Conor Bradley + Owen Beck (Bolton)
Wow, what a night for Bolton. A comeback win, a Bradley goal, and our duo finally starting together! On Saturday, Bolton beat Fleetwood 2-1, and Owen Beck completed his return from injury by starting his first-ever League One game. Despite it not being his best game (he lost 20 duels ouch), he lasted 80 minutes and was only subbed off while Bolton chased the game. Carlos Mendes scored for Fleetwood in the 16th minute, and Fleetwood were able to hold onto their lead until the 85th minute, when Beck’s buddy Conor Bradley scored to equalise! Ten minutes later, Oladapo Afolayan scored the winner for Bolton, a brilliant night for the Wanderers. Massive to see Beck and Bradley starting together, maybe Liverpool’s future duo on the flanks. The win moves Bolton into 5th in League One, even on points with 4th placed Peterborough.
Marcelo Pitaluga (Macclesfield)
Pitaluga had a very tough day, but it’s a home night to remember for Macclesfield as they stunned Mossley 4-3 with two goals coming in extra time. Mark Duffy scored a rebound opener for Macc in the 18th minute, but it didn’t take long for Mossley’s Jack Grundy to equalise with a looping header across goal. Grundy’s header was extremely saveable, and definitely one that Pitaluga will hope to forget. It stayed 1-1 until after the break, but Mossley’s Jordan Butterworth scored in front of the away supporters to make it 2-1. Butterworth’s strike took a wild deflection – not much Pitaluga could do on that front. Mossley seemed fairly comfortable with their lead, forcing Pitaluga into a couple easy saves, but Tom Clare equalised with a perfect header in the 86th minute. From here, pandemonium ensued. Mossley’s Jack Bannister regained the lead two minutes later after Pitaluga came out and failed to claim a cross, but Tom Clare headed in his second of the night in the 91st to equalise. Three minutes later, some brilliant footwork from Neil Kengin resulted in Macclesfield’s winner, and the crowd erupted. Overall, it’s a night that Macclesfield will hope to remember, but one that Pitaluga will hope to forget. The win keeps Macclesfield on top of the Northern Premier League West, with Leek Town trailing them by 4 points.
Paul Glatzel (Tranmere Rovers)
While Glatzel remains out with recurring hamstring issues, Tranmere were beaten 2-0 by Wimbledon on Saturday. Ethan Chislett opened up the scoring in the 8th minute, and than Tranmere took a massive blow as centre back Dynel Simeu was sent off in the 30th. Tranmere were presented with a great chance to equalise from the spot in the 68th, but Kane Hemmings horrific spot kick was saved. Shortly after that, Ayoub Assal ended all chances of a comeback with a goal in the 82nd minute. The win keeps Tranmere in 12th in League Two, even on points with Wimbledon in 13th, and 5 points back from a playoff spot.
James Balagizi (Crawley Town)
Balagizi is still recovering from a groin injury, and Crawley Town is still showing why their only claim to fame is the three YouTube brothers who train with them. This week’s result was a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Walsall. Dominic Telford took an early lead for Crawley, but it all went downhill from there, as Hayden White equalised three minutes later, and centre back Ludwig Francillete received his second booking in the 40th minute. Crawley were able to hang on to a draw while a man down until stoppage time, when Danny Johnson won it for Walsall in the 92nd minute. This latest defeat sees Crawley stay in 19th in League Two, 4 points ahead of the drop zone.
Adam Lewis (Newport County)
Lewis’s rapid fall out of form continued, as he was an unused substitute during Newport’s 2-0 win over Gillingham. Priestley Farquharson scored both of Newport’s goals, with Lewis’s replacement Aaron Lewis providing one of the assists. Aaron’s elite form as of late is a concern when it comes to Adam’s minutes, but not a concern for Newport. The win sees Newport jump into 18th in League Two, now 6 points ahead of the dangerous waters of non-league football.
Max Woltman (Doncaster Rovers)
Ever since Danny Schofield was appointed as Gary McSheffrey’s replacement at the wheel in Doncaster, Woltman has seen his minutes spiral down, until he wasn’t even selected for the squad for the last three weeks. There has been no injury news on this front, so it’s most likely just a case of him not being preferred. This week, Doncaster were beaten 3-0 by Colchester. Alex Newby opened up the floodgates in first half stoppage time, and his goal was followed by strikes from Samson Tovide and Luke Hannant in the second half. Doncaster’s loss sees them bumped into 10th in League Two, 3 points back from a playoff spot.
Fidel O’Rourke (Caernarfon Town)
Another week, another goal for O’Rourke, this time in a 3-3 draw with Connah’s Quay Nomads. O’Rourke opened up the scoring with a goal in the tenth minute, and he was followed by Joe Faux in the 50th and Lloyd Marsh-Hughes in the 65th. In the 68th minute, Caernarfon lead 3-0, but they just completely fell apart. Ben Nash scored in the 69th to pull one back, and Joe Malkin netted a brace in the 74th and 90th to equalise. It’s a shocking and disappointing result for Caernarfon, but another goal for O’Rourke, who is now the club’s leading scorer. The draw will leave Caernarfon in 5th in the Welsh Premier League.
Anderson Arroyo ( Deportivo Alaves)
Arroyo was once again an unused substitute for Alaves during their dreadful 0-0 draw with Eibar, during which neither side registered a shot on target. Arroyo now hasn’t started in LaLiga2 since November 1st, and hasn’t appeared since November 4th, quite the fall out of favor for the young Colombian. Despite the draw, Alaves remain on top of La Liga 2, but only by 1 point, with Burgos CF right on their trail.
Vitezslav Jaros (Stockport County)
Having finally recovered from his back injury, Jaros was handed yet another setback, this time in the form of an ankle injury, so Ben Hinchcliffe once again started in goal for Stockport’s 2-1 loss to Leyton Orient. Stockport were off to a perfect start when Myles Hippolyte opened up the scoring in the 5th minute, but 37 year old Darren Pratley equalised for Leyton in the 20th. A second half goal from Omar Beckles was enough to cause Stockport’s first defeat in 8 matches, and enough to see them move into 14th, a solid 12 points away from the drop zone.
Did Not Play Due To World Cup Break
Tyler Morton, Sepp Van Den Berg, Billy Koumetio, Leighton Clarkson, Rhys Williams, Jakub Ojrzynski, Jack Bearne (not due to WC break – Kidderminster plays on Tuesday)
