Gab Sutton's EFL Winners & Losers - March 24
The EFL is entering its most compelling phase of the season, with drama, tension and high stakes delivering another weekend of twists and talking points across the football league.
Our EFL pundit here at Free Bets, Gab Sutton, takes a look at another busy weekend of EFL action across the three leagues.
Winners
Shea Charles
Shea Charles is having a fantastic season with Southampton, and he showed his high-end potential with a terrific first-time strike in the 2-0 victory over Oxford.
With no other options on, Charles felt he had to take the shot, but it was moving away from the width of the posts as he went to hit it, and managed to curl it inside the near-post from 30-yards out.
The Northern Ireland international has had significant physical development over the last couple of years, and now looks ready to dictate games at the top table of English football.
Pepple & Plymouth
Aribim Pepple is enjoying a fine second half of the season with Plymouth Argyle, with the 23-year-old having scored 13 goals since Christmas.
Although not enormously tall at 6’1”, the striker is a real physical unit, and with a playing style built around 4-4-2, good wide players and getting the ball forward early, the system suits him down to the ground.
The question will be whether he could step up to Championship level technically, but his form means he has a chance of showing it next season; Argyle are just a point outside the Play-Offs, having languished as low as 23rd back in November.
Josh Marsh
Someone questioned Josh March, when he signed for Crewe Alexandra, but the former Harrogate forward is defying his doubters at Gresty Road.
After a superbly taken brace at Shrewsbury in a 4-0 win for the Play-Off chasers, the 29-year-old now has 11 goals and five assists for the season, capping the best individual campaign of his career.
So efficient at winning fouls, with excellent movement, March has proved a fantastic signing for the Railwaymen – taxi for Sutton!
Losers
Portsmouth
Portsmouth’s shock 3-1 victory at Millwall in February lifted John Mousinho’s side six points above the bottom three, but they’ve been pulled right back into the dogfight with one point from their last six games.
Have Pompey deserved more points for their efforts in those games? Unquestionably.
They were within seconds of victory at Blackburn, but for a 93rd-minute equalizer, they were all over Hull, when they lost 1-0 at Fratton Park, and were defeated in other games where they deserved something.
Portsmouth, though, have no cutting edge up top – Colby Bishop hasn’t recaptured his 2024-25 form, while January recruit Jacob Brown can run for England but shoot for Gosport Borough.
When that’s the case, they can’t afford too many no-shows, and that’s what they had at QPR, drubbed 6-1 in the capital.
Bolton
The final blow to Bolton’s slim automatic promotion chances came on Saturday, when Cardiff’s dropped points at home to Blackpool gave them one last unlikely opportunity that they were unable to take.
Steven Schumacher’s side were deservedly beaten 1-0 by bottom side Port Vale, which means they’re now 11 points off 2nd.
The Trotters could win all seven of their remaining games, and still rely on the Bluebirds getting fewer than 11 points from the other six (they play each other) – and that’s with Port Vale, Northampton and Mansfield in their final three.
Wanderers have been creating chances all season, but have been unable to find that clinical edge – and they haven’t typically been good enough defensively to only need one goal to win games.
Barrow
Already on their fourth manager since December, Barrow’s instability showed at Blundell Park in a passive 5-0 defeat for Sam Foley’s side.
The Bluebirds were far too slow to second balls, and showed none of the fight required of a team that should be scrapping for their Football League status – something the club last took 48 years to regain.
Captain Niall Canavan spoke some home truths in an emotional post-match interview, and while they had some luck with all their immediate rivals losing, it doesn’t get much easier: promotion front-runners Bromley and MK Dons up next.
EFL Betting at Free Bets
Gab Sutton provides weekly football tips for Free Bets, featuring a thoroughly researched longshot acca alongside sharp analysis of the key talking points and standout moments from the weekend's action at the start of each new week.
