A derby day win for Wigan Athletic and another Jobe Bellingham masterclass in midfield are the main highlights from this weekend’s action in the EFL.
There were plenty of shocks across the EFL fixtures with Leeds United dropping points and Wrexham falling behind Birmingham City after a disappointing draw.
After Sunderland’s comeback victory against Swansea, take a look at Charlie Elliott’s team of the week to see which other players impressed for their respective clubs.
Connor Ripley (Port Vale)
Reliable Port Vale shot-stopper Connor Ripley was unfortunate to not be on the winning side in their 0-0 draw away at Bromley, but the fact that the Valiants were close to winning was down to their keeper.
Ripley saved six shots, the best of which was from a point-blank header and would have earned his side a victory had they not been denied a goal by the officials when the ball seemed to have crossed the line.
Arkell Jude-Boyd (Cheltenham Town)
Arkell Jude-Boyd scored a lovely goal in Cheltenham Town’s comfortable 2-0 win against Morecambe.
He plucked the ball from the sky, flicked it over defender Adam Lewis’ head and coolly slotted it on his weaker left foot.
Nothing got past him either, and he was part of the Robins‘ defensive unit that did not concede a single shot on target all afternoon.
Such was his quality going forward, his opposing defender Lewis was hooked off at half-time for not being able to cope with Arkell.
Eiran Cashin (Derby County)
Everything seemed to go right for Derby County in their 4-0 win against Portsmouth on Friday, and there were a few contenders for this team from the Rams.
Eiran Cashin stood out, with his perfectly timed header from the penalty spot doubling their lead at the time.
Although he was only on the pitch for 60 minutes, it was a job very well done for the Irish centre-back.
With rumours of a Premier League move on the cards, his stock will be sky-high at the moment.
Taylor Allen (Walsall)
Scoring the winning goal and creating the most chances in a game is a pretty unusual day at the office for a defender, but Taylor Allen did just that in Walsall‘s 1-0 win over Barrow.
The left centre-back in a three, Taylor consistently tried to make runs forward to create overloads and got his reward with a goal from the outside of the box.
It may have been slightly fortunate to have gone in, but it made all the difference for Walsall, who remain top of the league on 40 points.
Neto Borges (Middlesbrough)
Neto Borges gave a masterclass in defending in Middlesbrough’s 1-0 win over Millwall.
Boro’s Brazillian left-back won 12 duels in total and absolutely pocketed Romain Esse, who is one of the more exciting young wingers in the league now.
A couple of chances created also show that Borges has a varied game.
Thelo Aasgard (Wigan Athletic)
Wigan got the best of their local rivals Bolton Wanderers after a 2-0 victory, a sight which has become all too familiar in recent years, much to the dismay of Wanderers fans.
Thelo Aasgard ran the show as he so often does, notching a goal and an assist from midfield.
The Norwegian/Scouse footballer’s first touch for his goal was outstanding, somehow bringing down a whipped cross to nutmeg a defender and then calmly finish.
Jobe Bellingham (Sunderland)
Another young maverick in midfield is Bellingham.
The talented England youth international got himself a goal and an assist in Sunderland’s 3-2 win away at Swansea City, with both involvements coming within two minutes of each other.
His assist came in a similar form to last week, with it mainly being down to a spectacular Dan Neil strike.
His goal was a result of him being in the right place at the right time, which capped off a brilliant Sunderland comeback and got them within two points of the automatic spots.
Cian Hayes (Peterborough United)
There is something about Peterborough United and signing gems from non-league who perform outstandingly and eventually move up the leagues.
Winger Cian Hayes looks to be next in this long list of top talents.
In the Posh‘s 4-3 win over Crawley Town, Hayes scored two nice finishes on his left foot, the first of which came after he danced past the Crawley defence to cut inside.
A deadly player when coming in off the right, Cian is one to watch for the future.
Gustavo Hamer (Sheffield United)
Too good for the Championship?
Most would think so about Dutch attacker Gustavo Hamer, who in his spells at Coventry City and now Sheffield United has lit it up in the second tier.
A sweetly struck half volley gave the Blades an early lead against Plymouth Argyle, and sent them well on their way to a comfortable 2-0 win.
Five chances created mean that Hamer may be disappointed with only the solitary goal involvement.
Ephron Mason-Clark (Coventry City)
As previously mentioned, Hayes may be the next in line for Peterborough’s talent development, but someone who has been there and done that – is former Posh star Ephron Mason-Clark.
Frank Lampard got his first home win as Sky Blues boss thanks to Ephron, who got a goal and an assist in their 2-0 win over Hull City.
His goal was a scrappy header, but his assist was anything but scrappy.
Mason-Clark sat down his man on the wing and produced a pinpoint cross to find Jack Rudoni who could not miss from close range.
Five dribbles completed indicate just how dominant he was over the Tigers’ defence.
Cole Stockton (Salford City)
Salford City striker Cole Stockton is known for having a moment of magic in him.
His performance against Notts County showed a more clinical and consistent side to his game, something which had been lacking in recent times.
He latched onto some lacklustre defending to finish twice from close range, and for a player who thrives on confidence more than most, these goals will come as a huge relief.
He was instrumental in a 3-0 rout at the Peninsula Stadium in Kersal.
