BRENTFORD 3 Toney 19, Mee 58, Maupay 68
NOTT'M FOREST 2 Danilo 3, Wood 65
IVAN TONEY has spent the past eight months plastering his body in reflective tattoos to help forget his gambling ban hell.
Yet here on his long-awaited return to action at Brentford, the more significant words were not written in ink. They were emblazoned across his chest.
Welcome to English football's bizarre double standards.
A broken system that is happy to endorse gambling and claim its cash - but fall into trouble and you will be hung out to dry.
"I feel like a free man, declared a stone-faced Toney in midweek.
He has not been held captive, nor been imprisoned, but the heartfelt statement was a damning reflection of the crippling mental struggles he has endured on his long road to liberation.
Thankfully, there was a priceless, early and deserving moment of redemption via a smartly-crafted 19th-minute free-kick.
Toney's goalscoring powers have evidently not waned during his time away from the game.
This story is from the January 21, 2024 edition of The Sunday Mirror.
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This story is from the January 21, 2024 edition of The Sunday Mirror.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
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