Brian Ashton explained his decision by saying I had lost my spark from the World Cup.

BBC: Andy Gomarsall column

But the World Cup has helped spark a new interest.

BBC: World Cup's uneasy team-mates

Tony Smith, like Sheens, has assembled a squad almost unrecognisable from the one which competed in the World Cup, pinning his hopes in youth to provide that spark of exuberance and energy.

BBC: Closing the gap?

The goal injected a spark into the play of Manchester City, whose best hopes of making Europe are through the Intertoto Cup or Uefa's Fair Play award.

BBC: Birmingham 3-1 Man City