Edwards, Lawrence on target in England

LONDON: Caribbean stars Rodney Jack, Carlos Edwards and Dennis Lawrence all scored on Tuesday night for their clubs to register wins in English Second Division football. Vincentian Rodney Jack helped Rushden and Diamonds prevail 3 - 2 over Blackpool, while Edwards and Lawrence, both from Trinidad and Tobago, were on target as Wrexham thumped Oldham 4 - 0. In a Division One match, Jamaica’s Ricardo Fuller was sent off for an off-the-ball incident as his side Preston North End slipped to defeat against Crewe Alexandra, who had Trinidadian Clayton Ince in goal. At Bloomfield Road, Rushden and Diamonds fought off Blackpool in a high-scoring match. John Murphy gave Blackpool a fourth minute lead but a three-goal burst on either side of the half powered the Diamonds into command.

Andy Burgess levelled for Diamonds on the stroke of half time and a minute into the second half, Jack latched onto a through ball, shrugged off a Blackpool defender with his good pace, and hit a looping shot past Phil Barnes in the Blackpool goal. Paul Kitson made it 3-1 in the 55th minute and John Murphy pulled a goal back for Blackpool in the 62nd minute. Wrexham dominated Oldham at Racecourse Ground with two goals in each half. Lee Jones, set up by a pass from tall Trinidadian Lawrence, sent Wrexham ahead after 32 minutes and Edwards headed in Darren Ferguson’s cross four minutes before half time. Ferguson supplied another goal-scoring cross in the 50th minute when Lawrence headed down, through the legs of the goalkeeper Les Pogliacomi. A minute before the end, Mark Jones sealed the fine win for Wrexham that lifted them to 21 points and 11th place in the standings, only six adrift of leaders Brighton. Crewe secured their second victory in four days as a superb first-half display saw off ten-man Preston 2-1 at Gresty Road.