Phil The Power Taylor can sleep easy – there are no threats to his crown as king of the oche from the City players.

The dartboard at their Johnstown training complex in Enfield has taken some serious hammer during the breaks in between sessions.

But so much for the sharp-shooting strikers.

Alan Connell and Nahki Wells completed a marathon best-of-three match that took nearly an hour – half of that on the deciding leg.

Word has it that nobody can live with Stephen “one dart” Darby when it comes to landing the doubles.

But Wells gets his own back at table tennis. Only James Hanson and Ricky Ravenhill come close to the Bermudian, who is so good that he has taken to playing sitting down in a chair.

**** Bradford City and Port Vale have provided the star billing for Athlone’s mid-season friendlies. But they are not the biggest celebrities to have hit that part of Ireland.

Ask any locals and they will proudly recall the day in 1975 when AC Milan came to town for a UEFA Cup tie.

Athlone held the mighty Italians to a goalless draw – and could have won it with a penalty.

John Minnock’s effort was saved and his brother-in-law, who still works on the gate at the ground, admits he has never been allowed to forget it.

“John scored a lot of goals for Athlone – and a lot of penalties,” he said. “But all anyone asks him about is that one that he missed.

“But it was a great night. The crowd was 9,000 officially but there was probably twice that got in – the whole town was there.”

Athlone then hung on for 75 minutes in the second leg at the San Siro before running out of steam to lose 3-0.

**** City’s visit to Bohemians this afternoon is unlikely to attract much media interest among the Irish press.

The Bantams might be a bigger name after their Wembley exploits last season but I can’t see them competing with the other two acts over here.

Michael Buble is playing the last of his five gigs in Dublin’s O2 Arena tonight while Bruce Springsteen follows up 40,000 sell-out gigs in Cork and Limerick with another at Belfast.