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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Ricky Charlesworth

Steve Claridge, Colin Murray and U2: Changing face of EFL coverage amid ITV return

Next season will once again see supporters of the 72 English Football League (EFL) clubs having to consult the TV guide.

The league's highlights coverage has moved from home to home over the past decade across a myriad of channels and it was announced this week that from 2022-23, ITV will be the new place for EFL fans to get their fix.

The move will see ITV4 become the home for Saturday night highlights from the Championship, League One and League Two. The programme will remain in keeping with the current time slot and be shown at 9pm.

It will however be repeated on the more prominent main ITV channel, later in the evening with another repeat set for Sunday morning.

Which highlights show did you prefer? Let us know in the comments

Digital channel Quest currently air EFL highlights (quest tv)

EFL Chief Executive Trevor Birch said: “With 1891 matches played across the season, it’s crucial for the EFL that the very best of our match action is widely accessible and we are delighted that ITV will show highlights of our games for the next two years.

“As an experienced major broadcaster with a comprehensive sports portfolio, ITV’s commitment to high quality coverage will showcase the breadth and depth of our competitions to football supporters all over the country.”

There is yet to be a name for the show announced, nor who will present the show.

With yet another channel change, Mirror Sport has trawled through the archives to look at how the league's coverage has evolved down the years.

Goals on Sunday (1989-2002)

There was a stand-alone show of the same name which Sky Sports broadcast for many years, but mention Goals on Sunday and fans from Yorkshire will instantly remember the 1990s offering from ITV.

Commentator John Helm was the man behind the mic in what was a 30-minute show with highlights showing one main game and then just goals from the rest of the county's teams.

It was usually aired at lunchtime meaning quite a wait for fans keen to see coverage of their side in the days long before on-demand streaming.

Goals on Sunday was presented by Ben Shephard and Chris Kamara (Sky Sports)

The aforementioned Sky offering also showed EFL games but purely high-profile incidents and goals.

The Championship (2004-2009)

The first real programme that did a proper job of summing up the weekend's action below Premier League level.

Despite that, the programme was often chastised by fans. Many were critical of the show's format and penchant for constant advert breaks.

As the show progressed, the number of pundits used diminished. Many clips and videos are still online of certain matches and incidents from the show, with the biggest compliment being the choice of U2's Beautiful Day as the theme tune - a continuation of the Premiership's intro music when ITV held the rights to show top flight highlights.

The Football League Show (2009-2015)

Manish Bhasin and Steve Claridge were the regular pair who fronted the BBC's Football League Show (BBC)

The BBC won rights to show EFL highlights from 2009 and the first thing they did was ensure a Saturday night slot for the show.

Manish Bhasin was a smooth host and he was almost always joined by Steve Claridge, who would help him chew the cud over the day's action.

An intriguing addition to the show was the presence of a dedicated reporter who would read out fan's emails. Jacqui Oatley or Lizzie Greenwood-Hughes would usually take up this role, but it was dropped after a few seasons.

Unlike ITV, the BBC would show 10 live games per season during their period of coverage.

Football League Tonight (2015-2018)

After six stable years on the BBC, coverage moved again in 2015. This time it was Channel 5 who won the rights.

And another schedule change was on the cards. This time it was moved to an even earlier slot on Saturday nights, at 9pm.

Throughout its run, the presenter scheduled was chopped and changed a few times and there were definitely teething problems.

The presence of a studio audience didn't catch on and the concept was soon dropped whilst many fans were irked by a strange running order that meant games from the same division weren't shown in the correct order.

EFL on Quest (2018-present)

Colin Murray, who led Channel 5's coverage in the 2017-18 season, was named as lead presenter as the highlights moved yet again.

This time the league's new home was digital channel Quest - an odd choice considering it was a station more known for its DIY shows and documentaries.

Nevertheless, much stayed the same with Murray fronting coverage in a studio that looked familiar and in its now customary 9pm timeslot.

As time has gone on the programme has expanded its offering to two hours, as opposed to 90 minutes.

There is also a sprinkling of analysis and punditry with Murray keen to stress the main focus of the programme is to show the football, rather than just chat about it.

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