Sky Sports decide to bring back football show under new name years after cancelling it

Sky Sports is gearing up to relaunch a fresh version of its iconic football panel show, Sunday Supplement, which was scrapped in 2020. Initially entitled Hold the Back Page in 1999, the show featured leading sports reporters convening on Friday evenings to dissect the week's most compelling stories.

It soon found its perfect slot on Sundays under the legendary Jimmy Hill's guidance, tackling all the hot topics from the world of football, including breaking news and tantalising gossip. Following Hill's departure in 2007, Daily Express' very own Bill Bradshaw and Brian Woolnough of the Daily Star stepped up to the presenting plate. Neil Ashton eventually took the reins until Jacqui Oatley made history as the first woman to lead the show in 2020. However, despite its success, Sky Sports shelved it the same year, citing scheduling challenges.

A Sky spokesperson explained at the time: "The huge volume of live football since the restart and a condensed season that has already begun means we must look at how best to deploy our resources for the benefit of our customers."

Now, according to the Daily Mail, aficionados of the show have reason to cheer - Sunday Supplement is set to rise again ahead of the 2025/26 Premier League season, with an announcement expected imminently. While it may boast a new title, the core essence of the show, featuring journalists engaging in passionate debates, is poised to remain unchanged.

The cancellation of Sunday Supplement came amidst a significant network revamp. Later in 2020, Sky announced that both The Debate and Goals on Sunday would also be leaving our screens. Soccer AM also suffered the axe in 2023 after 28 years on screen, having struggled due to a loss in regular viewership.

Goals on Sunday, like Sunday Supplement, started in 2000 and ran for two decades. It was hosted by Sky icon and former Swindon Town and Brentford midfielder Chris Kamara, and he and co-host Ben Shepherd welcomed big-name guests each week. Both Alex Scott and Laura Woods also made appearances as presenters.

Another ex-Sky Sports big-hitter, Jeff Stelling, still can't quite fathom why the show was axed, and why Kamara was later enlisted to cover lower-league matches before departing the broadcaster for good in 2022.

"From out of nowhere, it all began to go wrong for Kammy," Stelling writes in his autobiography, Saturday Afternoon Fever. "Sky axed Goals on Sunday, though to this day, I don't understand why.

"They certainly had nothing to replace it with. They kept the name alive for a segment shown on Sky Sports News, but it bears no resemblance to the original.

"Previously, Kammy would always have been at the biggest in-vision game of the weekend, but now he found himself being sent to Championship or League One fixtures. He covered them with the same enthusiasm as he covered every game."