Gab Sutton's EFL Team of the Week: Paul Mullin the man

• Gab Sutton is a football expert who specialises in the Sky Bet EFL.

After every weekend of action, he builds an EFL Team of the Week and picks out a Sporting Life Star performer.

Goalkeeper

Jed Ward (Bristol Rovers): After starring on loan at Wealdstone last season, the goalkeeper sharing his name with the early 2010s-peaking Irish pop duo has recently displaced Brentford loanee Matthew Cox at Bristol Rovers.

On this evidence, it’ll be tough for Cox to reclaim his starting spot, after Ward inspired the Gas to a 1-0 victory at Leyton Orient despite James Wilson’s late red card.

Ward made a fine low stop to deny Max Sanders’ effort from just outside the area after a flowing Leyton Orient move, before equally impressively halting Joe Pigott at an angle one-on-one.

Defenders

Harvey Rodgers (Grimsby): It’s been a mixed season so far for Grimsby’s Harvey Rodgers, after the Accrington Stanley stalwart swapped Lancashire for Lincolnshire this summer.

On Saturday, though, Rodgers was outstanding in the 1-0 six-pointer victory against Forest Green, which leaves the Mariners six points above the drop zone with two games in hand at a crucial stage, rather than level on points.

Not only did the versatile defender have his tabs on opposing striker Christian Doidge throughout, he also scored the winner, looping the ball home eight minutes in after Gavan Holohan mishit his shot into the ground.

Shad Ogie (Gillingham): Gillingham have scored the joint-fewest goals in League Two. Gillingham are also seventh in League Two. How does that happen?

Well, for a start, the Gills must have a water-tight defence – indeed, they’ve kept 13 clean sheets from 35.

Centre-backs like Shadrach Ogie have been key to solidity for the Kent club, who have remained stingy at the back despite the stylistic transition under Stephen Clemence, missing just four league games all season.

Ogie was in top form in Saturday’s 2-0 victory at Salford, arguably Gillingham’s best performance of the season, and headed in the opener from close-range after Ethan Coleman’s craft.

Jake Clarke-Salter (QPR): QPR continued their stunning turnaround with a shock 2-1 victory at leaders Leicester, as a third straight win lifts Martí Cifuentes’ side up to 19th.

We’ll be honest: Steve Cook could just as easily have got into our XI, but we’ve given the slot to Jake Clarke-Salter, who was imperious in the East Midlands.

With an elite reputation at youth level, the 2017 Under-20s World Cup winner with England has had a first half of his senior career plagued by injuries, meaning he hasn’t played above the Championship other than 16 minutes for Chelsea in 2015-16.

At QPR, though, he’s played 80+ minutes in each of the last 15 games, and with consistency like that he could start to reach his potential in the second half of his career.

Midfielders

Ryan Barnett (Wrexham): If Wrexham’s away form was anything like their home, they’d almost be promoted by now: 41 points from 17 games at the Racecourse Ground for the Red Dragons, who remain just two points clear in the race for automatic promotion.

Phil Parkinson’s side continued to enjoy their home comforts on Saturday, running out 4-0 winners over Accrington Stanley at STōK Cae Ras, after Ryan Barnett picked out Paul Mullin for the opener with a pin-point cross.

Barnett’s work ethic and quality of deliveries makes him a key man in Wrexham’s bid for a second successive promotion, as they look to cure their travel sickness when it matters most.

Kamil Conteh (Bristol Rovers): After thriving under Mike Williamson at Gateshead, Kamil Conteh did enough for half a season at Grimsby to earn a move to Bristol Rovers – and that £300K is looking like a bargain.

Not only is the 21-year-old highly press-resistant, with the ability to progress the ball either through his passing or ball-carrying, he showed a tenacious side in Saturday's 1-0 victory at Leyton Orient, winning seven tackles for Matt Taylor’s side.

Paris Maghoma (Bolton): Paris Maghoma is one of League One’s top ball-carriers: he has a directness to his running, but he can also swerve away from opponents to keep them guessing.

The Brentford loanee showed the latter side to his repertoire to set up Aaron Collins in the 2-0 victory over Cambridge, playing a one-two with Victor Adeboyejo before dancing around the U’s rearguard to slot one through for the recipient.

Bolton are very team-oriented in how they go about creating chances, but it doesn’t do any harm having a midfield like Maghoma who brings that touch of individuality.

Louie Sibley (Derby): It’s three goals in four for Louie Sibley, who scored the winner against Stevenage in mid-February, before scoring a brace in the 3-0 victory over Port Vale three weeks later.

The Derby academy product looked a serious prospect when he first came into the side in 2020, but a combination of injuries and being played in multiple positions saw him fall out of form and favour.

More recently, he’s embraced the left wing-back spot, and if he can help the Rams to promotion from this position, this could be looked back upon as the season he reinvented himself.

Harvey Knibbs (Reading): Reading all but ended Carlisle’s hopes of staying in League One next season, and boosted their own, with a 3-1 victory at Brunton Park, where Harvey Knibbs grabbed the headlines.

The attacking midfielder showed sharp movement to play through former Cambridge teammate Sam Smith for a chance early on, and again to get ahead of his marker for a tap-in later in the half.

Knibbs did some great work against the ball all afternoon, and stole it to slot through for Femi Azeez to force a great save from Harry Lewis, before bagging his second with a smart first-time effort.

That’s 10 goals for the season now, for Knibbs, who may attract interest come the summer.

Forwards

🌟 Paul Mullin (Wrexham): Paul Mullin is a master of the stooping header and that was how he scored two of his three goals in Saturday’s 4-0 tonking of Accrington Stanley, following crosses from the right from Ryan Barnett and Elliot Lee, from around the centre of the box and back-post respectively.

Those nodded efforts sandwiched a firm strike from distance as Mullin’s second hat-trick of the campaign took him to 14 goals for the season.

The former Cambridge front-man hasn’t quite hit the heights expected of him since returning from injury in Autumn, especially after hitting 46 goals in all competitions last season, but if he can pick up some form this Spring it could make all the difference to the Red Dragons’ promotion prospects.

Mo Faal (Walsall): Doncaster Rovers weren’t happy with the circumstances in which Mo Faal was recalled from his loan from West Brom in January, only to be loaned out to Walsall, in the same league.

Faal has since been part of a Saddlers side, though, that have soared from 16th to sixth in the space of a fortnight due to the tight nature of the Play-Off scramble, securing a fifth straight win against Grant McCann’s side.

Faal made all the difference from the bench in a 3-1 victory for Mat Sadler’s side, bringing the pace and power to make him a nightmare for opposing centre-back Richard Wood, a touch of flair, and an eye for goal, nodding home a near-post corner to cap the perfect impact.

Manager

Johnnie Jackson (AFC Wimbledon): We’ll be honest: we questioned Johnnie Jackson last season, as Wimbledon sunk to a 21st-place finish in their first season back down in League Two.

This season, though, Jackson has corrected a lot of things and, as well as taking the Dons into Play-Off contention, he’s given them a clear playing identity: a strong, consistent, direct side that isn’t afraid to hit the intelligent Omar Bugiel early, and then bring in quality from the flanks.

Jackson will go down in Wimbledon folklore for being the first manager to oversee victory over Saturday’s opponents at Plough Lane, thanks to Ronan Curtis’ iconic winner in the last minute of injury-time.

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