they reacted like they did at the end,” he said.

“They were so excited one week ago (after Liverpool) and now they are frustrated after Tuesday - I have the same feelings.

“But we have to think about the future. They have to forget the past and I have to forget the past.

“We are learning from it so that we don’t make the same mistakes again.”

Karanka accused several individuals of playing for themselves and not the team and hopes there will be a positive reaction from the team against Fulham.

“We will see after the game whether they have responded the way I want,” he added.

“The answer is always in what they do on the pitch.

“I hope I can say after the game that they got the message.”