Crown Football Weekly Round-Up
Update on January’s Transfers:
Adam Phillips has joined Cambridge United on loan until the end of the season.
Corey Whelan has joined Yeovil Town on loan until the end of the season.
Ryan Kent has joined Bristol City on loan until the end of the season.
Stephy Mavididi has joined Charlton Athletic on loan until the end of the season.
Ryan Leonard has joined Southend United on a three-and-a-half-year deal.
Plymouth Argyle's Ryan Edwards has made 30 appearances for the League One side and scored his fourth goal of the season in their 1-1 draw at Doncaster Rovers on Saturday! However, since last week’s game, Ryan has been diagnosed with testicular cancer. The 24-year-old defender has undergone immediate surgery and we’d like to wish Eddy a swift recovery and hope to see him dominating the pitch again soon!
Birmingham City edged a scrappy FA Cup third-round tie against fellow Championship strugglers Burton thanks to Sam Gallagher's second-half strike - his fourth goal in his past five games. Steve Cotterill's side, who are one place and one point behind Burton in the Championship relegation zone, have now won their past three games. Nigel Clough's Brewers had also been finding some form, winning three and drawing one of their past five Championship fixtures and it was the visitors who looked the most likely to go ahead, with Turner going closest when his header was cleared off the line by Craig Gardner after the interval. But Blues stood firm and Gallagher's cool finish, after a great run and pull-back by former Brewers winger Jacques Maghoma, was enough to send the hosts in to round four.
Christian Walton heads back to his former club Plymouth Argyle this weekend. The 22-year-old Brighton & Hove Albion loanee said: “I’m really looking forward to it. We’re on a good run at the moment, especially defensively with the clean sheets we’ve had. I’m not feeling any pressure, obviously it’s been nice to keep so many clean sheets, but it’s not just me, it’s down to the whole team. It would be nice to equal the record, but it won’t be on my mind during the game at all and it’s not going to change my performance.
Christian has kept 9 clean sheets in 12 games at Wigan and will look to equal a Latics record for consecutive clean sheets against the Pilgrims. “It’s a good stat to have at the minute and that’s what us goalkeepers like to take from the games. If you’ve got a clean sheet then you’re doing something right. We’ve had a busy Christmas period and we did well through some tough fixtures, so it’s very much the same case of taking every game as it comes and not looking too far ahead.” Best of luck Christian!
Stephy Mavididi spoke of his delight at opening his account in senior football after bagging the winner in Saturday’s 1-0 victory over Oldham Athletic at The Valley.
The Arsenal loanee was making his second debut for the Addicks after arriving back at the club on Wednesday and his solo effort proved to be the difference as Charlton picked up their first victory in nine league games.
And the 19-year-old was pleased to grab his maiden goal in such fine fashion, saying “It felt great to finally get off the mark in the new year,” he explained. “It’s been a long-time coming, so that one was special. I picked up the ball out wide and saw I had a one-on-one so I’ve taken him on and creeped into the box. I took on the second guy, chopped it back onto my right, hit it hard and low and it went in. I think we had more goals in us and I think we let them off the hook a bit,” he added. “They were putting pressure on us, but we defended well, kept a clean sheet and got the three points so I’m delighted.”
Antony Evans hailed Everton Under-23s' togetherness and team spirit after his brace earned a 2-1 comeback win over Tottenham Hotspur on Monday night. The victory moved the young Blues up to fourth in the Premier League 2 table, three points behind third-placed Arsenal but with a game in hand. However, they had to do it the hard way in London. Against the run of play, Spurs took the lead in the 71st minute through Jack Roles, before an excellent through ball from Jose Baxter found its way to Evans, who poked the ball home to equalise three minutes later. Soon after, Evans netted the winner as he cut in from the right and fizzed a fine curling effort into the bottom corner with his left foot. “We all have character, a lot of us are from the city of Liverpool and we have a great team ethic.
The Owls Under-23s posted a point from their trip to Birmingham with a 1-1 draw in the PDL2 on Friday. The Blues named a strong side for the Under-23 clash with Arsenal loanee Carl Jenkinson and forward Che Adams named in the starting line-up. But it was Wednesday who went ahead just before the half hour mark with the goal coming from a swift counter. Jack Stobbs’ centre was met in the middle by Connor Kirby, whose header crept beneath Blues goalkeeper Jake Weaver. The hosts, though, hit back strong after the break and levelled from the penalty spot on 67 minutes.
