Derby County star sent love from Arsenal as Reading form comes at devastating cost for Southampton loanee

It was back to winning ways for John Mousinho's Portsmouth side against Burton Albion with an important morale boost ahead of a busy string of festive fixtures.

The League One table is set for a shake-up over the next month as matches come fast with some sides finding and losing form at the crucial period.

Here's your Wednesday morning round-up from around the league.

Cambridge United sack Mark Bonner

Cambridge United have sacked head coach Mark Bonner after a 3-0 home defeat to Lincoln City on Tuesday night.

The U's sit 18th in League One, just three points above the relegation zone, having narrowly escaped relegation on the final day of last season. Bonne has been in charge of the side since January 2020 and has been noted as 'one of the most important people in the history of Cambridge United' by owner Paul Barry.

Barry said: "All of us - owners, board, staff, players and fans - know how lucky we have been to have him and how hard this decision has been.

"Cambridge United has made huge strides on and off the pitch over the last five years and Mark has been instrumental in building our strong foundations for the future, creating special memories and moments for all of us along the way - most notably promotion during lockdown, Newcastle away in the FA Cup and the great escape last season.

"He has done it through his leadership and energy, his talent as a coach, his natural communication and empathy, and his desire to push the club forward on and off the pitch as someone born and brought up in Cambridge, who genuinely cares about our city and its communities.

"But in football, sometimes you do have to make decisions you believe are right for the long-term future of the club - difficult though they can sometimes be."

Barry Corr and former Crawley boss Kevin Betsy will take charge of the first team on an interim basis.

Reading's Championship loanee hit with devastating injury blow

League One strugglers Reading recorded an impressive 5-1 win over Carlisle United on Tuesday night as back-to-back wins show signs of life in Rubel Selles' side.

However, the six points have come at a heavy price with striker Dom Ballard expected to miss the rest of the season with a serious knee injury. The forward is on loan from Championship side Southampton and was stretchered off in the first half of the Royals' 2-1 at Wycome on Saturday.

The 18-year-old has five Reading goals this season, bagged a hat-trick for the England under-18 side last week and has been showing huge potential. Selles told BBC Radio Berkshire: "It's a massive loss for us because he's a spectacular player and a very good boy. His patella tendon has been broken - it's a bad injury, it's going to take a long time, we don't know exactly how long but probably the rest of the season. We are working on it in collaboration with Southampton."

Derby County star sent love from Premier League

Derby County forward Tyreece John-Jules was sent love from the Premier League as he netted his first Derby County goal on Tuesday night.

The 22-year-old is on loan from Arsenal and has missed a series of games with a thigh injury. Now fit again, John-Jules is beginning to impress and was on target in the 1-0 win over Port Vale.

Sharing an image of his celebration on Instagram after the match, the striker wrote 'WE BACK'. It caught the eye of Arsenal superstar Bukayo Saka, who shared his love for the loanee with a heart-eyed emoji in the comment section.