As the 2025/26 season’s long anticipated start finally arrived, it certainly didn’t disappoint across either division. Now, with the dust settling following its return, here is the Lower Tiers’ EFL Team of the Week for the inaugural weekend.
GK – Jay Lynch – Fleetwood Town
Fleetwood kept newly promoted Barnet at bay, with goalkeeper Jay Lynch playing a key part in their clean sheet on the opening day, getting Pete Wild’s side off to a flying start.
Lynch made six saves throughout the 90 minutes, facing an xG of 0.68, including an impressive save to deny a great strike from Barnet centre-midfielder Dennis Adeniran just after the hour mark.
On the main rating apps, Fotmob gave him a rating of 8.7, whilst SofaScore gave a still solid 8.1. A lot higher than the opposition goalkeeper Owen Evans, who made the mistake of the weekend!
LB – Warren Burrell – Harrogate Town
Harrogate shocked freshly relegated Bristol Rovers on the opening weekend (costing plenty of football fans their weekly acca), edging a scrappy 1-0-win past one of the favourites to win League Two.
Club captain Burrell’s defensive stats were ideal for any defender, providing three interceptions, two recoveries and tackles, as well as winning 100% of his ground duels alongside 88% of ariel duels, keeping Rovers’ frontline of Sotiriou, Thomas and Omochere completely at bay.
Fotmob provided a final match rating of 8.1, whereas Sofascore gave a slightly lower rating of 7.9, albeit still very impressive for a defender.
CB – Joe Low – Huddersfield Town
Joe Low’s debut consisted of a clean sheet and a debut goal, a dream debut for any player, as well as a deserved position in our team of the week!
Low alongside fellow new boy Jack Whatmough provided stability at the back in Huddersfield’s reformed squad, helping kickstart their highly anticipated second season in League One with a 3-0 victory over Leyton Orient.
Alongside his debut goal, Low was also the player with the highest pass accuracy on the pitch at 90%, contributing to his 8.3 match rating on Fotmob making his spot in this Team of the Week justified.
CB – Cheyenne Dunkley – Chesterfield
On his long-awaited return from injury, Dunkley stood out at the back for the Spireites, restricting Barrow to just one shot on target throughout the 90 minutes, kicking off the Spireites second campaign in League Two with a clean sheet.
Dunkley’s stat that stands out from his performance is his whopping 13 duels won, alongside his five recoveries, two blocks and 14 clearances, incredibly impressive considering this is his first start since October last year!
Fotmob gave the 33-year-old an 8.2 rating, and yet again SofaScore ranked him slightly lower at 7.9.
Right-Back – Ronan Kpakio – Cardiff City
18-year-old right-back Ronan Kpakio shone on what was just his fourth competitive start for Cardiff City, scoring his first professional goal in the 60th minute from an Ollie Tanner cross to help clinch victory against Peterborough United. He also became the youngest player to score on the opening weekend of the season since Wilfried Zaha for Crystal Palace in 2010!
His involvement in the buildup, creating width and bringing forwards into position showed his maturity beyond his years with an 88% pass accuracy and only being dispossessed once throughout the whole match.
Fotmob gave Kpakio a well-earned 8.1 rating, whereas SofaScore only gave a 7.6, likely due to the lack of a clean sheet. However, even with this, his spot in the Team of the Week is well deserved.
CM – Charlie Webster – Burton Albion
Charlie Webster played a pivotal role in Burton’s narrow victory over Mansfield Town, scoring a brace, helping secure Burton Albion their first opening weekend victory since 2021.
Both goals showcased serious technique, mixing long-range power with precision finishing on the second goal, with even manager Gary Bowyer even credited extensive pre-season shooting work for this output.
Although his other statistics weren’t great, especially on the defensive side, but you can’t deny any credit for his impressive cameo for The Brewers.
Fotmob gave him a 9.1 rating, 1.1 higher than any other player on the pitch, which is still on the conservative side compared to SofaScore who gave a whopping 9.6!
CM – Conor Thomas – Crewe Alexandra
Crewe’s campaign began with a bang, with Conor Thomas being the main man to thank, with his brace against Salford City, doubling his prior goal tally with the club in just a single game!
Thomas’s strikes changed the narrative of the game, capitalising on a large spell of momentum for Alex, thanks to his composed finishes which outperformed his xG by over 0.5, not bad for a CDM!
Fotmob provided him with a solid rating score of 8.8, bettered slightly by SofaScore who gave a 9.1, indicating a well-deserved position in our Team of the Week.
RW – Fraser Murray – Wigan Athletic
The first of two Wigan Athletic wingers on this list, Fraser Murray had a dream debut for the Latics, bagging two goals versus a struggling Northampton side, outperforming his xG significantly as well as creating two key chances, which ultimately led to such high praise following the full-time whistle.
Gaffer Ryan Lowe singled him out for praise, pointing to his two goals, his creativity with both feet, and describing him as a “breath of fresh air” who “probably went under the radar” before arriving from Kilmarnock
Fotmob gave the debutant a 9.1 rating, whilst SofaScore were even more generous with a 9.7.
LW – Joseph Hungbo – Wigan Athletic
The second Wigan Athletic winger on this list is Joseph Hungbo, who provided two assists in his 70-minute cameo, which guided Wigan to their dominant display over Northampton (a side that definitely need to improve to have any chance of survival this season).
Hungbo created four chances throughout the game, playing a majority of the game in the wing-back position. Despite being on the fringes of the squad last campaign, he staked his claim in Ryan Lowe’s side with an impressive preseason performance and will be a mainstay in the side if he continues to play with this quality!
Fotmob rated him an 8.8, impressive considering he only featured for 70 minutes.
ST – Jamie Reid – Stevenage
The 31-year-old Northern Irish international started the season in style with a brace over Steve Bruce’s Blackpool, including tucking away a composed penalty, which was by far
the game’s most controversial moment following Michael Ihiekwe’s supposed handball.
His other goal came from a tight angle, capitalising on Fraser Horsfall’s loose pass, demonstrating an impressive start for Stevenage’s 2023/24 top scorer. Reid was a key part of Stevenage’s win, given his clinical nature being needed when a side has just 34% possession.
SofaScore gave Reid a decent 8.6, whereas in contrast, Fotmob were slightly more generous at 8.8 making his spot in the Team of the Week well deserved.
ST – Sam Nombe – Rotherham United
Rotherham secured a dramatic 2–1 win over Port Vale, thanks to a first-half brace from Sam Nombe, who looks in fine form going into the rest of the 25/26 campaign. Nombe remained clinical under pressure, as he scored from the only two shots he took all game, significantly outperforming his xG.
He struck early, with both goals coming before Jaheim Headley’s red card in the 33rd minute, helping Rotherham maintain their lead despite both teams being reduced to ten men later in the game.
Fotmob gave an 8.8 rating for his performance, whereas SofaScore’s was slightly inflated at 9.1 making his spot in the Team of the Week arguably well deserved.
