Football briefs: McCall | Brechin City | Clattenburg

MOTHERWELL manager Stuart McCall has played down reports linking him with a return to Sheffield United as manager.

McCall has recently signed a new two-year contract at Fir Park and said there had been no contact from the npower League One club, who sacked Danny Wilson two weeks ago before appointing Chris Morgan until the end of the season.

McCall added on ESPN: “I think it only comes from the fact I had five great years at Sheffield United.

“It’s a smashing club but I’m certainly enjoying my time at Motherwell. They are in the play-offs and they have got a great chance of getting up and hopefully they do.”

• Brechin City entertain Stranraer tonight in a game that has implications at both ends of the Second Division.

A win or a draw for the Glebe Park side will take a goal difference that is 20 better than fifth-placed Forfar out of the equation and guarantee them a promotion play-off place, whereas a win for the Blues will put them five points ahead of East Fife in their bid to avoid the relegation play-offs.

Brechin’s veteran shot-stopper Craig Nelson will don the goalkeeper gloves for the first time in four months as regular No 1 Michael Andrews is banned after being dismissed in Saturday’s 3-1 defeat to bottom side Albion Rovers.

• Referee Mark Clattenburg will take charge of a Chelsea game on Sunday for the first time since being cleared of using racist language towards their midfielder John Obi Mikel.

Chelsea play Swansea City at Stamford Bridge, the scene of their 3-2 home defeat to Manchester United in October when Clattenburg was accused of using “inappropriate language” towards Mikel.

The referee was cleared after investigations by both London’s Metropolitan Police and the English FA found there was no case to answer. The FA said the evidence had come from Mikel’s Brazilian team-mate Ramires.