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2026-11-12 11:00 UTC

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‘Second ball’ may be a Sunday league mantra but Yates showed its top-flight relevance

2026-11-12 11:00 UTC By Football 433

‘Second ball’ may be a Sunday league mantra but Yates showed its top-flight relevance. Midfielder’s old-school attributes came to the fore during Nottingham Forest’s win against Manchester City Modern football is more systematised and data-driven than ever but some things never change.

‘Second ball’ may be a Sunday league mantra but Yates showed its top-flight relevance
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Midfielder’s old-school attributes came to the fore during Nottingham Forest’s win against Manchester City Modern football is more systematised and data-driven than ever but some things never change. Winning the first ball is important but the second ball – the Holy Grail for Sunday league footballers – is often more so.

Nottingham Forest’s 3-1 win against Manchester City last weekend featured a classic example. Forest led 2-1 inside the last 20 minutes but City, lifted by Rayan Cherki’s sweet half-volley, were pushing for an equaliser.