Across
1
Struggling in lead for England, Southgate’s developed complex (7,6)
5
A worker stops eschewing alcohol, making effort (7)
9
Go over boundary of reasonable limit (5)
10
Rotter ultimately caught in base action didn’t go straight (9)
11
Old lady, a bit naughty, eating meat in judicial office (10)
12
Stagger with small and large quantity of wine? (4)
14
Darn SMS auto-corrected writer of predictive text (11)
18
Revealing feature of French artwork that includes sci-fi picture (11)
21
Row generating a stink (4)
22
Home supporter hears groups of people fighting (10)
25
That lady’s hugged by prancing poseur, a comic figure? (9)
26
Adventure story, a gripping book in Biblical setting (5)
27
What might cover features talk about for instance – His Majesty? (7)
28
Complimentary Cockney’s report of high-scoring football result (3,4)
Down
1
Fast runners saving a thousand pounds for sultanas (6)
2
In Paris, a period to drink drop of Cognac 28 from bars (6)
3
Suggest dressing Oscar and Carol in regal fashion (10)
4
One playing grand French song, forgetting opening line (5)
5
Hearing you in a Carmen opera song puzzles maestro (9)
6
He abandons the funny, cut-throat tradesman (4)
7
Concerned with sea horse eating starter from Italy? Rice, maybe (8)
8
Model turning up bags has meal order (8)
13
Person hired to plug in TV with rear side damaged (10)
15
Literary figure in Beckett’s timeless novel (9)
16
It’s likely belligerent Olympian features in papers always (1,4,3)
17
School programs inspiring new, strong spirit (8)
19
Kind of equation involving 50 + 1? Not far off (6)
23
Remote area Charlie goes around (5)
24
Wee tot’s play reduced by 20% (4)