League One owner is open to selling training ground as ex-Brighton & Newcastle man trains with new club

League leaders Portsmouth were held to a frustrating 0-0 draw at 10 man Blackpool over the weekend, but remain in pole position for promotion heading into the final furlong of the season.

John Mousinho’s side are targeting a return to winning ways in front of the Fratton Park faithful in Tuesday’s home game as they take on a Burton team, winless in their last four, that are desperately battling to avoid relegation to the fourth-tier of English football.

Portsmouth fans will be keeping a close eye on the results of promotion rivals Derby and Bolton in midweek as they prepare for a challenging run of fixtures in the coming weeks with both Peterborough and Barnsley on the horizon.

Ahead of a crucial round of League One fixtures we round up the main headlines from around the division.

Controversial League One owner claims he is looking to sell club’s training ground

The owner of Reading has revealed that he is now looking to sell the club’s training ground as financial unrest continues to overshadow the club’s recent revival on the pitch.

Chinese businessman Dai Yongee has been the subject of great scrutiny from an increasingly vitriolic fanbase and during the last three seasons Reading have gone from a mid table Championship side to one near the foot of the League One table - incurring 16 points worth of deductions and having a transfer embargo applied due to continuous failure to fulfil financial commitments.

In a statement, Yongee said he was “evaluating every option’ to secure funding until new ownership was confirmed. He added that he was ‘open to the sale of Bearwood Park, should an appropriate offer be received.”

The fan-led Sell Before We Dai group has been campaigning to force a change of ownership, and has staged several protests throughout the season. These groups were supported by relegation rivals Port Vale, who joined the by holding up red cards, calling for tougher regulations on club owners.

As it stands, Yongee claims the club has been contracted by “seven or eight bidders” but claims “as of today no single party has been granted exclusivity.”

Reading travel to Portsmouth’s promotion rivals Derby in their next match and will continue to play an important role in the promotion race next month as they make the journey to third place Bolton on 1 April.

Former Brighton, Newcastle and Sunderland man begins training with League One side

Former Newcastle, Brighton and Sunderland winger Kazenga LuaLua is now training with Charlton Athletic as he continues his search for a new club.

The 33-year-old winger has been without a team since last summer when he was released from his contract with Levadiakos in the second-tier of Greece.

LuaLua has made over 200 appearances in English football and has vast experience at League One and Championship level. His last spell in the EFL saw him win promotion from the League One with Luton Town in 2019 as he was coached by Charlton’s current boss Nathan Jones.

London News Online reports that Charlton are now casting their eyes over LuaLua at the club’s Sparrow Lane training ground ahead of a potential reunion with Jones.

Charlton are 14th in the table, 10 points clear of the drop zone, after a recent upturn in fortunes under Jones, who has lost just one of his first eight games in charge.