- Thirteen of Aston Villa loanees were in action over the weekend
- Seven of those played their final game of the season in the EFL
- Lewis Dobbin and Kane Taylor were amongst the goals
The EFL season has drawn to a close, and for some of Aston Villa’s loanees, they will now return to their parent club, awaiting the decision on their futures. Thirteen players were in action over the weekend, with a few key games taking place.
Let’s see how they got on:
Dobbin ends the Championship season on a high
Lewis Dobbin reached double figures for Preston North End, as he scored the only goal in their 3-1 defeat to play-off bound Southampton on Saturday. The striker took advantage of a goalkeeping error to net his 10th goal of the season in the Championship.
He finished the campaign having played 41 times in all competitions, scoring eleven goals and providing eight assists. The Lilywhites ended their season in 14th place.
Jamaldeen Jimoh-Aloba was not included in West Brom’s final matchday squad. They were beaten 2-1 by bottom-of-the-table Sheffield Wednesday, finishing just four points above the drop zone.
The 19-year-old only started four games for the Baggies after joining on loan in January. He has struggled to make an impact and will be hoping for a better loan spell next season.
League One
In League One, Louie Barry played 73 minutes for Stockport County, as they secured a play-off spot with a 3-1 win at Barnsley. After recently returning from a long-term injury, Barry made a total of seven appearances and bagged a hat-trick against Peterborough United just two games ago.
Meanwhile, Joe Gauci played 90 minutes in goal for Port Vale. They were beaten 2-0 at home by champions Lincoln City and have been relegated to League Two. Despite their poor season, the Australians put in several good performances, keeping eleven clean sheets in 34 matches in the League.
Kane Taylor shines in League Two
Kane Taylor scored his second Oldham Athletic goal, finishing off a neat team move in the 64th minute to put the Lactics 2-0 up against Accrington Stanley. He also assisted their opener, putting a great ball over the top for his teammate Dynel Simeu to head home.
The game ended 3-0, and their return to League Two in an impressive 10th place.
Elsewhere, Sil Swinkels and Aidan Borland faced off against one another. The centre-back completed 90 minutes for play-off bound Chesterfield, whilst Borland came on at half-time. Swindon Town were defeated 2-1 at the County Ground and finished just three points outside the play-off spots.
For Crewe Alexandra, Tommi O’Reilly picked up both the Player of the Year and Players’ Player of the Year awards ahead of his final game of the season against Cambridge United. He played 82 minutes at home in a 0-0 draw, which saw the away side earn automatic promotion.
The 21-year-old ends a stellar campaign, having started all 46 matches in League Two, scoring seven goals and registering eleven assists.
Scotland, Poland and France
In Scotland, Ben Broggio assisted Falkirk’s only goal in a 1-0 win at home to Motherwell. He played 75 minutes and created the most chances, with six. His team still has three games to go in the Premiership Championship Group, where they currently sit in sixth.
Ewan Simpson also featured in Scotland. He played 68 minutes for Hamilton Academical in their 2-1 defeat to Inverness Caledonian Thistle, which confirmed their place in the relegation play-off.
Across Europe, Oliwier Zych was unable to lift the Polish Cup with Raków Częstochowa. They were beaten 2-0 by Górnik Zabrze in the final on Saturday.
Finally, in France, Triston Rowe completed the full 90 minutes for Annecy, whilst Travis Patterson was introduced from the bench in the 27th minute after an injury. They won 2-1 at Boulogne, and find themselves three points back from the play-off spots with one game to go.
