When Burnley conceded an 80th-minute consolation goal in their final game before Christmas last year, their fans could scarcely have imagined they would go on to play 12 consecutive games in the Championship without letting in another. Still scarred by the memories of their team shipping three or more goals on 12 occasions in the Premier League last season, the denizens of Turf Moor are not used to defensive parsimony, so when Kwadwo Baah scored for Watford on the shortest day of the year, they they would not have envisaged a splendid scenario where their team would play matches against Sheffield United, Middlesbrough, Stoke City, Blackburn Rovers, Sunderland, Plymouth Argyle, Leeds United, Portsmouth, Oxford United, Hull City, Preston and Sheffield Wednesday without their goalkeeper James Trafford being called upon on a single occasion to pick the ball out of his own net.

Between the sticks for each one of the 1,132 minutes (just shy of 19 hours) plus added time of league football his side played in that time, the 22-year-old has now kept enough clean sheets in different record-breaking spells with Burnley (12), Bolton (nine) and the England U-21 Euro 2023-winners (six) to fill a washing line over 74 metres long … assuming the freshly laundered bedding in question is comprised of standard double bed flat sheets carefully secured by pegs along an extremely straight top edge.

Sadly for Trafford, his latest record came to an end last night at the Cardiff City Stadium, where Yousef Salech finally breached his defences where so many other strikers had failed. Rising salmon-like, the 23-year-old headed into the top corner, leaving the Burnley goalkeeper in an undignified tangle in the back of his own net. “We’re disappointed with how we conceded that goal really,” sniffed Scott Parker in the game’s aftermath, before moving on to address the more cheerful news that despite this setback his team had still managed to win and move to within two points of Sheffield United just above them in the automatic promotion places, with both teams clearly having forgotten the unbridled weekly misery that getting into the Premier League entails.

With 11 rounds of fixtures left in the Championship, Leeds are in the box-seat to win the title and go up automatically, even if those just beneath them and the wider football public remain hopeful of them doing what is uncoincidentally known in the business as “a Leeds”. Behind them, Sheffield United, Burnley and Sunderland are all but guaranteed playoff places at worst, barring a serious sunder of the space time continuum, while everyone from Frank Lampard’s Coventry City in fifth down to Preston in 15th will still think they’re in with a half-decent shout of going up. Meanwhile in the basement, Derby, Plymouth and Luton are adrift but not so cast away they’ve inked a face on volleyball and given it a name. At both ends of the table it’s the hope that kills you but, even in the middle of the current Championship, it’s still all to play for and those sheets won’t clean themselves.

Join Scott Murray at 8pm (all times GMT) for updates on PSG 1-2 Liverpool in the first leg of their last-16 Bigger Cup tie, while John Brewin will be on hand with his clockwatch covering Feyenoord 1-2 Inter, Bayern Munich 1-1 Bayer Leverkusen and Benfica 1-2 Barcelona.

This will be a historic moment for the Fifa World Cup and a show befitting the biggest sporting event in the world” – Gianni Infantino confirms that Coldplay’s Chris Martin is helping Fifa with plans for a half-time show at the World Cup in 2026, a move that surely signals the end of football.

Can I be the first of 1,057 readers to suggest that Mikel Arteta’s side are serious about progressing beyond the Round of Arsenal [Tuesday’s Football Daily], then they could really use an early goal in the second leg to settle the nerves” – Ed Taylor (and 1,056 others).

Far from Everything In It’s Right Place and more Karma Police. This is what you’ll get when you mess with us” – Keith Taylor.

Watched coverage on Premier Sports last night, and enjoyed the Irish accented punditry at half time, especially regarding the Gooner’s captain, Martin O’Degaard” – Simon Mazier.

So, Manchester United fans will dress in black, march, and hold placards in protest against the Glazers. Then, they will sit down and watch the match, thus ensuring a full stadium. What’s the point? Like every other protest by fans, they still turn up and watch the game, spend money and ensure more money for the very people they want out. It’s like me grumbling about going to my mother in laws for Sunday lunch and then letting her share the bottle of wine I took to self-medicate” – Paul Arnold.

Send letters to [email protected]. Today’s letter o’ the day winner is … Keith Taylor, who gets some Football Weekly merch. We’ll be in touch. Terms and conditions for our competitions can be viewed here.

It’s Alex Ibaceta on how Cata Coll became the present and future of Barcelona and Spain in a year.

The only disappointing thing about about the absolutely filthy touch and lobbed goal scored by Sam Merson, son of Paul, for Hanworth Villa against Farnham Town is that he didn’t do his father’s iconic drinking celebration (which admittedly did have some baggage). It can’t have been easy being Paul’s son for a variety of reasons, but Sam has obviously inherited his dad’s touch, cushioning a clipped pass out of the sky with his right foot, spinning around and smashing a volley with the same foot, all in one glorious move. Not what you might expect to see on a mid-week visit to Hounslow, although Football Daily can’t claim to have spent too many Tuesday evenings at Hanworth Villa to be sure.

Fifa has banned the former Gabon youth-team coach Patrick Assoumou Eyi, known as “Capello”, for life after its adjudicatory chamber found him guilty of committing repeated acts of sexual abuse against multiple players.

Will the Gunners sink or swim as they return to the Round of Arsenal, asked Tuesday’s Football Daily. As the letters section has already announced, the Gunners, um, beat PSV 7-1 in their Bigger Cup last-16 first leg. “The happiest I am is because we are in a very strong position,” said Arteta, in his best Yoda voice.

Advantage Real Madrid, in their Bigger Cup derby against Atlético. Sid Lowe was at the Bernabéu. Meanwhile, it was quite the night for Tyrone Mings and Aston Villa in Bruges.

Arne Slot reckons Liverpool must present the best possible version of themselves against PSG.

Newcastle’s chief suit Darren Eales has come up with a novel plan and think selling the club’s best player, Alexander Isak, probably isn’t the Magpies’ best interests. “We know he’s a world‑class player and others covet him,” sighed Eales. “But it’s annoying because it’s almost as if we’re seen as a club in the next category down and it’s fair game to talk about our players leaving.” Meanwhile, a court has heard that a “professional group of travelling burglars” broke into Isak’s home and stole his car and jewellery worth about £68,000.

At least Eales doesn’t have to worry about anyone buying Lewis Hall. The Newcastle and England’s left back is out for the season (and the Carabao Cup final later this month) with foot-ouch!

Is José Mourinho open to managing Rangers or Celtic? Of course he is!

The FA has used its “powers” to call for Millwall’s goalkeeper Liam Roberts to earn more than the standard three-match ban after his dropkick to Jean-Philippe Mateta’s face at the weekend. “The standard punishment for this offence is clearly insufficient,” roared a statement.

And you’ve read that Burnley, the tight so and sos, finally conceded a goal on Tuesday night. Check in on the other Football League scores in our roundup.

The 2026 Trade War World Cup captures our new nativist world order. That’s the headline on this piece by Aaron Timms, and no, we couldn’t think of a way to riff on that.

Ed Aarons on Martin Ødegaard and changing the narrative.

Jack Snape on how Melbourne women’s football players are attempting to double their salary in just three games.

And this week’s Knowledge features yellow and red cards being shown before the start of matches, more tables as works of art, record numbers of away wins in league matches and 1-11 shirt numbers.

Spring is upon us, here in the UK. The daffodils are out, as is the sun. Please enjoy Burnley players lapping up the rays and posing for a picture outside Turf Moor on 1 May 1962, four days prior to their 3-1 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in the FA Cup final. Just trying to imagine the reaction of Antonio Conte – who famously banned ketchup at Chelsea – to this photo.