By Charlie Elliott
Leeds United were the biggest winners in the EFL this weekend with a 7-0 triumph over Cardiff City that secured their position at the top of the Championship table.
So it is unsurprising that a couple of Daniel Farke‘s players were amongst the best across the three leagues.
At the opposite end of the table, a derby-day debut double for Andrew Dallas saw Morecambe off the bottom of League Two after beating Fleetwood Town 4-2.
Overall, it was another great week of EFL action with only two 0-0 draws across the 35 games played.
Here is Charlie Elliott’s Team of the Week as February begins.
Nick Townsend (Newport County)
Surely Nick Townsend has earned himself legend status at Newport County by now.
Consistently solid between the sticks, he put in a huge performance in County’s 1-0 home win against Barrow.
A loss could have been disastrous in the race to stay up, but now there is a bit of daylight between them and the relegation places.
Some good saves were made throughout by the Antiguan, but the pick of the bunch came right at the end with a low dive at the near post after a driven effort that was destined for goal.
That save could prove crucial come the end of the season.
Michael Craig (Reading)
Reading won 1-0 at home to Bolton Wanderers thanks to a late Harvey Knibbs penalty, with Michael Craig a key man in the Royals defence.
Playing as a right-back, he won five tackles, eight duels and created a couple of chances in a proper end-to-end performance.
It wasn’t a classic of a game at all, but without the ability of the Scot, it could have gone the other way.
Ethan Pye (Stockport County)
What a season young Ethan Pye is having.
Stockport County narrowly edged past Leyton Orient 1-0 away from home, with a stout defensive performance from the backbone after taking the lead early on.
Pye was unbelievable at the left side of the back-three and yet again showed why many are touting him for big things.
Dave Challinor has built a proper side and another promotion could be on the cards soon with County sitting in fourth.
Josh Feeney (Shrewsbury Town)
Playing with a man down and trailing 1-0 against Mansfield Town, it looked for all the world as if Shrewsbury Town would be resigned to another defeat.
However, Josh Feeney helped turn the game around as Salop earned themselves a huge 2-1 victory.
Assisting the equaliser with a beautifully looped cross to the far post, after his own long throw was cleared back to him, the 19-year-old then showcased some outstanding defensive ability to hold on to the win.
Now seven points from safety, it doesn’t look like Gareth Ainsworth‘s side has given up just yet.
Junior Firpo (Leeds United)
After beating Cardiff 7-0, you won’t be surprised to learn that Junior Firpo isn’t the only Leeds player in this team.
A hat-trick of assists from the left-back tells you all you need to know about how good the Dominican Republic international was.
Two came from perfectly weighted crosses and the other was a perfect pass through to Joel Piroe.
Just outstanding, Firpo probably should be playing in the Premier League.
It looks as if he will be with Leeds next year, with the win taking them top of the Championship.
Jordan Roberts (Stevenage)
It was easy for Stevenage against Exeter City as they coasted to a 4-1 victory at home, with Jordan Roberts netting twice.
Both finishes were simple, with the first a proper tap-in and the second a tidy strike from a cut back, but you create your own luck.
Now only four points off the playoffs, it could be a late push for an unlikely promotion for the Boro.
Matty Lund (Salford City)
Salford City will be rueing missed chances after wasting a 2-0 lead away to Walsall to draw 2-2, but evergreen midfielder Matty Lund put in a great shift for the Ammies.
It was a physical game with not a lot of football played, and Lund won his battles while also providing a deft touch on the ball when needed, with an assist to his name too.
The most involved player on the pitch by a country mile, he had a very good game.
Tom Nichols (Swindon Town)
Who would have seen a 5-1 away win at Carlisle United coming for Swindon Town?
It was all over within 50 minutes thanks to Tom Nichols, who grabbed the first two assists of the game.
The first was a nicely weighted pass through and the second a show of desire to win the ball back high up.
That win likely secures safety for Town, which shows the remarkable job that Ian Holloway has done.
A worthwhile long trip up north for the Robins.
Dan James (Leeds United)
Like teammate Firpo, Daniel James had three goal involvements for Leeds, but this time it was two assists and a goal.
The first assist looked as if he had overrun it after rounding Jak Alnwick in the Cardiff net, but he calmly squared it to Brenden Aaronson to have an easy finish.
Both the other assist and the goal were pretty simple, with an easy pass across and a finish from about two yards out, but you have to be in the right place at the right time, which the Welshman was.
Andrew Dallas (Morecambe)
Morecambe has been crying out for a striker all season, losing plenty of games by a 1-0 margin and needing someone to score some goals.
Dallas is that man it seems.
The striker, signed on loan from Barnsley, had an incredible debut against Lancashire rivals Fleetwood, netting twice in the Shrimps’ 4-2 victory.
His first was a sweetly hit strike from the edge of the box and his second was a lashed finish from close range.
Dallas has already endeared himself to his new fans and after a transfer saga that lasted the whole of January, he has proved to be worth the wait.
Tom Eaves (Northampton Town)
Not many people would have expected Northampton Town to beat Huddersfield Town, but they did exactly that.
Tom Eaves got a goal and an assist in their 3-2 victory at Sixfields.
The assist was a good header to Sam Hoskins, who blasted a half-volley into the corner.
His goal was composure personified, latching onto a defensive error to poke home with plenty of time and space.
Involved in so much, with 30 duels in total for Eaves, the striker was a brilliant focal point in a great win that took the Cobblers five points outside of the relegation places.
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