Sheyi Ojo – Fulham
There were plenty of midweek fixtures this week, so most of the Liverpool loanees were in action twice. Sheyi Ojo was one of these players and his Fulham side welcomed Hull City on Wednesday night. Fulham ran out as 2-1 winners and Ojo played his part, providing the assist for the opening goal. He took the ball right down to the byline, before squaring it back across the goal and picking out Floyd Ayite who comfortably tapped home. He was eventually taken off in the 90th minute as a time-wasting ploy.
On Saturday, Fulham travelled to Burton Albion where they had an unhappier time of it. The scoreline was reversed as Fulham lost 2-1 and Ojo had a poorer game. He was booked in the first-half for simulation and missed a chance in the 70th minute which would’ve levelled the scores. He hit a first time shot from the edge of the six-yard box, with basically an open goal to aim at. However, Ojo appeared to be too casual with his effort, which cannoned back out off the crossbar. He continues to look dangerous going forward for Fulham, but his finishing seems to be letting him down as he has failed to take any of his chances this season.
Taiwo Awoniyi – Royal Excel Mouscron
Taiwo Awoniyi bagged himself his second goal in Mouscron colours, but it was ultimately in a losing cause. Awoniyi out-muscled a Zulte Waregem defender, before waltzing past a few other players and into the box. It was a calm finish as he delicately lifted the ball over the goalkeeper who committed to the ground far too early. That made it 1-0 after 15 minutes, but the tables turned for Mouscron and the match finished 2-1 to Waregem.
Shamal George – Carlisle United
Following a run of poor performances from Carlisle number one, Jack Bonham, Shamal George has been given an opportunity to start for the League Two side. The week got off to a disappointing start as Carlisle lost 2-0 to Coventry. George had a decent game, making a few good saves but the second goal looked a bad one to concede. A miss-hit shot from Peter Vincenti went straight into the ground and bounced slowly over George who was scrambling to try and cover his back post. There wasn’t a lot he could’ve done, but the speed at which the ball went into the net made it look a lot easier than it was.
Fast forward to Saturday and Carlisle picked up a point at home to Barnet. The visitors took the lead after just eight minutes when George was let down by his defence and faced a one-on-one with Jean-Luis Akpa-Akpro. The striker slipped the ball past George only to see his effort come back out off the post, but no defenders could act quickly enough and Akpa-Akpro slotted the rebound home comfortably. George should be credited with the assist for the equalising goal. He played a long ball forward which was controlled by Shaun Miller on the edge of the box. Miller’s first touch set him up for a stunning overhead kick which caught everyone by surprise. The match finished 1-1 and George had a good afternoon so I’d be very surprised if he didn’t start again next week.
Pedro Chirivella – Willem II
Willem II picked up their first win of the season in an emphatic 3-1 win, away to Roda JC. The two sides made up the bottom two places of the Eredivisie so the match was an early six-pointer. The win for Willem II means that Roda are now the only team in the league without a point to their name. Chirivella picked up an assist for the second goal but that was more by luck than judgement. After going in for a 50/50, the ball ricocheted off his leg and turned into a perfect through ball. Spanish striker Fran Sol did the rest and provided the finish. Later on, Chirivella was booked for the fourth time in five games leaving him just one yellow card away from a suspension.
Divock Origi – Wolfsburg
Divock Origi had an afternoon to forget on Saturday when his side lost 1-0 to Vfb Stuttgart. Chances were few and far between upfront for Origi, as the Belgian managed just a single shot which was blocked by a defender. He was dispossessed three times as he struggled to try and find a way into the game. He’ll need to put in a much better showing next week if he’s going to cement his place as the lead striker in the absence of Mario Gomez.
Toni Gomes – Forest Green Rovers
Toni Gomes was brought on as a late substitute on Tuesday night, to try and overturn the 1-0 deficit against Lincoln City. Unfortunately, it was not enough time for him to make any difference and the score remained the same until the final whistle.
He was introduced slightly earlier on Saturday and had a whole half to try and make an impact. Again, Forest Green were trailing 1-0, this time away to Port Vale. Forest Green got back into the game through Omar Bugiel and Gomes had a chance to win it all late on. However, his mishit volley was easily gathered by the Port Vale ‘keeper.
Ryan Kent – SC Freiburg
Ryan Kent was a halftime substitute, but he won’t look back fondly at his Bundesliga debut. He came on when they were losing 3-0 to Bayer Leverkusen and he couldn’t do anything to stop the match finishing 4-0. It looks as though he is being integrated slowly into the side so we should hopefully see him starting within the next couple of weeks.
Brooks Lennon – Real Salt Lake
Continuing his role as a substitute, Brooks Lennon played just 15 minutes of the win over the Portland Timbers. He entered the fray with the score at 2-1 and Real Salt Lake were looking to just see out the game and hold on to the win. Therefore, there weren’t many opportunities for Lennon to create going forward but he played comfortably as RSL secured all three points.
Connor Randall – Hearts
Connor Randall was absent from the 2-1 away win over Hamilton Academical as he was carrying a knock. There shouldn’t be any need for too much concern and it looks like he should be in action sooner rather than later.
Jordan Williams – Rochdale
Jordan Williams was an unused substitute for both of Rochdale’s fixtures this week. First of all, they beat Doncaster 2-1 on Tuesday, before losing 3-2 to MK Dons on Saturday.
Allan Rodrigues – Apollon Limassol
Allan was an unused substitute as Apollon kicked off their Europa League campaign on Thursday. They took on Lyon at home and secured a point with a 1-1 draw.