Today's other stories in brief

Kilbane backs Hull to survive

Winger Kevin Kilbane is confident Hull can stave off the threat of relegation. Phil Brown’s men suffered a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Kilbane’s former club Wigan on Sunday as Ben Watson’s late winner left them four points clear of the drop zone with eight games to go.

Kilbane admits Hull’s meeting with Portsmouth is now a huge game. “You do look at other fixtures and you do look at other results — it’s only natural, but you have to keep your focus on your own game as much as you can and get a victory as soon as you can,” he said.

“I’m sure the coaching staff will get everyone together over the next two weeks and we need to regroup now ahead of that massive game against Portsmouth.

“Sometimes you want a game as soon as you can but sometimes it can be a good thing to take a step back.

“Of course, you can look at those three games coming up for us and they’re big — but you can only look at Portsmouth. It’s a game we can win and we need to be confident.”

Crewe sign Sheehan on loan

Crewe have signed left back Alan Sheehan on loan from League One rivals Leeds until the end of the season.

Alex boss Gudjon Thordarson has moved quickly to capture the 22-year-old Irishman after seeing first-choice left back Billy Jones sent off for the second time this season at the weekend.

Wolves manager Mick McCarthy has added to his attacking options by signing Marlon Harewood on loan from Aston Villa until the end of the season. The striker’s arrival will provide a timely boost for the Championship leaders, who have six games remaining this season and top the table by five points.

Villa have inserted a 24-hour recall clause into the agreement but that will only become active after the first 28 days of the loan — following the visit of QPR to Molineux on April 18th.

Harewood’s former club Nottingham Forest also showed an interest in taking the striker on loan.

Rooney avoids further punishment

Wayne Rooney will not face any further disciplinary action following his red card at Fulham on Saturday, the English Football Association have confirmed.

Rooney was sent off for two bookable offences during his side’s 2-0 defeat and although he exchanged words with referee Phil Dowd after being shown red, the official has confirmed he was not sworn at by the player.

The FA will write to Rooney however to issue him with a formal warning about his conduct after he punched the corner flag while leaving the pitch.

An FA spokesman said: “We have clarified with Phil Dowd that there was no abuse from the player after he was dismissed.

“In relation to the incident when he punched the corner flag, the referee did not see that and we have written to Wayne Rooney reminding him of his responsibilities.” It means Rooney will only be suspended for one game, the visit of Aston Villa to Old Trafford on April 5th.

Adebayor named in Togo squad

Arsenal striker Emmanuel Adebayor has been named in the Togo squad for the World Cup qualifier against Cameroon and could be at the centre of a club-versus-country row if he plays.

The 25-year-old has been out with a hamstring injury and is not due back to action until after the international break — but his club have confirmed he will still travel to Africa ahead of Saturday’s clash.

Togo are likely to use the presence of Adebayor in the squad merely to boost team morale and it is considered extremely doubtful he will play, so Gunners boss Arsene Wenger is expected to monitor whether his striker appears.

Wenger expects to have Adebayor and Theo Walcott back for the club’s Champions League challenge after the break for international football.

Walcott was sidelined last week when his right knee locked as he left the training pitch.

Lafferty agony for Rangers

Rangers have suffered a blow to their title chances with the news that striker Kyle Lafferty is expected to be out for at least six weeks with an ankle injury.

The Northern Ireland forward was carried off with ligament damage after scoring the opening goal in Saturday’s 2-2 Premier League draw with Hearts.

Rangers confirmed Lafferty would undergo a scan today but the best-case scenario is for him to return in early May.

Anelka to miss Champions League first leg at Anfield

Chelsea have been hit by the loss of Nicolas Anelka for around three weeks. The France striker has been playing with a bruised toe in recent matches and was in the Chelsea side that lost 1-0 to Tottenham on Saturday.

That result all but ended their interest in the English Premier League title race, while yesterday it was announced Anelka has pulled out of the France squad for their World Cup double-header against Lithuania.

Anelka is now unlikely to be available for the first leg of their Uefa Champions League quarter-final against former club Liverpool at Anfield on Wednesday, April 8th.

Meanwhile, goalkeeper Petr Cech believes Chelsea must take advantage of playing the opening leg of their European tie away from home.

He said: “I think the away game will be very important. The mathematics is clear – an away goal can decide this tie.”