Five things you might have missed in the EFL
Holly Hunt reviews the lesser-spotted talking points and unsung heroes you might’ve overlooked from gameweek seven across the Championship, Leagues One and Two.
Terriers’ Toffolo tons up
Huddersfield Town defender Harry Toffolo made his 100th consecutive EFL start on Saturday, hitting the milestone in a 3-0 win over Millwall at the Den. The left-back signed for the Terriers in January from Lincoln City for an undisclosed fee and has featured in every fixture for the West Yorkshire club.
Toffolo’s run began when he made his debut for Lincoln away at Northampton in August 2018 and he’s been given the nod for 99 more games since. He was subsequently named in the 2018/19 PFA League Two Team of the Year for his part in the Imps’ promotion to League One. The string of appearances spans three divisions, from League Two to the Championship – an impressive achievement for the 25-year-old!
Lincoln spark
On the topic of Lincoln, the Imps are enjoying their best start to a season since 2018/19, despite losing to Doncaster Rovers at the weekend. The defeat ended a run of three straight wins on the bounce but City, who have netted 27 goals in all competitions so far, were unbeaten in their first five.
Two years ago, Lincoln stormed League Two under the Cowley brothers and Michael Appleton’s side are now hot on the heels of rivals Peterborough United and Ipswich Town, edging ever closer to the automatic promotion spots.
Gestede set for Oz-some move
It appears as though former Middlesbrough striker Rudy Gestede has finally found himself a new club after being released by Boro in the summer… on the other side of the globe! The 32-year-old is reportedly on the verge of joining Australian A-League outfit Melbourne Victory, where incidentally he would link up with former Blackburn boss and current Melbourne assistant manager Steve Kean.
Gestede made 73 appearances for Rovers between 2013 and 2015 before joining then-Premier League side Aston Villa in a deal worth a rumoured £6 million. He arrived at the Riverside Stadium around two years later, and the Benin international has been a free agent since declining to sign a new deal with the Championship club in the summer.
He follows in the footsteps of a number of former EFL players making the move Down Under, including another ex-Blackburn striker, Matt Derbyshire, and former Reading marksman Adam le Fondre, who most recently headed out of Sydney FC on loan for Mumbai City.
Wanderers win at last
Three points have been long overdue for Wycombe Wanderers, who have been searching for their first Championship win for seven weeks. Naturally, it has taken some time for Gareth Ainsworth’s side to acclimatise to the third tier, but despite a handful of close encounters, they’ve been made to wait for the taste of victory.
The Wycombe head coach had been subject to criticism of late but responded by engineering Wanderers’ first ever Championship victory over Sheffield Wednesday. David Wheeler nodded home on the stroke of half-time, anchoring the Owls – who suffered a 12-point deduction at the beginning of the campaign – to the foot of the table. The South Yorkshire side are still on minus-four points and are without a win in as many matches.
League Two’s sack race
Amidst all the commotion elsewhere in the EFL, it might have escaped your attention that Tranmere Rovers are now managerless. Mike Jackson was relieved of his duties after just four months following the League Two side’s defeat to Morecambe at the weekend. The 46-year-old becomes the fifth managerial casualty in the fourth tier, with his departure coming just four days after Graham Coughlan was sacked by Mansfield.
The former Preston defender joined the club as number two to Micky Mellon in the National League four years ago, winning back-to-back promotions with the Birkenhead-based side. However, Tranmere, who were relegated last season on a points-per-game basis, sit 17th in the table, having lost five of their opening fixtures. Jackson released a statement on Tuesday saying he believes it is “only a matter of time” before the Prenton Park club achieves the success it deserves.
Follow Holly on Twitter @hollyhunt10
The Offside Rule 
Leave a Reply