FC Sorrento have become the latest club to backtrack on signing former Scotland striker David Goodwillie in the wake of a public backlash. The Australian second-tier side announced on Wednesday that they had recruited the 34-year-old, who was ruled by a judge at a civil court case in 2017 to have raped a woman in 2011. “SFC are pleased to announce we have added three players to our mid season first team. Clay Gibbs, David Goodwillie & Callum Dobbs have all joined!” read the initial statement from the Perth-based club. Sorrento head coach Steven McGarry, who played in Scotland when Goodwillie was beginning his career more than a decade ago, added: “With David, we get a player with real quality and experience. “He’s played in the top leagues in England and Scotland while also representing Scotland at international level so he’s a massive addition to the club.” After the news was not well-received on social media, however, Sorrento released another statement just hours later revealing they had cancelled Goodwillie’s contract. “Sorrento Football Club has rescinded its contract with David Goodwillie,” it read. “David was scheduled to arrive in Perth within the next week to commence playing with the Club for the remainder of the 2023 NPLM season. “The arrangement was non-commercial in nature. “The Club has informed David of its decision and apologises to anyone in our football and broader community that may have been caused offence by his signing.” Sorrento are the third club in 18 months to have been forced into a climbdown over their efforts to sign Goodwillie. Scottish side Raith Rovers sparked an outcry when they signed Goodwillie from Clyde in February last year and he was released from his contract without playing a match. Then in February of this year, Northern Premier League side Radcliffe signed the former Dundee United and Blackburn forward and he scored a hat-trick on his debut against Belper Town. However, having made no prior announcement of his signing, the angry response from the public prompted a change of heart from Radcliffe, who admitted to making “a significant misstep” in signing him and that “our due diligence should have been of a much higher standard”. Goodwillie and fellow footballer David Robertson were deemed by a judge at a civil court in January 2017 to have raped a 30-year-old woman at a property in Armadale, West Lothian, after a night out in nearby Bathgate in January 2011. Criminal charges against Goodwillie were dropped in 2011 due to lack of evidence. Goodwillie left English club Plymouth “by mutual consent” days after the civil court ruling and just two months later, in March 2017, he signed for Clyde despite fierce criticism of the Bully Wee’s decision to give him a deal. A year later, in March 2018, Goodwillie was allowed to do a rare post-match interview in which he outlined his desire to return to full-time football. “Of course I’ve got aspirations of going back up a level,” he said after scoring his 25th goal of his first season at the club in a League Two win away to Cowdenbeath. “I want to play for as long as I can at whatever level I can. “I need to be respectful to Clyde, though, because they believed in me and gave me a chance and I’ll always be thankful for that. I’ll give everything I can to Clyde for as long as I’m here. “The way the fans and the chairman have been with me means a lot. I take that really deep. “The fans have taken me in when they might not have, so I’m really thankful for that and appreciate it every single time I step out on the pitch for them. “Ask any footballer and they’ll say they want to play at the highest level they can. I play football just to breathe and feel freedom. When you cross that line, you’ve got no worries, no stress.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Ex-Essex player Jahid Ahmed: Racism probe being dragged out to protect accused Prime Minister praises ‘swift hands’ of Jonny Bairstow in halting Lord’s protest Josh Tongue gets late breakthrough as Australia dominate at Lord’s

Luton booked a place in the Sky Bet Championship play-off final with a 2-0 win over Sunderland. The Hatters delighted a noisy crowd at Kenilworth Road as first-half goals from defenders Gabe Osho and Tom Lockyer gave them victory over the Wearsiders. It proved enough for Rob Edwards’ team to overcome a 2-1 first-leg deficit and seal a 3-2 aggregate success. A Wembley final against Coventry or Middlesbrough awaits on May 27, with Luton targeting a return to English top-flight football after a 31-year absence. The Hatters got the breakthrough they needed in the 10th minute when Osho tapped home from close range after the visitors failed to clear a Jordan Clark corner. Sunderland came close to an equaliser three minutes later when Pierre Ekwah saw a flicked effort from Patrick Roberts’ corner saved by Ethan Horvath. The midfielder was sharpest to the rebound but his effort struck the woodwork and penalty appeals from the visitors came to nothing. Luton came close to a second in the 22nd minute when Luke O’Nien cleared a Carlton Morris effort off the line after Anthony Patterson failed to hold Alfie Doughty’s cross. The home side threatened again when Morris drew a full-length save from Patterson, who was relieved to see Lockyer’s header drop just wide of his post seconds later. Morris fired just wide in the 38th minute following good work by Elijah Adebayo as the hosts sought to go ahead in the tie. They did just that five minutes later when Lockyer took advantage of space to head Doughty’s cross past Patterson. Morris had a great chance to make it 3-0 within 30 seconds of the restart when Patterson miskicked the ball to him, but the striker blazed over. This was proving a game too far for a Sunderland side ravaged by injury, particularly in defence, in the closing stages of the campaign - although Aji Alese returned from injury as the game’s first substitute in the 58th minute. The contest was becoming stretched and Alese produced a timely challenge soon after to deny Adebayo as he lined up a shot, before Roberts rounded off a promising run with a weak shot wide. The same player fired over with 14 minutes remaining as the Black Cats, who finished 11 points behind their opponents, sought to take the game to extra time. But they rarely looked like doing so, with Luton‘s Cody Drameh the closest to scoring in the closing stages, firing wide of an empty goal in added time after Patterson had come up for a corner. The final whistle signalled joyous celebrations from the majority of the 10,013 crowd, including a large-scale pitch invasion. PA

MrBeast maintains an active online presence on X, where he regularly shares updates about his day-to-day life

Kentucky and South Carolina both want a strong finish to a season of unfulfilled expectations

Emily Simpson posed alongside her husband Shane and the internet pointed out that she looks very different even apart from her weight loss

CORAL GABLES, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul 17, 2023--

Amy Robach's daughter Ava Monroe took a trip down memory lane after sharing a snap of her mother and father

Authorities in New Mexico have identified a gunman who killed three and wounded six others in Farmington as 18-year-old high school student Beau Wilson. The teenager was armed with three weapons including an AR-15-style rifle when he began firing randomly at cars and houses in the New Mexico city of Farmington on Monday, authorities said. He was killed by police after wounding two officers. Police said the three victims included an elderly mother in her 90s and her daughter, who was aged in her 70s. The third victim was also in their 70s. The assault weapon had been legally purchased and belonged to a family member of the suspect, police said at a press conference on Tuesday. Wilson, a Farmington High School senior, roamed across a quarter mile area of the city just before 11am targeting “whatever entered his head to shoot at”, Police Chief Steve Hebbe said. At least six houses and three cars were shot at, while state and local police responding to 911 calls also came under heavy gunfire. Breaking more to come Read More New Mexico shooter, 18, roamed community armed with three guns firing randomly at cars and homes, police say A pregnant woman reported her boyfriend’s abuse. He wasn’t arrested until after her murder over an abortion Texas boy, 12, accused of fatally shooting Sonic employee with assault rifle after he asked friend to stop urinating in parking lot

Dove Cameron describes her childhood as an odd mixture of surreal highs and nauseating lows

SHANGHAI Chinese money is pouring into Japan-focused stock funds as the Nikkei hits 33-year highs, triggering repeated warnings

The amount of oxygen on a missing submersible with five people on board is becoming a vital issue, some experts say, as more advanced equipment is rushed to the North Atlantic Ocean in a complex international search operation now at its most critical juncture.

The Israeli Embassy in the UK says it is not known if London-born Jake Marlowe has been taken hostage.