EFL review: Wrexham return goes awry; Leeds late show; Father and son | OneFootball

The Football League returned this weekend with nets bulging and clocks bursting.

A record-breaking 97 goals were scored in the three divisions, while all but two games went over 100 minutes.

Here’s our highlights.

Championship

Moment of the weekend

After a three-year stay in the Premier League, Leeds United were back in the Championship this season and looking to build on what was a woeful campaign under a trio of bosses last time out.

Daniel Farke was hired from Borussia Mönchengladbach but his first game at Elland Road didn’t get off to the best start with visitors Cardiff netting twice in the first half to burst the Yorkshire club’s bubble.

A rousing second 45 minutes though saw Leeds pull a goal back just after the break, before Crysencio Summerville finally produced an equaliser in the fifth minute of injury time.

Notable mentions: Plymouth victory on Championship return; Stoke net four; Norwich bag injury time winner.

Player of the weekend

It’s been a summer of flux for Leicester.

Big players like James Maddison and Harvey Barnes have gone whilst new boss Enzo Maresca has tried to completely overhaul their style of play in just a few weeks.

The Championship can be an unforgiving place for the uninitiated but in Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, the Foxes have kept a midfielder who is easily Premier League quality.

The 24-year-old scored twice late on to earn his side a comeback win over Coventry and set the tone for the campaign to come.

Notable mentions: Che Adams (Southampton); Adam Idah (Norwich); Tom Dele-Bashiru (Watford)

League One

Moment of the weekend

Last season’s play-off final defeat to Sheffield Wednesday seems to have done nothing to dampen Barnsley spirits coming into this new campaign.

Heading into the season, the Tykes were widely considered one of the favourites to earn automatic promotion and they showed exactly why on Saturday.

Neil Collins’ side produced a performance that will likely not be bettered this term as they swatted Port Vale aside in a 7-0 thrashing.

Devante Cole, son of former Manchester United striker Andy, was the pick of the bunch as he netted a hat-trick.

Notable mentions: Wigan win at Derby; Moxon’s stunning free-kick; Kusini Yengi’s injury time equaliser.

Player of the weekend

Wigan endured a miserable 2022/23 with the Lancashire club relegated from the Championship due to points deductions and unpaid wages.

But their latest campaign could not have started better with a backs-to-the-wall win over League One giants Derby.

Charlie Wyke was the hero of the hour as he scored twice, two of only three shots the Latics had on target, to come away from Pride Park with the points.

Notable mentions: Devante Cole (Barnsley), Shayne Lavery (Blackpool), Dobson (Charlton)

League Two

Moment of the weekend

The big story, not just in League Two this weekend, but the entire Football League came at the Racecourse Ground as Wrexham returned to the promised land.

The Welsh club had been languishing in the fifth tier since 2008 but, as has been well-documented, were saved by Hollywood duo Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.

Last season’s ding-dong battle with Notts County to gain automatic promotion was one for the ages and many expected Phil Parkinson and his expensive squad to take to League Two with ease.

With Hugh Jackman in attendance and the world watching, that’s not quite how it turned out.

MK Dons ruined the party with two goals in the opening 10 minutes and walked away with a 5-3 win and the points.

Notable mentions: Sutton humbling Notts County; Colchester’s game with Swindon postponed because of rain … in August

Player of the weekend

As mentioned briefly above, it wasn’t just Wrexham who found the jump up to League Two a challenge this weekend.

Notts County, who won the play-off final and finished the National League season with a 107 points having lost just three times all campaign, went to lowly Sutton to kick off life in the Football League.

And they got trounced.

A red card to Aidan Stone after only 15 minutes didn’t help matters but the performance of Omari Patrick will have heartened the home faithful.

A journeyman forward who is the nephew of Olympic sprinter Linford Christie, Patrick only joined Sutton in the summer but scored twice on his debut and will hope to have found a home at Gander Green Lane.

Notable mentions: Jonathan Leko (MK Dons), Jay Williams (Crawley), Adam Mayor (Morecambe)