Striker Shayne Lavery took his tally for the season to four following a brace of goals in Cambridge United’s 4-1 League One victory over Shrewsbury Town at the weekend.
The former Linfield forward, who has just returned from injury and whose last goals for the club came back in August, struck after just 46 seconds of the contest at the Abbey Stadium and then doubled United’s advantage with his second on the half-hour mark.
Also on target over the weekend was another former Irish League striker, Lee Bonis, who scored his eighth of the campaign as ADO Den Haag suffered a 2-1 defeat at Cambur in the second tier of the Dutch League.
The ex-Larne man has been a regular in the Den Haag side this term following his summer move from Inver Park and he believes playing week in, week out has improved his all-round game.
“It’s a massive boost for me that I get to play every week,” he told irishfa.com. “It gives me the game time that I need. The manager wants hard work and aggression going forward and I feel like I base my game around that, so it helps.
“I always believe that if I’m in the right place at the right time I’ll always get goals. I’ve been working hard on my runs and my movement off the ball and thankfully it’s paid off and I’ve had a good start in Dutch football."
Bonis is ADO Den Haag’s top scorer with eight goals in his 16 appearances this season, so has he set himself a target to reach this term?
“Yes, I’ve set myself a target for the year,” he added. “I think everyone does but I just want to play as many games as possible and get used to the style of play. I want to contribute as much as I can for the team and play my part in trying to gain promotion for the club.”
Meanwhile, in the Scottish Premiership, Northern Ireland Under-21 international Makenzie Kirk found the net for the second time in three games as St Johnstone earned a point at second-placed Aberdeen. The game at Pittodrie ended one apiece.
“We just need to keep doing what we are doing,” Kirk told BBC Scotland after the game. “It is only a matter of time before we get the points on the board.
“The performances over the last few weeks have been really good. I think we are progressing and we are doing really well. It is just about picking up the points now and keeping positivity around the place.”
Northern Ireland’s latest Premier League star, Justin Devenny, continued to get vital first team minutes under his belt when he came on as a late substitute in Crystal Palace’s 2-2 draw against Manchester City at Selhurst Park.
In League One, loanee striker Callum Marshall had to be replaced early in the first half of Huddersfield Town’s 2-1 win at Mansfield Town after picking up an injury, while Ethan Galbraith returned to action after his brief injury lay-off to help Leyton Orient to victory at Wigan Athletic who had Dale Taylor spearheading their attack.
In the third round of the Adobe Women’s FA Cup there was disappointment for Rebecca McKenna, Ellie Mason, Simone Magill and Rebecca Holloway after Birmingham City were beaten 1-0 at home by Durham. However, former Under-19 international Ella Haughey was part of the West Brom team that progressed to the fourth round after they defeated Cheadle 2-0.
It was also cup weekend for the women’s game in Scotland with Megan Bell getting on the scoresheet for the first time this season as Rangers crushed Westdyke 24-1 to make it through to the fourth round of the Scottish Women's Cup competition.
Finally, in the FA Youth Cup, Under-19 international Max Wilson was among the scorers as Preston North End knocked Liverpool out of the competition. Preston enjoyed a stunning 4-1 victory over their more illustrious opponents.
