Gab Sutton is a football expert who specialises in the Sky Bet EFL.
GK: Nick Townsend - Newport
Nick Townsend won’t be going away next week on international duty with Antigua and Barbuda, making him available for the trip to Mansfield, and on Saturday’s evidence, that’s a huge plus for Newport.
The former Birmingham academy graduate helped the Exiles to a valuable point and clean sheet against MK Dons, making five saves described as ‘world-class’ by their official X account!
RB: Brooke Norton-Cuffy - Millwall
Arsenal fans watch on with interest as right-back Brooke Norton-Cuffy continues to thrive on loan in the EFL, initially in League One with Lincoln, then in the Championship with Rotherham, Coventry, and Millwall.
The 19-year-old has broken into the England Under-21s squad already, and scored his first goal for the Lions, stealing the ball close to the byline before a trademark quick, strong, penetrative run into the box to finish inside the far post in a 4-0 win at Sheffield Wednesday.
Norton-Cuffy couldn’t be a straight swap for Ben White, because he likes to operate higher and wider, cutting inside in the latter stages of moves, as opposed to starting deep and narrowly but overlapping on the flank as play progresses.
If the Gunners want another option, though, Norton-Cuffy could bring something different, and working under a progressive coach like Joe Edwards will only improve him in the meantime.
RCB: Connor O’Riordan - Crewe
O’Riordan might only be 20, but he’s now one of the first name on Crewe’s teamsheet.
The Ireland Under-21s international was imperious in the Alex’s 1-0 win over promotion contenders Notts County, dominating Macaulay Langstaff in the air, as well as producing a crucial block to deny David McGoldrick.
A rangy figure at 6’4”, O’Riordan’s height and athleticism allows him to cover a lot of ground quickly and cover his teammates.
LCB: Dael Fry - Middlesbrough
Stopping Kelechi Iheanacho is no easy task: the Nigerian international already has five league goals for the season, in his false nine, link-up role.
That’s what Dael Fry did on Saturday, though, carrying out Michael Carrick’s instructions to the letter.
The man-marking system was risky: Carrick also asked Jonny Howson to stay on Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, which subsequently meant the midfielder was behind both centre-backs at points, and the danger could have been Boro’s defensive structure being compromised with players dragged left, right and centre.
To avoid that, the likes of Howson and McNair had to show impeccable discipline and perseverance, but Fry was outstanding.
LB: Phoenix Patterson - Fleetwood
With Ken Sema ripping it up for Watford on the left wing, we’ve channelled our inner Garth Crooks to fit Phoenix Patterson in, seeing as it’s been a lean weekend for left-backs.
Patterson was crucial to a dominant first half for Fleetwood: he assisted the second goal with his corner that Brendan Sarpong-Wiredu turned home, as well as curling a delightful free-kick inside the near-post.
The 23-year-old deserved his man-of-the-match after a sumptuous run of form.
RCM: Tyler Morton - Hull
With Regan Slater injured, Hull needed a tenacious midfielder to do the dirty work for Jean Michaël Seri: arise, Tyler Morton.
The on-loan Liverpool star has earnt an England Under-21s call-up with another strong performance, managing a 93% pass completion rate including two key passes, as well as being one of just two starting players to put a tackle in.
If Morton can carry on in this vein, he could make it difficult for Slater to walk straight back in when he returns.
LCM: Jack Taylor - Ipswich
As good as Massimo Luongo and Sam Morsy have been for Ipswich this season, they’ve only scored one league goal apiece in 14 and 15 starts respectively.
True, part of their remit has been to facilitate the goalscoring potential in others, but if the likes of Conor Chaplin and George Broadbent aren’t on their game, they won’t offer an alternative threat – but that’s where Jack Taylor comes in.
The Peterborough recruit brings energy, tenacity and neat link-up play – but he also has a piledriver on him, as we saw in Saturday’s 3-2 win over Swansea.
Not only did Taylor get power on his strike, his second league goal in 13 appearances, of which just two have been starts, but he also got delightful bend on it as well.
RW: Dan James - Leeds
Dan James produced an electric performance in Leeds’ 2-1 win over Plymouth Argyle, stretching the game with his pace in behind, but also producing a composed finish in the first half to double the lead.
The Welshman got at defenders all game, pressed superbly, and linked up very nicely with Archie Gray, especially in the first half.
AM: Joel Randall - Peterborough 🌟
Kwame Poku and Ephron Mason-Clark both had more direct goal involvements than Randall in Peterborough’s 5-0 win over Cambridge, so it speaks volumes for the latter’s showing that he earnt the official man-of-the-match.
The 2021 recruit from Exeter has been unlucky with injuries, and at times the £1 million price tag has served as a millstone, while competition in his positions has been strong.
This season, though, the squad is smaller and it’s given Randall a chance to build some momentum, which he hasn’t had previously: quick, direct, and capable of an incisive, cutting-edge through ball, the 24-year-old is playing with a swagger once again.
LW: Ken Sema - Watford
Ken Sema is such a reliable operator for Watford, especially in the Championship.
The Swede went externally under the radar in 2020-21’s automatic promotion, with João Pedro and Ismaïla Sarr grabbing the headlines, but he played a huge part as well, and this season he already has three assists to his name after two in Saturday's 5-0 win over Rotherham.
The 30-year-old is starting to forge a promising left-sided understanding with Ismaël Koné and Jamal Lewis, which helped him twice set up simple finishes for Mileta Rajović.
CF: Danny Rose - Grimsby
Ben Davies and Shaun Pearson made some brave calls as caretakers for Grimsby’s 3-2 win over Morecambe, leaving Abo Eisa, Kamil Conteh and Harry Clifton out of the XI, but they paid off.
The duo were expected to employ a similar style to Paul Hurst, but the team looked far more attacking under their guidance, and one of the beneficiaries was Danny Rose.
The springy striker produced an acrobatic close-range finish to level the scores, brought excellent link-up play and set the tone with his work rate from the front throughout.
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