Midfielder Ethan Galbraith set Leyton Orient on their way to all three points at the weekend when his superb strike opened the scoring in their 3-1 League One win at home to Cheltenham Town.
The former Manchester United starlet struck just after the half-hour mark for the O's. His stunning 25-yard drive flew past fellow international Luke Southwood. It was his second goal in as many games for the south London outfit.
2️⃣ in 2️⃣
— Leyton Orient FC (@leytonorientfc) April 7, 2024
✌️ @EthanGalbraith0#LOFC #OneOrient pic.twitter.com/hUDVZKNMt9
Kilmarnock’s hopes of European football next season moved a step closer thanks to Kyle Vassell’s 10th goal of the season which secured a 1-0 win over struggling Ross County at Rugby Park.
“It’s a lovely feeling scoring a goal,” Vassell told the BBC. “But at this stage of the season the important thing is winning games.
“I had a poor touch but I thought I’d try and hit it as hard as possible and fortunately I think the goalkeeper was a bit unsighted and it managed to go through him.
“Playing European football has been an ambition of mine for a long time,” added the 31-year-old. “It was a big part of me signing a long-term deal here, to try and push this club to do that. A couple more wins will hopefully do it.”
In the Premier League in England, Conor Bradley again started at right back as Liverpool had to settle for a point following a 2-2 draw at Manchester United, who were without the injured Jonny Evans, despite having 62% possession and 28 attempts on goal at Old Trafford.
Meanwhile, in the Championship, George Saville, Jordan Thompson, Trai Hume, Daniel Ballard, Jamal Lewis and Ali McCann all completed 90 minutes for their respective clubs over the weekend.
Middlesbrough were without the injured Paddy McNair for a third successive game, while Shane Ferguson came on as a substitute for Rotherham United as their relegation to League One was confirmed following a 1-0 loss at home to Plymouth Argyle on Friday evening.
Midfielder Corry Evans’ return to first team football with Sunderland has been put on hold after the 33-year-old, who has been out for a year with an ACL injury, suffered a setback in training last week.
“Corry had a little bit of a reaction in training, nothing major,” said interim Sunderland boss Mike Dodd. “He'll be back fully training with the squad next weekend. We obviously want to get him back as quickly as we can though.”
In League One, Paddy Lane started Portsmouth’s 3-1 success at Fratton Park against Shrewsbury Town as the South Coast side edged closer to a return to the Championship. Former Cardiff City, Oxford United and Crusaders winger Gavin Whyte was used as a substitute for the final 28 minutes.
Jordan Jones and Josh Magennis both missed Wigan Athletic’s scoreless draw at home to Port Vale on Saturday due to injury, although Magennis could return for the Latics' trip to Lincoln City next weekend.
“Josh felt a slight tightness in his hamstring during training on Thursday,” stated Wigan manager Shaun Maloney. “I don't think he'll be out too long. ”
Finally, there were assists for Colchester United’s Cameron McGeehan, Kofi Balmer of AFC Wimbledon and Liverpool U18s winger Kieron Morrison.
Image: Leyton Orient's Ethan Galbraith (right) and Portsmouth's Paddy Lane, who both starred for their respective clubs at the weekend, in conversation at a Northern Ireland training session last summer.
