Sporting Digest: Football

ALBION ROVERS, the Scottish Second Division club, have appointed the former Celtic defender, Tommy Gemmell, as their new manager. He takes over from Billy McLaren who resigned earlier this week to become manager of Queen of the South. It will be Gemmell's second stint in charge of Albion, having stepped down in December 1987 because of business pressures.

THE huge response to the first phase of World Cup ticket sales indicates that every match will be a sell-out, the organisers' chairman, Alan Rothenberg, said in Los Angeles yesterday. 'This initial phase was targeted to the members of our United States soccer family and to friends of World Cup USA, and I am delighted to report that the allocations we set aside were completely subscribed,' Rothenberg said.

MARCO VAN BASTEN, the Dutch striker, said yesterday he had to be 'a bit more patient' over his recovery from the ankle operation he underwent last December. The Netherlands play England in a World Cup qualifier at the end of the month and van Basten added: 'The prospects are good . . . but the problem is that the ankle is still bothering me. I'll just have to be a bit more patient than originally planned.' He had been expected to return by the end of March.

HFS LOANS LEAGUE First Division: Netherfield 1 Gretna 4.

DIADORA LEAGUE First Division: Abingdon Town 0 Molesey 2. Second Division: Hungerford Town 0 Banstead 5. Postponed: Full Members' Cup third round: Tooting and Mitcham v Purfleet.

FRIENDLY: Glenavon 0 St Johnstone 1.

BUSF TOURNAMENT (York University) Final: UAU I 0 Oxford University 1. 3rd/4th: Scotland 2 UAU II 1. 5th/6th: Wales 2 Northern Ireland 3. 7th/8th: London 0 Cambridge 0.