Another matchday of EFL action has come and gone and, with it, the usual (and unusual) fun and games.
It was a week which saw Troy Deeney join Forest Green as player-coach, Aaron Ramsey score his first goal for Cardiff since 2011 — what a goal it was, too — and Shaun ‘The Dark Destroyer’ Wallace from ITV show The Chase pitch up at Plymouth Argyle.
Two sides, Sheffield Wednesday and Colchester United, are yet to gain any points so far this campaign, and while every team has scored, the lowest scorers are Burton Albion, with one goal from four games. The highest, for what it’s worth, are Wrexham, with 13 goals (but also 13 against).
From mysterious noises emanating from speakers to fans replacing injured officials and yet more American sports stars buying drinks for fans, here’s what you may have missed this weekend in the EFL.
From sinking beers to flagging offsides at Fratton Park
There were 26 minutes of stoppage time at the end of Portsmouth vs Cheltenham at Fratton Park on Saturday — even accounting for current trends, that is a lot of additional time. But, on this occasion, it was because a Portsmouth supporter was called out of the stands to run the line after both assistant referees suffered injuries during the game.
57′ | As if this afternoon couldn’t get anymore bizarre…
The referee has taken the ball and disappeared down the tunnel – we’ll keep you updated
🔵 0-0 🔴 // #Pompey
— Portsmouth FC (@Pompey) August 19, 2023
Season-ticket holder Julian Browning, who has supported the club for 50 years and is a regular in Portsmouth’s hospitality suites, had been enjoying the finest Fratton Park has to offer when he volunteered to run the line after an appeal was put out.
Having served in the Royal Navy for 22 years, Browning currently works as a civil servant, according to his LinkedIn profile, and is also a level five referee for Hampshire FA.
“The adrenaline kicked in and I was crapping myself,” he told BBC’s 606 radio show. “I was worried about two things, one, if a contentious decision happened, but also if Pompey had scored how was I going to react? I spoke to the referee and said ‘What do I do if we score?’”
This isn’t Browning’s first foray into professional football, either. In 2018, he refereed in the Premier League’s Christmas Truce regional tournament. Chelsea, Fulham and Southampton were among the under-12 sides competing that day, with the tournament eventually being won by Cardiff City. But that pales into insignificance compared to being hauled out of the crowd to run the line in the third-highest division in the English football pyramid.
Anthony Da Costa and Mark Derrien were the officials who were unable to continue, with the second injury causing a long stoppage. No one in the refereeing team was left to run the line because fourth official Stephen Brown had already been drafted in after the first injury. Adrian ‘Bunny’ Redding, who was stewarding on the day, also offered his services, but it was Browning who stepped up.
Despite the allegiances of the official, Cheltenham boss Wade Elliott was happy to proceed after consulting his players.
57’ | A message has just gone out over the PA system for a qualified official to make themselves known…
And a fan from the stands has just emerged to take over duties, so we should be fine!
🔵 0-0 🔴 // #Pompey https://t.co/jV9cf5eEyB
— Portsmouth FC (@Pompey) August 19, 2023
“I thought the substitute assistant was the best we’ve had,” he joked after the game, which ended 0-0. “They should all have a curry and four pints before coming on because it seemed to do the trick. I did worry when he walked on and did the Messiah salute to the North Stand. But it’s something else we’ve had to deal with and the players dealt with it really well because it would have been easy to lose focus.”
🗣️ @RobbieSavage8 & @chris_sutton73 spoke to the FAN who took over as linesman at Portsmouth wearing gold boots!
🎧 Listen to the #BBC606 podcast on @BBCSounds NOW ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/uaHyMuYfq7
— BBC 5 Live Sport (@5liveSport) August 20, 2023
The American sports star colonisation of the EFL continues
It seems the trend of 2023-24 so far is famous American investors at EFL sides having a pre-match pint in a local pub before heading to watch the game.
Last week, it was Tom Brady at Birmingham, while on Friday it was the turn of NBA player-cum-Leeds-investor Larry Nance Jr.
ALL LEEDS ARENT WE 🫡 https://t.co/SatHKG3Wq6
— Larry Nance (@Larrydn22) July 17, 2023
The 30-year-old, who plays for New Orleans Pelicans, is part of the 49ers ownership group which took full control of Leeds in July, joining other high-profile investors Russell Westbrook and golf major winners Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas, who now also hold a stake.
He joined fans at The Old Peacock near Elland Road and bought drinks for those present.
A post-relegation summer is never fun, but the new investment, it’s hoped, will help bring positivity to Leeds after months of notable departures and disgruntled players.
Certainly, punters were pleased with the pints but probably not so enamoured by Nance Jr’s choice of Leeds strip, from the 2003-04 season when the club were relegated from the Premier League.
Pleasure to meet you @Larrydn22 🤩 enjoy the match! Hopefully I see you again✊🏻 #LarryNanceJr #NBA #LeedsUnited #LUFC #MOT pic.twitter.com/4n3boWk2Ib
— Yan Sulikowski (@YanSulikowski) August 18, 2023
Still, better days should be ahead and the club will look to build on their first point of the campaign, gained that evening in a 1-1 draw with West Bromwich Albion.
Plenty of entertainment at Wrexham, and not just the 10 goals
Wrexham netting two stoppage-time goals to rescue a point in a 5-5 draw was not the only unusual occurrence during Saturday’s League Two clash with Swindon Town.
In the early stages of the first half, the PA system kicked into life unexpectedly several times during play. On the first couple of occasions, a male voice could be heard barking instructions to the puzzlement of the crowd.
Then what sounded very much like Phil Parkinson — familiar to many around the globe thanks to the documentary Welcome to Wrexham — briefly boomed out of the speakers as play continued before stopping just as abruptly.
No one had an explanation for the glitch, though the Wrexham coaching staff were sporting microphones while being filmed on the touchline for a potential third series of the show.
It led The Athletic’s Wrexham correspondent Richard Sutcliffe to wonder if a similar problem had befallen Wrexham as Yorkshire’s cricketers when playing at Scarborough in July 2009.
On a rain-interrupted first day of the County Championship match against Nottinghamshire, a mix-up with radio frequencies meant the North Marine Road crowd were suddenly treated to five minutes of a funeral service being held at a nearby church. Only when the frequency of the cricket club’s own PA system was changed did the broadcast of the funeral cease.
Wrexham’s season is a long way from being read the last rites, but more defending like Saturday will see hopes of a second successive promotion surely start ebbing away.
Relive that last minute equaliser 😆
Youngy is all of us in the last angle 😅
🔴⚪️ #WxmAFC pic.twitter.com/pLaEYPsVI6
— Wrexham AFC (@Wrexham_AFC) August 19, 2023
Exeter City’s three-day adventure to faraway Carlisle
When the fixture computer spools out the list of matches for the forthcoming season, one game Exeter City fans look out for, if they are in the same division, is Carlisle United away. With a 700-mile round trip to contend with, it’s their longest journey of the season.
To the relief of the 318 supporters making the trip from Devon, the game was on a Saturday, not a Tuesday evening, which probably bolstered the number of supporters in the away end.
Safe trip home to all 3️⃣1️⃣8️⃣ of you 👏
Thank you for your incredible support ❤️#ECFC #SemperFidelis pic.twitter.com/RIomssxx3k
— Exeter City FC (@OfficialECFC) August 19, 2023
It also allowed the team to make a journey of it. Instead of going up late on the Friday night/early on the Saturday, they opted to make the journey to Cumbria a three-dayer.
Stage one of the journey saw the players travel up to Mottram Hall, Cheshire, on Thursday night, where they recovered and then trained the following morning. They then travelled to North Lakes in Cumbria to rest before matchday, before making their way to Carlisle on Saturday afternoon.
It came at a cost — double what a usual trip to Carlisle would be — and although Exeter don’t boast the riches of some other clubs in the division, manager Gary Caldwell was pleased that the investment was giving his side every chance of winning. It proved to be effective, too, as they won 2-1, with goals coming from Ryan Trevitt and Demetri Mitchell.
Carlisle are scheduled to make the return trip to St James Park on Saturday, January 6 — maybe Exeter’s preparations will offer them food for thought.
Northampton’s ‘fluke’ goal, a load of old cobblers… (or not?)
It’s the 90th minute of the Nene Derby between Northampton and Peterborough and it’s heading for a stalemate.
Peterborough have largely been the better side but, buoyed by the home crowd, it’s Jon Brady’s Northampton who are pushing for a late winner.
After a long throw is cleared, defender Jon Guthrie keeps the ball alive and the ball finds Mitch Pinnock, who hooks a speculative ball, on the volley, towards goal. It seems like a hopeful cross into the box, but as the seconds pass and the ball starts to drop, it’s clear it’s on a dangerous trajectory. Goalkeeper Nicholas Bilokapic begins to scramble and although he gets a hand to it, referee Martin Woods rules the ball crossed the line.
😍Today’s winning moment#ShoeArmy 👞 pic.twitter.com/O1k1vwCOPY
— Northampton Town (@ntfc) August 19, 2023
Not everyone scores dipping, looping, volleyed winners in the last minute of local derbies, so, naturally, you’d take it if you’re Pinnock, but did he mean it? Surely not?
“To be fair, when we were watching clips of them in the week, the gaffer (Jon Brady) did say, if you get a turnover in midfield, the goalkeeper is miles outside of his goal,” Pinnock said. “It was something we looked at.
“I actually texted my mates this morning telling them ‘I bet you I score a goal from the halfway line or around there with a lob’ — I’ve still got the message on my phone to prove it! It fell to me in that position and it was just instinct when it came to me.”
Perhaps it’s a load of old cobblers, but it led to a pitch invasion, such was the jubilation around Sixfields Stadium. It gave Northampton their first win over their great rivals since 2006, and for Darren Ferguson’s side, enough tears to fill the Nene River.
Bellinghams not the only brothers to score this weekend: meet the Eisa siblings
It was a great Saturday for the Bellingham family, with brothers Jude and Jobe both scoring braces for their respective sides. Jude scored twice and got an assist as Real Madrid beat Almeria 3-1, and a few hours earlier, 17-year-old Jobe was at the double as his Sunderland side won 2-1 at home to Rotherham.
But they weren’t the only footballing brothers to both score on Saturday: meet the Eisas.
Older brother Mo, 29, got the ball rolling with an early effort to put MK Dons ahead against Colchester (more on that later).
Mo is known for his spectacular strikes and won the club’s goal of the year last season, but it was younger brother, Abo, who stole the show this weekend with a screamer for Grimsby Town against Mansfield Town — cutting inside before unleashing a firecracker of an effort into the top corner from 30 yards.
An absolute ROCKET from Abo Eisa 🚀#EFL | @officialgtfc pic.twitter.com/1ebHC8XJMg
— Sky Bet League Two (@SkyBetLeagueTwo) August 20, 2023
Abo’s Grimsby could only draw in the end, but there were wild scenes at the JobServe Community Stadium as MK Dons scored two goals in injury time to win at Colchester — with the winner, from Matthew Dennis, coming 10 minutes into injury time.
(Top photo: George Wood/Getty Images)
