By Charlie Elliott
While a handful of EFL teams enjoyed FA Cup escapades, the rest of the 72 were left to battle it out in their absence.
It benefited Sheffield United, who extended their gap to third-placed Championship side Burnley to five points, after the Clarets featured in a cup defeat against Preston North End.
Carlisle United, the biggest underperformers in League Two this season, secured a Cumbrian derby day victory away at Barrow, thanks to an impressive goalkeeping performance that kept the Bluebirds at bay.
All in all, it was another good week of action in the Football League, with ups, downs and a rollercoaster of emotions for all involved.
Here is Charlie Elliott’s Team of the Week from the weekend.
Gabriel Breeze (Carlisle United)
Mark Hughes has been working wonders since joining League Two basement boys Carlisle.
But they are still at the foot of the EFL despite a 1-0 away win against Cumbrian rivals Barrow.
Things are looking up, and the panic on the streets of Carlisle has subsided somewhat, with the win taking them up to three clean sheets in a row.
Goalkeeper Gabriel Breeze was key to this and had another solid outing at Holker Street, with five saves edging the Blues to within three points of safety.
It has been a tough season so far, but the faith put in their young keeper looks to be paying off.
Bradley Halliday (Bradford City)
An experienced right back for Bradford City, Bradley Halliday showed his attacking prowess from deep in their late 2-1 win at Salford City.
He bagged the equaliser with a powerful strike from the corner of the six-yard box after the ball came across to him from a set piece.
A big chance was also created by the ex-Middlesbrough man, who terrorised the Ammies’ defence throughout.
The win takes the Bantams up to second in League Two and four points behind table-toppers Walsall.
Jack Shepherd (Bradford City)
As mentioned, the Bantams are seriously knocking on the door for promotion to League One.
The old saying goes that titles are won by defence, and Bradford have an outstanding one thanks to their centre back, Jack Shepherd.
On-loan from Barnsley, the Yorkshireman has been outstanding so far this season and continued the trend against Salford.
With 17 duels won and four successful tackles made, the numbers tell the story of a great outing for Shepherd.
It would have been a clean sheet, too, if it was not for a very well-worked opener that he couldn’t have done any better for.
Nigel Lonwijk (Huddersfield Town)
Dutchman Nigel Lonwijk scored the winner in a tight win for Huddersfield Town away at Stevenage, in which the Terriers secured a 2-1 win.
Taking the lead in the 24th minute, Lonwijk and his side had plenty to do to hold onto the win, which he contributed brilliantly towards.
His winning goal came from a tidy header from close range, and he marshalled the three-man defence expertly.
Tayo Edun (Peterborough United)
Peterborough United was helped massively by the earliest red card in recent EFL history against Shrewsbury Town, as they won 3-1 in a tough game, given the circumstances.
John Marquis stole the headlines with a 13-second red card, but Tayo Edun had a performance to remember, in my opinion.
The left-back scored directly from a corner with a bit of help from the keeper, who bundled it in – a very rare and truly remarkable feat.
Overall, he put in a great attacking shift, creating four chances throughout the game.
Bryn Morris (Harrogate Town)
Harrogate Town had to win against Accrington Stanley to avoid falling into a relegation battle in League Two, and they have all but confirmed their safety after a 2-1 victory.
Bryn Morris wasn’t involved in either of the goals but was a great technician who brought much-needed quality to an otherwise scrappy game.
Continuously trying to make things happen, he created a couple of chances and was the main creative focal point for the Sulphurites.
Vinicius Souza (Sheffield United)
After a disappointing collapse against Leeds United earlier in the week, the Blades needed a reaction.
All that was necessary was a win away at QPR, which they just about did with a 2-1 victory in West London.
Brazilian midfielder Vinicius Souza is too good for this division, like many of his teammates, and showed that he is a step faster and better than his peers in this game.
Defensively solid with an assist, it was a perfect midfielder’s performance.
It takes his side five points clear of third-placed Burnley, although the Clarets have a game in hand after their FA Cup escapades this weekend.
Jordan Clark (Luton Town)
It has been a season to forget for Luton Town, who are close to realising the nightmare that is double relegation.
With much of the Premier League squad still intact, they haven’t lived up to expectations.
One of those who remains from their spell in the topflight is midfielder Jordan Clark, who scored the only goal in a 1-0 win at home to Portsmouth.
Clark reacted quickest after a shot rebounded out off the post to bundle it home past Nicholas Schmid in the Pompey net.
After twelve games without a victory, Hatters fans hope this marks a turning point in their fight to remain in the Championship.
Tatsuhiro Sakamoto (Coventry City)
An absolute classic at the Kassam Stadium saw Coventry City see off Oxford United 3-2, with Japanese winger Tatsuhiro Sakamoto getting a goal and an assist.
A perfectly weighted cross from the winger landed straight on Jack Rudoni’s head to open the scoring within ten minutes.
With the score poised at 2-2 with 20 minutes to go, Sakamoto chested down a cross in the corner of the box, before blasting a volley into the far top corner.
It was a finish worthy of winning any game, and it sent the travelling Sky Blues fans into raptures.
Now up to fifth in the Championship, Frank Lampard is doing an outstanding job in the Midlands.
Eliezer Mayenda (Sunderland)
Sheffield Wednesday fans will be sick of the sight of Eliezer Mayenda after the Spanish striker bagged his second brace of the season against the Owls.
Sunderland won 2-1 at Hillsborough and remains in fourth place in the Championship, still with high hopes of earning promotion back to the Premier League.
A proper striker’s brace, his first came after capitalising on a defensive error to slot past the keeper.
He then got the winner from a header in the six-yard box, where he showed a great instinct to be in the right place.
Still only 19, he could be the Black Cats’ striker for years to come.
Luke Molyneux (Doncaster Rovers)
Doncaster Rovers really do have enough quality to absolutely batter teams when they are at their best, with winger Luke Molyneux central to it.
One of the most comprehensive wins of the season; they got one over Newport County with a 3-0 thrashing.
Involved in so much, the winger created a mammoth seven chances, hit the woodwork and got the third and final goal of the game.
His effort that struck a post ended up being finished by Rob Street, so it is close to being considered an assist.
The goal that he did score was simply beautiful, cutting across the ball on a half volley to rifle it across goal and low into the far corner from right in the corner of the box.
