BBC Radio Stoke Sport

The Port Vale manager Neil Aspin has said he "would like to stay at the club and fight for my job" after a meeting with chairman Norman Smurthwaite.

He said he gave it "a lot of thought" after receiving abuse, adding: "I fully accept that results have been disappointing of late and we certainly haven't made the progress that I was hoping this season."

Image source, Getty Images

But he said he wouldn't let supporters drive him out and challenged his players to show fight, determination and desire to reverse their slump in form.

BBC News Travel

The lane restrictions at junction 4A of the M5, the turn off for the M42, have been lifted and it's back to two lanes.

Highways England says the measures - which were introduced to encourage people to use alternative routes and avoid the works at Oldbury - have worked and more drivers are using the M42 as an alternative.

BBC Weather Watchers

It was a frosty start to Friday for most of the West Midlands and our BBC Weather Watchers didn't disappoint with some icy photos:

Walsall could give a debut to winger Matt Jarvis, who joined on loan from Norwich City on Tuesday in Saturday's clash against Bolton Wanderers.

Image source, Getty Images

Walsall beat fellow third tier clubs Coventry and Sunderland to reach round three of the FA Cup.

This will be the first ever FA Cup meeting between Bolton and Walsall, with the sides most recently facing each other in a 4-1 win for Bolton in February 2017 in League One.

In all competitions, Walsall have lost nine of their last 10 away games against Bolton, conceding 34 goals in the process.

BBC Business News

UK house prices grew at an annual pace of 0.5% in December, the Nationwide building society has said, the slowest annual rate since February 2013.

The lender says uncertainty over the economic outlook appears to be undermining confidence in the market.

Try our housing calculator to see where you could rent or buy

Harun Jama, 16, was found bleeding on a towpath after being stabbed in Oxford and later died.

Coventry's tenure as European City of Sport is launched at the Ricoh Arena this weekend.

Image source, Coventry City Council

Former 5,000m world record-holder Dave Moorcroft will join Paralympian kare Adenegan at Wasps' match against Northampton to mark the start of the year's events.

It's hoped the year will improve the health and wellbeing for everyone in Coventry, said the city council.

In the next 12 months a new water park is due to open in the city centre, along with a new 50m pool at the Alan Higgs Centre and a sports and wellness hub at the University of Warwick.

A new nature reserve in Telford is being given protected status by the local council.

The Dawley Pools and Pit Mounds cover a 38-hectare site and are the 15th area to be given the Local Nature Reserve title by the authority.

Image source, Telford and Wrekin Council

The status protects the reserve, which was once a mining site, from development.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

The trust which runs Hereford County Hospital is asking to extend its new ward block by an extra storey to accommodate an extra 24 beds.

Planning permission for the first two storeys of the building, which will replace the 80-year-old Canadian huts at the hospital, was granted in March last year.

Image source, Google

The plans are due to go before councillors in March and the Wye Valley NHS Trust says the new building should be open to patients by 2020.

The founder of a month-long campaign encouraging women to grow out their body hair says she's had a "great response" and women from all over the world have now signed up to take part.

Image source, Laura Jackson

Januhairy wants ladies to "love and accept" their natural hair while raising money for charity.

Laura Jackson, from Kineton, Warwickshire, said said she came up with the idea after growing out her own hair for a performance.

She hopes to raise £1,000 for charity Body Gossip, external's education program, which teaches young people about body image.

A 58-year-old woman has died in a collision involving a car and a tractor near Crewe last night.

The crash happened on the A500 at Barthomley at 22:00 and the woman, who lived locally, died at the scene.

Image source, Google

The driver of the tractor was unhurt.

Chelsea sign keeper Ann-Katrin Berger until 2022 after her deal with Women's Super League rivals Birmingham expires.

KMPG has been appointed administrators to the engineering unit of Monarch Airlines - which itself collapsed in 2017.

Some 450 jobs are at risk at Monarch Aircraft Engineering (MAE), which has a base at Birmingham Airport, owned by private equity firm Greybull Capital.

Image source, SBNA

KPMG said the business, which provides aircraft maintenance services, had tried to find other business after the collapse of the airline.

Earlier this week, MAE said line maintenance operations at Birmingham Airport, along with Gatwick, East Midlands, Newcastle and Glasgow Airports will be largely transferred to Morson Group.

Employment fairs will be held in the coming days in Birmingham and Luton to help employees secure new roles, said KPMG.

Exeter back-row forward Matt Kvesic says it is his renewed love for the game that has helped prompt talk of an England recall.

BBC News Travel

A signalling fault between Aston and Lichfield Trent Valley is expected to delay rail services until about 12:00.

Train services are being delayed or revised between the stations.

A woman had to be cut free from her vehicle after a crash near Wishaw, Warwickshire, this morning, said the fire service.

She was taken to hospital after the crash which happened shortly after 07:15, said the ambulance service.

Express and Star

Some of the Express and Star headlines today are:

• West Bromwich murder suspect still on the loose as manhunt continues, external
• Second man convicted over Wolverhampton traffic warden attack, external
• Mayor Andy Street in police funding vow after row with PCC , external

BBC Sport

Telford Tigers face both of their title rivals this weekend, with head coach Tom Watkins saying he thinks these head-to-head matches will prove crucial.

Going into these games, Tigers lead the NIHL North by one point, with a game in hand on second-place Sheffield Steeldogs.

Hull Pirates are a further three points behind.

Image source, Steve Brodie

Solihull Barons, who released forward Filip Supa in the week, also play Sheffield on Sunday.

Coventry Blaze travel to bottom-side Milton Keynes Lightning tomorrow, before hosting Glasgow Clan on Sunday.

BBC Radio Stoke

Strictly Come Dancing Star AJ Pritchard has denied newspaper headlines which claim he is hiring a bodyguard after being attacked at a nightclub in Nantwich.

He was left with cuts and bruises and his brother Curtis needed knee surgery after being assaulted by a group at Nakatcha, in Welsh Row, on 27 December.

Image source, Getty Images

Cheshire Police says a 20-year-old man from Crewe was arrested and released under investigation in relation to the case.

Two people had to be cut free after becoming trapped following a crash involving two cars in Nuneaton this morning.

Image source, Warwickshire Police

Fire crews were called to the site on Weddington Road and used cutting equipment to release the casualties, said Warwickshire Fire Service.

Three people were taken to hospital, said the ambulance service, after the crash which happened shortly after 07:15.