Sky Bet EFL expert Gab Sutton builds an XI of the stand-out players from this weekend's action, naming an EFL Team of the Week and picking out a Sporting Life star performer.
@GabSutton is a football expert who specialises in the Sky Bet EFL
GK: Conor Hazard, Plymouth
The goalkeeping position was an area of concern for Plymouth, going into their first season at this level for 13 years, with star Michael Cooper beginning the campaign injured.
Conor Hazard, though, has alleviated the doubts with his early-season form, and a Goals Prevented Rate of 1.11, the joint-sixth best in the Championship.
Hazard produced a man-of-the-match performance in Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Hull, making four saves, all from inside the six-yard box.
Having won the Veikkausliiga (Finnish top flight) in 2022, as well as the Goalkeeper of the Year award in his loan spell at HJK from Celtic, Hazard is out to further his international prospects with Northern Ireland as he competes with Bailey Peacock-Farrell and Cheltenham’s Luke Southwood for the jersey.
With performances like this, he could swiftly become a fan favourite among the Green & White Army.
RB: Darnell Furlong, West Brom
Furlong endured a difficult 2022-23 season, despite starting 38 league games, because he wasn’t pushed by anyone for that starting spot.
This year, Matt Phillips has shown himself able to play right wing-back and Pipa, whom boss Carlos Corberan had at Huddersfield, signed on Deadline Day, meaning Furlong has had to raise his game to stay in the XI.
That he’s done, and perhaps no longer having the raw pace to operate as a rampaging right-back, Furlong has taken on an inverted role under Corberan, supporting play intelligently from behind.
The 27-year-old produced a firm strike to open the scoring in Saturday’s 4-0 victory at Preston North End, completing 57 passes – the third-most in the team – as well as making two interceptions, and showing his spring by winning a stunning six aerials at 5’11”!
Centre-back: Ryan Bennett, Cambridge
It’s unlikely Cambridge would have stayed up last season, were boss Mark Bonner unable to add the experienced Ryan Bennett to his side’s defence in January.
Bennett’s assured organisational qualities was crucial to the instant improvement in performances from the U’s, prior to the crucial run of five wins in nine at the business end.
Then, the former Norwich stalwart operated in the middle of a back-three but this season, he’s forged a centre-back pairing with Michael Morrison, another veteran winter recruit from 2022-23.
The duo have been at times impenetrable at the back, especially when protected well by full-backs tucking in and Paul Digby breaking things up in midfield, but Bennett produced one of his best games in a U’s shirt in Saturday's goalless draw at Derby.
The 33-year-old cajoled the troops throughout, whilst showing excellent positional awareness, and more performances like that one will be essential to keeping the CB5 outfit safely in midtable.
Centre-back: Rod McDonald, Harrogate
Although Harrogate are the smallest club in the EFL, they were able to add quality to their ranks this summer, signing 2022-23 Player of the Year at Morecambe and Crewe respectively, in Liam Gibson and Rod McDonald.
The latter has had an excellent start for Simon Weaver’s side, and produced his strongest showing yet for the Sulphurites in Saturday’s 1-0 victory at MK Dons, which completed back-to-back wins.
McDonald made an astonishing 15 clearances for Town at Stadium:MK in a commanding performance, and when he’s started this season, the North Yorkshire outfit have taken 13 points from seven games, losing the other three.
Left-back: Patrick Brough, Northampton
Northampton struggled with injuries last season, winning automatic promotion despite having a double-figured list of absentees throughout the second half of the campaign.
That might explain the attraction for boss Jon Brady in Patrick Brough, who started 148 out of a possible 175 league games across four seasons at Barrow, an 85% hit-rate.
Brough has been an inspired acquisition for the Cobblers, who has started all nine league games so far, and got his first goal of the season in Saturday's 2-0 win at high-flyers Exeter.
The 27-year-old showed incredible running power to get on the end of Kieron Bowie’s injury-time cutback to wrap up the points, and produced the finish to match, after getting into some great goalscoring positions previously to no avail.
The goal will do wonders for Brough’s confidence, but his work rate is exemplary: the left-back won three tackles, four aerial duels and made three blocks in a welcome victory for Teyn.
Central midfield: Matt Grimes, Swansea
Back-to-back 3-0 wins have come as a much-needed boost for Swansea, who have hauled themselves up to 19th.
Natives were angry after a meek derby defeat to bitter rivals Cardiff, but after an improved showing and point at QPR, Michael Duff’s side eased past beleaguered Sheffield Wednesday, before really kickstarting their season with a convincing performance at Millwall.
Matt Grimes was key to the victory, and having been very much the conductor from deep under possession connoisseur Russ Martin, he’s enjoying a freer role under Duff that allows him to break forward.
Grimes released his quality in the final third at the Den, interchanging passes with Jamie Paterson and Josh Key before firing home, having 33 of his 89 touches in the opposing half, something that wouldn’t have been seen last season.
Central midfield: Arthur Read, Colchester
Colchester are building an exciting young side, with the talents of Owen Goodman, Nico Lawrence, Zach Mitchell, Jayden Fevrier and Joe Taylor on show.
Despite this, it’s taken Head Coach Ben Garner some time to strike the right tactical balance, and they started with four defeats in five as the 4-4-2 saw them get overrun in midfield.
This matter, though, wasn’t helped by Noah Chilvers – so influential in previous campaigns - enduring a disappointing start to the campaign, whereas Arthur Read had been playing well individually without always having the right support around him.
In September, however, the experienced Cameron McGeehan arrived, likewise the energetic Jay Mingi, whom former Portsmouth boss Danny Cowley once dubbed an ‘anaerobic beast’.
Those additions have helped free up Read, who scored twice in Saturday’s thrilling 5-4 victory over leaders Notts County, the first a delightful free-kick, the second a rasping drive.
Central midfield: Ethan Hamilton, Lincoln
At school, we learn about Ether compounds, at Sincil Bank, it’s the Ethan compound, as Hamilton and Erhahon have formed an outstanding pairing for Lincoln.
Hamilton is relentlessly energetic, dynamic and forward-thinking, while Erhahon is cool, calm and assured, as well as having the work rate to press as required.
The duo complement one another delightfully, but it was Hamilton in particular who starred in Saturday's 2-0 victory over Cheltenham, completing two dribbles, one tackle and one key pass whilst winning one aerial duel.
On top of that, Hamilton brought excellent link-up play to support the attack, and an outstanding work ethic – he might have grown jaded towards the end of the game, after competing with Tomas Soucek and co. for West Ham in Wednesday’s honourable EFL Cup exit, but he was still giving everything.
With that sort of application, Hamilton will feel at 24 he can get his career on the right track.
Right-forward: Ellis Simms, Coventry
After signing from Everton in the summer, Ellis Simms was given the unenviable task of replacing Viktor Gyökeres, who had scored 38 league goals across the previous two seasons before leaving for Sporting CP this summer.
Simms hadn’t scored until Saturday, and could have been forgiven for feeling the heat, but after getting two goals in a 3-1 victory at QPR, the 22-year-old is off the mark.
Quick, strong and direct, the 6’3” centre-forward had looked a handful in previous games, too, only at Loftus Road, the Sky Blues played to his strengths by moving the ball quickly, and playing forward early at the right moments.
Left forward: Riley McGree, Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough have taken seven points from the five league games Riley McGree has started this season, top half form, and one from the other four.
Michael Carrick has tried to add craft and quality to his side this summer, but the likes of Morgan Rogers and Sammy Silvera have looked somewhat enigmatic, and their low work rate has led to a team that has at times been too easy to carve open.
McGree might not be as refined a technician as either, but his running power not only makes Boro a stronger unit, it also draws more out of the creative operators because they have somebody stretching the lines for them.
The Aussie burst a gut to get on the end of Jonny Howson’s through ball in Saturday’s 3-2 victory at Watford, and covered a lot of distance to slot home after exchanging passes with Matt Crooks, completing his brace.
Last season, McGree didn’t rack up the big numbers due to the form of Chuba Akpom, Ryan Giles and to an extent Cameron Archer, being more of a selfless system player who ended 2022-23 with nine goals and assists combined.
The most productive operators have since departed, though, so McGree has had to step up – and he already has seven in the same combined metric.
Centre-forward: Ali Al-Hamadi, AFC Wimbledon
It had been a quirky first nine months for Ali Al-Hamadi at AFC Wimbledon, after signing from Wycombe in January.
In the second half of last season, the Iraqi front-man scored in five defeats, with only one of his 10 goals coming in a victory.
This season, the Dons have only suffered one league defeat, yet it took Al-Hamadi until late-September to find the net.
Nonetheless, most supporters weren’t concerned about his goal drought, with the work he was doing for the team whilst getting into the right positions, and the last two games have brought a change of luck.
The 21-year-old bagged his first of the campaign in a 3-1 victory at Walsall, before scoring the first ever Wimbledon hat-trick at New Plough Lane in a 4-1 win over 10-man Tranmere.
The athletic striker has forged an excellent pairing with the selfless Omar Bugiel, has shown ice cool composure in front of goal, and could be ready to enjoy a purple patch for the South Londoners.
Manager: Scott Lindsey
After last season’s dice with the drop, followed by the departures of James Tilley, Jack Powell, Dom Telford and Ashley Nadesan, as well as key loanees from the previous campaign, Crawley were widely tipped for relegation this season.
So far, however, boss Scott Lindsey and the team have defied all the doubters, as the Red Devils sit proudly in an astonishing 2nd place with 20 points from their first 10 games.
Defender Will Wright, midfielder Liam Kelly, left-sider Nick Tsaroulla and forward Danilo Orsi have all enjoyed outstanding form as ever-presents in the league for the Sussex club, who have stunned neutrals whilst playing delightful, possession football.
Last season, there was a lot of noise around Crawley as owners WAGMI United’s wacky marketing strategy irked supporters, but since then Preston Johnson and co. have been quieter, giving Lindsey the space to get on with the job.
While ownership question marks haven’t gone away completely, Lindsey has compartmentalised the issues admirably, and kept focus on the things him, the staff and the team can control, and masterminded a 3-0 victory over Sutton, their fourth win in succession.
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