While the Premier League football season is a fortnight away, professional football is back as League One kicked off this weekend. Here’s everything you need to know from a frantic weekend in England’s third tier.
Match of the week: Plymouth Argyle 1-3 Barnsley
After dropping down a division from the Championship, Plymouth Argyle, managed by former Manchester United midfielder Tom Cleverley, hosted Barnsley in their first match of the League One campaign.
Plymouth were the favorites entering the match, with bookmakers tipping them as one of the favorites for promotion. Still, Conor Hourihane’s Barnsley have promotion hopes of their own despite a mid-table finish last year.
Plymouth had the ball in the Barnsley net inside ten minutes, when Australian striker Caleb Watts converted first time from Xavier Amaechi’s cross, but the referee called play back for a foul on Watts.
Barnsley’s Vimal Yoganathan won a free kick on the left wing in the 13th minute. Debutant defensive midfielder Brendan Sarpong-Wiredu should’ve cleared the set piece whipped in by Luca Connell. But the 25-year-old completely miscued it and tapped it past his keeper to give the visitors the lead.
Plymouth continued to test the Barsley keeper, with Watts seeing another nice effort saved in the 21st minute. However, it was Barnsley who got the second, when Sarpong-Wiredu again made a mess of a clearance, kicking the ball high and into the Plymouth penalty area. The defenders couldn’t clear their lines, and the ball dropped to Adam Phillips, who rifled a beautiful left-footed volley into the bottom left corner.
Plymouth took back the initiative in the 50th minute, as Watts finally got his goal, controlling a headed pass from Victor Pálsson nicely, before finishing from a few yards out with his second touch.
It looked like Barnsley might throw away their lead when they went down to ten men in the 63rd minute, after the referee issued Jack Shepherd a second yellow for his handball just outside the penalty area.
Despite the added momentum, Plymouth couldn’t convert on any more of their 15 shots, and Davis Keillor-Dunn finished the home side off in the 86th minute. After winning the ball in the Plymouth final third from a Barnsley goalkick, the striker was through on goal and fired the ball through the legs of goalkeeper Luca Ashby-Hammond.
Barnsley deserved their victory. While Plymouth fans should be emboldened by some of the quality attacking play their side offered, questions can be raised about the defense, which, after conceding the most goals in the Championship last season, looked shaky at best.
Team of the week: Huddersfield Town
After a busy summer, with new manager Lee Grant taking the helm and 12 new signings joining the club. Huddersfield Town hosted Leyton Orient in their season opener, the away side coming off the disappointment of a failed trip to Wembley in the League One playoff final last season.
Despite the eight debutants in the Huddersfield starting 11, the home side gelled well; their one and two-touch passing moves and quick transitions caused Leyton Orient problems.
In the eighth minute, attacking midfielder Ben Wiles won a free kick just outside the Orient box. Herbie Kane whipped in a nice ball with his right foot, which was met by new center back Joseph Low, who headed it past the keeper to make it 1-0.
It was Ben Wiles making things happen again for Huddersfield in the second half, winning a penalty when Sean Clare brought him down just inside the box in the 53rd minute.
New striker Alfie May, who joined the club from Birmingham City this summer, stepped up at the spot and buried the ball in the bottom right corner to make it 2-0.
Huddersfield substitutes Deion Charles, Joe Taylor, and Ruben Rooskin combined for a third in the 95th minute. A nice move down the right flank ending in a well-struck left-footed effort from Rooskin.
It was a clinical performance from the home side, who were outshot 14-13 by Leyton Orient, but converted three of their eight shots on target, on an xG of just 1.9.
While Orient threatened Huddersfield on the counter, the home side’s new back four looked solid and limited the away side to speculative efforts. They cemented their status as one of the favorites for promotion with this performance.
Player of the week: Rubin Colwill (Cardiff City)
Cardiff City were unlucky to find themselves 1-0 down in the 33rd minute of their season opener against Peterborough, after Bradley Ihionvien converted from the spot. It was a soft penalty, as William Fish appeared to win the ball.
However, the Bluebirds completed the comeback in style, buoyed by the performance of academy graduate and Wales international Rubin Colwill.
The 23-year-old attacking midfielder looked lively early, curling a nice effort from distance just wide of the right post in the 13th minute, and seeing a header cleared wide just before the end of the first half.
But it was at the start of the second half that Colwill converted. When he stepped up to take a free kick a few yards out from the Peterborough box. He curled in a beautiful shot which fooled everyone, burying itself in the top right corner of the net. It’s a week 1 candidate for the goal of the season.
Colwill also played a key role in the second, his through ball to Joel Bagan starting off the move, while his trailing run helped create space for 18-year-old Ronan Kpakio to blast home the winner.
The young number ten, who plays alongside his brother Joel in midfield, looks like he’ll be a pivotal part of Cardiff’s campaign for promotion back to the Championship from League One.
