As a full card of EFL action finally returned after an international break (that felt like it took ages to end), there were plenty of local derbies and juicy fixtures on the big return across the Championship, League One and League Two, but here are the 11 players that stood out the most, earning a place in our team of the week for Gameweek 8!
GK – Cieran Slicker – Barnet FC
Saving one penalty is always a good day at the office for any keeper, but two is even more obscene for an EFL goalkeeper. Well, step forward Cieran Slicker, who’s heroics guided The Bees to their third victory of the campaign, saving two second half penalties, picking up an 8.5 Fotmob rating, despite not having much else to do throughout.
His first penalty save came in the 62nd minute, preventing Josh March from bagging Alex’s second of the game, guessing correctly diving to his right, with the second coming just eleven minutes later, this time coming from Max Sanders, whose shot down the middle struck Slicker’s feet, before slamming off the crossbar, before an eventual scramble in the box. Slicker has more than earnt his place in our team of the week.
LB – Matt Targett – Middlesbrough
Targett’s started his spell with Middlesbrough in impressive fashion, picking up the assist for the only goal of the game against Sheffield United two weeks prior, this weekend going one step further, opening his goal account for the campaign, picking up the opener against Preston North End, which earned him an 8.5 Fotmob rating.
Coming in the 72nd minute to make the scoreline 1-1, Tommy Conway’s shot ended up being intercepted, but fell quite fortunately (not so much if you’re a PNE supporter) for Matt Targett, who volleyed past Daniel Iversen, who stood motionless, unable to react in time to make a dive.
CB – Jordan Storey – Preston North End
The second successive addition from the fixture between Middlesborough and Preston, Jordan Storey had an attacking masterclass, picking up a goal and assist, and despite a poor day defensively (conceding two), he racked up an 8.5 Fotmob rating for his efforts, additionally helped by winning the most duels on the pitch with 11. This more than helps Storey with his inclusion in our team of the week.
Storey’s assist came in the 22nd minute, teeing up winger Lewis Dobbin with a 20-yard pass just past the halfway line, before Dobbin’s trickery and impressive top-corner shot opened the scoring for PNE, which was doubled thanks to his headed goal in the 88th minute, picking up a Ben Whiteman corner, to head home unmarked in the box.
CB – Bosun Lawal – Stoke City
After struggling for minutes with The Potters last campaign, Lawal has cemented himself in Mark Robins’s starting lineup this campaign, and his 21st minute goal and clean sheet in Stoke’s 1-0 win over newly promoted, but high-spending Birmingham City will likely retain his position in the starting eleven even further.
Lawal had four shots throughout the 90 minutes (impressive numbers for a centre-back), converting his first of these, following his edge of the box header, which looped over the defence, as well as Ryan Allsop in goal, who failed to keep it out, despite getting a hand on the ball.
RB – Remeao Hutton – Gillingham
Gillingham continued their unbeaten record on Saturday, seeing off mid-table Notts County by a goal to nil, with Remeao Hutton assisting Josh Andrews to score the only goal of the game, as The Gills currently find themselves sat in 2nd position in the League Two table, sat narrowly behind Ian Holloway’s Swindon side, only separated by goals scored. We had to include a Gills player in our team of the week.
Hutton’s second assist of the season came in style, with his tidy cross accurately reaching Josh Andrews before defender Sonny Aljofree at the far post, to head past Kelle Roos in goal, which accelerated his match rating on Fotmob to an 8.5, alongside yet another clean sheet for Ainsworth’s men.
CM – Bradley Ibrahim – Plymouth Argyle
Ibrahim was Argyle’s Starman on Saturday, in which they picked up their second League One win of the campaign over freshly relegated Luton Town, in a game full of entertainment, that saw two penalties and an early red card for Argyle captain Joe Edwards. Ibrahim bagged goal number two and three for Plymouth, even shushing the Luton supporters following his third, creating quite the stir in the home end!
His first came in additional time during the first half, when he nabbed the ball off Luton defender Nigel Lonwijk just outside of the penalty area, slamming the ball past Josh Keeley in goal, but he was forced to wait until the 75th minute to double his total, which came in interesting fashion, when a goal line clearance deflected off Ibrahim’s back, into the back of the net!
CM – Ollie Clarke – Swindon Town
Swindon are absolutely flying under Ian Holloway this campaign, and their 3-1 victory over Harrogate Town propelled them into pole position in the League Two table, with Ollie Clarke opening the scoring for The Robins as well as chipping in the assist for Aaron Drinan’s late goal to cement yet another victory. These contributions earned Clarke a solid 8.9 Fotmob rating.
The opening goal came in the 44th minute, when Joe Snowdon’s cross from far out wide reached Ollie Clarke on the edge of the box, leaving James Belshaw in goal motionless to open his tally for the campaign. Not only was his goal account opened for the season, but his assist tally was also too, when his neat pass into the box found Aaron Drinan ahead of his defender marking him, who slotted home for his second. Alongside Gillingham, We had to include a Swindon Town man in our team of the week.
CM – Oliver Norwood – Stockport County
In Stockport County’s one all draw against table toppers Cardiff City, Norwood was an absolute maestro in midfield, collecting an impressive 9.0 match rating on Fotmob due to his impressive defensive work which saw him make 7 tackles, as well as scoring their only goal of the game from the penalty spot.
Norwood’s penalty came in the 34th minute and was nearly the match winner until Yousef Salech’s last gasp heroics at the death, following Benony Andresson being fouled in the box by Perry NG, he sent Nathan Trott diving the wrong way, breaking the deadlock by firing into the top left corner.
LW – Jaden Philogene – Ipswich Town
During Friday night’s thriller live on Sky Sports (well unless you’re a Sheffield United supporter), Ipswich well and truly battered Sheffield United 5-0 in what turned out to be Ruben Selles’ final game in charge of The Blades, but the one standout man was Jaden Philogene, who bagged his first career hattrick during Ipswich’s first win of the campaign.
Philogene’s first came at 20 minutes, when Alex Matos’s sliding clearance kindly fell to Philogene’s path, who dribbled past ex Ipswich man Ben Godfrey, before slotting past Michael Cooper in goal, but his goals just got even better, with his second goal coming thanks to a dribble past Godfrey yet again as well as Matos, before hammering it past Cooper once again from outside the box. Shockingly (not), another mazy dribble past the defence completed his hattrick, with The Blades’ defence going back to Yorkshire with their tail between their legs. Philogene was always an inclusion in our team of the week.
RW – Bobby Pointon – Bradford City
In the long-awaited return of the West Yorkshire between Bradford and Huddersfield didn’t disappoint, with an immense atmosphere and an action-packed game ending up with a comfortable 3-1 victory for Bradford, with homegrown hero Bobby Pointon scoring two, although it was arguably a hattrick for the lad, which earned him a 9.1 match rating on Fotmob.
His opening goal was a simple one, finding himself unmarked in the box, picking up a close-range pass from Will Swan to open the games scoring. Just on the stroke of half time, Pointon’s tally was doubled, when Sarcevic’s skimmed header found Pointon at the edge of the box to fire past Nicholls in goal, with the next goal coming just a minute later, causing debates whether Pointon got the touch to guide the ball home. Pointon is proving to be a hero in BD8 and for that we had to include him in our team of the week.
ST – Dan Udoh – Salford City
Salford continued their fine run of form, defeating a struggling Shrewsbury side 3-1, with Udoh scoring two of the goals for The Ammies, propelling them to the automatic promotion place, which accelerated his Fotmob match rating to 9.0, also helped by completing the most accurate passes of any player on the pitch. These stats mean we couldn’t ignore Udoh in our team of the week.
The opening goal of the game came in the 28th minute, when Udoh latched onto the end Kadeem Harris’s forward pass, firing past Elyh Harrison with a venomous shot, but Udoh was forced to wait until additional time in the second half to double his total for the game, dribbling past two defenders before slotting into the corner whilst being slightly off-balance.
