Press Association

The Press Association previews the 2026–27 Championship season, with the play-off places expanded from four to six. Middlesbrough are backed for promotion after heavy investment despite Hayden Hackney’s departure, while West Ham and Wolves are also predicted to return to the Premier League. Burnley, Birmingham, Norwich, Southampton and Wrexham are among the play-off contenders, while Blackburn, Bolton and Lincoln are tipped for relegation. Several clubs, including Watford, Cardiff and Charlton, are expected to face relegation pressure but ultimately survive.

Alexandra Walker and her boyfriend Harrison Simpson were sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder and child cruelty of Walker’s two-year-old daughter, Isabelle Welsh, in Thornaby. Simpson received a minimum term of 28 years and six months and Walker 22 years, less time spent on remand; Simpson was also convicted of sexually assaulting Isabelle. The court heard that Isabelle suffered weeks of severe abuse, including 21 broken bones and a fatal head injury, while both defendants delayed seeking medical help and attempted to conceal what had happened. The judge described the injuries as sadistic and criticised Walker for prioritising herself over her dying child.