Harry Wilson – Hull City
Harry Wilson was involved in one of the craziest matches of this season when his Hull City side drew 5-5 against Bristol City. Ryan Kent (Bristol City) was left out of the matchday squad again and missed all of the drama. Wilson bagged two goals himself and opened the scoring when a neat one-two left him in space on the edge of the box and he placed the ball into the far corner. After that, Bristol took a hold of the game and raced to a 4-2 lead. Wilson was the man to drag the Tigers back into the contest with a clever finish from long range. He lined up to take a free-kick from the right wing and, with everyone expecting him to cross it, he whipped the ball into the near post, catching the goalkeeper by surprise and making the score line 4-3. This is evidence of the confidence that the youngster has gained during his short time in the Championship. It was apt that the match ended with honours even, as the exciting, attacking football that was played meant that neither team deserved to lose.
Lazar Markovic – Anderlecht
Only one other loanee scored this week and that was Lazar Markovic, something that may come as a surprise to most people. Unfortunately, it turned out to just be a consolation goal as Anderlecht lost 2-1 to Genk, but the strike will be a huge personal milestone for the Serbian who has struggled so much recently. Markovic showed great composure inside the box to rifle the ball in to the top corner when he found himself with just the goalkeeper to beat. The muted celebrations that followed masked the sheer relief that he was likely to be feeling.
Matty Virtue – Notts County
Matty Virtue played an impressive attacking role, during Notts County’s 4-0 win over Yeovil Town. The midfielder helped to pile the pressure one throughout the emphatic win, so much so that there was no real need for him to help defensively at all. He would’ve liked a goal for himself, but both of his shots were deflected away from the net by a defender. Once again, Virtue was shortlisted for the man of the match award, this time coming second with 25% of the vote. Corey Whelan (Yeovil Town) was left out of the matchday squad by the visitors.
During the week, Matty Virtue was asked about how he was finding life in League Two. He responded positively by saying, “I’m enjoying it. It’s good playing in front of proper crowds and passionate fans. I’m really liking that part of it.”
Connor Randall – Hearts
Playing once again as a right wing-back, Connor Randall put in an indifferent display against Rangers in the Scottish Premier League. Hearts had to soak up an enormous amount of pressure and Randall found himself out of position on a couple of occasions which to led chances for Rangers, but thankfully no goals. The match finished 2-1 to Rangers but the gap really should’ve been more, especially since Hearts scored with one of their only shots on target.
It was also announced this week that Randall will return to Liverpool this summer, despite some rumours suggesting he might make his move to Scotland a permanent one. Craig Levein, the Managing Director at Hearts, said, “I’ve been very happy with his performances this season. However, we happen to be in a position where we are already well equipped in the right-back area.” Nevertheless, with the emergence of Trent Alexander-Arnold this season, and Nathaniel Clyne hopefully getting back to full fitness, it’s hard to see Randall having any sort of prolonged spell in the Liverpool first team any time soon.
Jon Flanagan – Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers lost 4-0 to Wolverhampton Wanderers, a result which saw the winners crowned champions of the Championship. Jon Flanagan played the full allocation of minutes and had a torrid time of it, as did everyone along Bolton’s backline. This loss was one that most people saw coming, so now the fight for survival will go down to the final two matches of the season, as only a couple of points and one place separate Bolton from the relegation zone.
Divock Origi – Wolfsburg
It looks as though the bench will be Divock Origi’s home until the end of the season. The Belgian was brought on on Friday night with just 15 minutes left to play when Wolfsburg were already trailing 3-0 to Borrusia Monchengladbach, and that is how the match finished.
Andy Firth – Chester
Chester lost 3-1 to Maidenhead, a result that their fans have really become used to this season. Andy Firth is usually their best player, but after being beaten by a penalty for the first goal, he was largely to blame for the two that followed. A sloppy pass out from the back from Firth meant that a Maidenhead striker only had to go around the ‘keeper before striking the ball into an empty net. The third goal came from a tame shot from distance, which Firth allowed to squeeze under his body to round up another disastrous afternoon for Chester. With just one more match left in this season, everyone involved in the football club will be keen to ensure that they go out on a high.
Pedro Chirivella – Willem II
Pedro Chirivella had an evening to forget when his side lost 5-1 at home to Feyenoord. The midfielder was substituted before the hour mark without making any positive impact on the game. Chirivella was at fault for the second goal after he was muscled off the ball far to easily just outside his own 18-yard-box. Despite the thrashing, other results went the way of Willem II and, barring a huge swing in goal difference over the last two matches, they will be playing in the Eredivisie next term.
Anderson Arroyo – Real Mallorca ‘B’
Having won the last eight matches in a row, Anderson Arroyo will likely be disappointed with a 1-1 against UD Ibiza. However, the point means that he is still unbeaten during his time with Real Mallorca ‘B’.
Taiwo Awoniyi – Royal Excel Mouscron
Sad news came out of Belgium this week when it was announced that Taiwo Awoniyi had suffered a serious hamstring injury which meant that he could play no further part in Royal Excel Mouscron’s season. Awoniyi was attempting to make a late push for Nigeria’s World Cup squad but this setback will make it very unlikely that he’ll get a chance to make his senior international debut before the tournament. The striker was one of the more promising Liverpool loanees this campaign, picking up 10 goals and seven assists.
Daniel Sturridge (West Brom) saw his return from injury halted as he was ineligible to play against Liverpool on Saturday. Marko Grujic (Cardiff City), Ovie Ejaria (Sunderland) and Sheyi Ojo (Fulham) were all unused for their teams this week.
