- 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
Josh Vickers (Derby): Joe Wildsmith was dropped from the Derby team at the start of the month after an error-ridden first half of the season, and it’s given Josh Vickers an opportunity.
The 28-year-old has since started victories over relegation strugglers Fleetwood and Burton, before pulling off a string of fine saves to preserve his side a point and clean sheet at Lincoln, leaving the Rams with just one defeat in 14 league games.
Defenders
Lewis Billington (Crewe): For 19 months, Lewis Billington’s only experience of league football at Crewe was the 2-0 loss at Doncaster in April 2022, which mathematically confirmed the club’s relegation from Sky Bet League One.
The 19-year-old has had to be patient, but after taking his opportunities this season in cup competitions, most notably the 2-2 FA Cup draw with Derby, he’s been able to find a place for himself.
In fact, Billington has played six different positions this season, his versatility crucial in Lee Bell navigating an awkward campaign on paper with flying colours, and he was outstanding in the 3-1 victory at Barrow, getting himself onto the scoresheet in the process.
Ben Gibson (Norwich): Norwich were happy to pay £8M for Ben Gibson, after the centre-back inspired them to the Sky Bet Championship title in 2020-21, but his permanent stint hasn’t quite gone to plan with injuries hampering his contributions.
It’s been a tough time for the former Middlesbrough man, but Gibson responded defiantly in Saturday's 2-0 victory over West Brom, ferocious in the basics and smooth in possession – a reminder that he can still mix it on his day with the best defenders in the league.
Ryan Delaney (Newport): If the recent FA Cup draw hasn’t served as motivation for the boyhood Manchester United fan, nothing will.
The Irish battler has been especially determined to get his form on track before County welcome The Red Devils on Sunday, but Saturday’s game was quite the occasion too.
In a first league meeting at Rodney Parade between Newport and Wrexham since 2013, the Exiles took the honours with a 1-0 victory – Delaney starred at the back, and crossed for Seb Palmer-Houlden’s winner.
Jacob Bedeau (Morecambe): With Joel Senior injured, Ged Brannan was expected to deploy David Tutonda, a natural left-back, at left-back.
A penny for Tutonda’s thoughts, because he’s instead been watching from the bench as Jacob Bedeau has been moved to left-back, with Chris Stokes – who ironically made his name at Coventry as a left-back himself – filling in at centre-back.
Risky move? Perhaps, but Bedeau’s pace and strength makes him ideal for defending one-on-one scenarios, which he did superbly in Saturday's 2-1 victory at MK Dons, and his ball-playing qualities allow him to support attacks from deep.
Midfielders
Karamoko Dembélé (Blackpool): Dembélé got a lot of attention right at the start of his football journey when he featured for Celtic’s Under-20s squad at just 13, and while he subsequently managed eight senior appearances for the Bhoys as a teenager, it may have been a case of too much, too soon.
The move to Brest may have helped in terms of taking himself out of the limelight, and the diminutive 20-year-old is enjoying his loan spell at Blackpool, bringing delightful one-touch combination play from an advanced midfield role.
With more performances like the one in Saturday’s 2-1 victory at Bristol Rovers, Dembélé will at least come into Eric Roy’s first team plans for Les Pirates, and may have Championship interest in England.
Flynn Downes (Southampton): Shea Charles may yet prove a fabulous long-term investment for Southampton, but he came into a club with immediate promotion ambitions as somebody with very little senior experience, so defensive imperfections were almost to be effective.
To the Saints’ credit, they acted late in the window and the signing of Flynn Downes looks the difference between Russ Martin’s side settling for a Play-Off berth, and pushing Leicester and Ipswich right to the wire.
Downes’ 160 games under his belt makes him more streetwise at the base of midfield, while also stronger defensively, but a 94.7% pass success rate shows he fits smoothly into the Martin ideology – and Saturday’s 3-1 victory at Swansea was one of his best performances of the season.
Stuart Armstrong (Southampton): Southampton have taken 53 points from the 22 games Stuart Armstrong has started, and five from the other five. Coincidence? We think not.
Armstrong was at his very best as the Saints secured a 3-1 victory at Swansea, and boss Russ Martin’s former assistant, Luke Williams.
The left-sided midfielder managed two assists in his 76 minutes on the pitch, mustered four shots at goal with an xG of 0.39, of which two were on target, drew two fouls, and achieved a 90% pass completion rate whilst still creating chances – four, to be precise.
The dynamic 31-year-old also does his fair share of defensive work, making him a key man in the team’s automatic promotion push.
Forwards
🌟 Jonny Rowe (Norwich): It’s been a challenging campaign for Norwich, with question marks over the club’s financial clout, the late timing of new Sporting Director Ben Knapper’s arrival, the management of head coach David Wagner, and whether the old heads who arrived in the summer have done enough to rejuvenate a squad that’s been mentally drained by the last couple of seasons.
The one ray of light, though, has been Jonny Rowe, who has brought the entertainment factor to Carrow Road and, along with Gabriel Sara, plus Josh Sargent when fit, is dragging the Canaries into Play-Off contention.
Quick, hardworking, strong on either foot and delightfully unpredictable, Rowe starred in Saturday’s 2-0 victory over West Brom, sweeping the ball home for the second from Dimitri Giannoulis’ cutback.
Ryan Hardie (Plymouth Argyle): Ryan Hardie has been crucial to Plymouth Argyle’s journey under Ryan Lowe and Steven Schumacher, and the early evidence is that will continue under Ian Foster, after a brace in the new Head Coach’s first home game in charge – a 3-1 victory over Cardiff.
Hardie’s work rate is obvious, but he’s an intelligent striker, too, and for his first was beautifully bamboozling.
As Alfie Devine squared it, onlookers expected the Scot to aim inside the near-post, but he instead had the composure and awareness to anticipate Mark McGuinness’ trajectory with metronomic precision, and adjust his feet to slot it into the far corner.
Ben Waine has struggled with the step up to the second tier, and Mustapha Bundu is raw, so keeping Hardie fit is a must.
Thelo Aasgaard (Wigan): We’ll be honest, Wigan against Reading was a quiet game that could have finished goalless in different circumstances, but it was a moment of magic from Thelo Aasgaard that gave the hosts all three points, and that’s what gets him into this XI.
After linking up with Luke Chambers, Aasgaard showed immense confidence to work the ball onto his right foot, before balancing power and placement to curl past David Button.
Keep this kind of form up and the 21-year-old should catch the eye of Norway boss Ståle Solbakken, with 2026 World Cup qualifiers beginning in March 2025.
Manager
Lee Bell (Crewe): Lee Bell has shown astonishing adaptability as Crewe boss this season.
The Alex would have been seen to have a small squad before the campaign, so the 40-year-old has navigated the injury crises admirably.
It’s one thing to have a plan and a vision as a manager – that’s important – but equally valuable is the ability to come up with something different when problems arise.
Bell has done that, and steered the club through what looked a transitional campaign as the Railwaymen looked to rediscover it’s stylistic and developmental values, whilst staying as competitive as they could in terms of results.
For Crewe to be flying high in fourth, level on points with the automatic promotion spots, albeit having played more games, is extremely impressive.
And after seeing his side win 3-1 at Barrow, supporters would argue they’ve replaced their opponents as the biggest threat to wealthier candidates like Stockport, Wrexham, Mansfield and Notts County.
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