Eddie Nketiah, Daniel Ballard and Ben Sheaf all played a part for their loan clubs in the League Cup on Tuesday, with varying results.
Eddie Nketiah – Leeds United
If you’ve been on the internet at any point in the last day, it would be pretty hard to miss how Nketiah’s Leeds debut went. The 20-year-old took just over 42 minutes to score the first goal for his loan side.
Eddie Nketiah’s debut goal for Leeds United against Salford City #AFCpic.twitter.com/dgotv0WgA0
— AFC LoanWatch (@AFC_Loanwatch) August 13, 2019
That goal gave Leeds the lead, and it’s a lead they held onto for the remainder of the game, winning 3-0. Nketiah played 77 minutes.
It’s not all good news though, as Leeds drew Stoke in the next round. Nketiah will now face the Potters twice in a week at the end of August, so let’s hope he can avoid injury. First up, Leeds travel to Wigan in their Championship match on Saturday.
Daniel Ballard – Swindon Town
Unfortunately, Ballard’s individual performance wasn’t really reflected in the final result on Tuesday. Swindon lost 3-0 to Colchester United, with all three goals coming after both teams were reduced to 10 men through red cards.
Ballard did play well though, as you can see from the stats. The defender made 10 clearances, more than any other player on the team, and also won six of his eight individual duels. He completed 86% of his passes as well, it’s just a shame all that wasn’t enough.
Swindon/Arsenal fan and Twitter user @Fatbury reported back to us that Ballard wasn’t responsible for the goals and showed good aerial presence, but it’s still unlikely he’ll be starting every league game at this stage.
Ben Sheaf – Doncaster Rovers
Similar to Ballard, Sheaf can’t really be blamed for Doncaster’s cup exit on Tuesday. After starting all of Doncaster’s matches so far, Sheaf was rested from the start, and Grimsby Town took a 1-0 lead in his absence.
Sheaf came on at half-time in defensive midfield and helped to secure things at the back. It was Doncaster’s wastefulness at the other end that meant they lost 1-0. Of their 24 shots in the 90 minutes, only three went on target.