Zola expects to play for one more season

Gianfranco Zola has surprised himself so much with his form and fitness that he may extend his career for another season. The veteran Chelsea striker is enjoying an Indian summer, his displays having propelled Chelsea to third place in the table and the Worthington Cup quarter-finals, and himself to joint top of the scoring charts.

The 36-year-old former Italian international said it will be hard for him to give up his career at the end of this season as planned. He has committed himself to London schools for his children, and there is an option for a further two years at the club in an unspecified capacity. That was originally designed to potentially allow him to join the coaching staff but it could still involve a playing role.

Zola said: "It doesn't feel like I'm 36. I'm surprising myself as well as I run up and down as much as everyone else and I don't get any more tired than them." Asked if he even could carry on until he was 40, Zola, who turns 37 next July, responded with a smile: "Don't put any more pressure on me. I like to take things step by step. I'm pleased with the way I'm playing at 36. I just hope I can play like this when I'm 37 but 40 is a long way away."

Jerzy Dudek accepts that the time is right to give Chris Kirkland his chance as Liverpool's No 1. The Pole, who made an unexpected appearance in the club's Worthington Cup victory over Ipswich on Wednesday, will take a rest to allow the England Under-21 to have a run of games starting with Saturday's game at Charlton.

"He deserves it," Dudek said. "He has been really good to me and it's the right time to give him a chance because of the bad period I'm going through. It wasn't easy for me to play against Ipswich after a few bad games, but the fans were brilliant."

The Football Association's full council were told yesterday why the Premier League and Football League want to set up a "professional game board" to give clubs a greater say over their commercial and financial affairs. The issue led to last month's departure of the FA chief executive Adam Crozier, who tried to block the move but found the FA's executive board in favour. FA chairman Geoff Thompson updated the full council at yesterday's meeting.

The FA said: "Mr Thompson advised members of council that the 'professional game board' will be a sub-committee of the FA's main board and it will be involved in the FA's commercial and financial matters where they relate to the professional game."