Wales fans will be delighted to know that Gareth Bale goes into the matches against Rep. of Ireland and Denmark in perfect form. For the seventh La Liga game in a row, Bale managed to hit the back of the net for Real Madrid with a superb strike.
Gwion Edwards put in another man of the match performance in the East Anglia derby on Sunday. He fired in his second goal of the season for Ipswich in a 1-1 draw against a Norwich side that featured Louis Thompson (for 25 minutes). Ellis Harrison came on to play the final 6 minutes of the match for Ipswich. Edwards was overlooked for the Wales squad this month, but continued performances in this manner will do him wonders for a future call up.
Forgotten man, Marley Watkins got his first goal for new club Bristol City in a 4-1 win over Blackburn Rovers.
Aaron Ramsey played 90 minutes and Ben Davies played 89/90 for Arsenal and Tottenham, respectively. Sam Vokes came on for Burnley in the 58th minute but was unable to get on the scoresheet. All three of them come through unscathed and head to The Vale Resort tonight.
Paul Dummett operated at left wing-back in a back five for Newcastle against Manchester City on Saturday. Keiron Freeman had a similar position for Sheffield United, but operated a more attacking wing-back role on the right. Freeman bagged an assist for the fourth goal in a 4-1 win over Aston Villa. James Chester played 90 minutes for Villa and Neil Taylor came on in 77th minute when the result was already a foregone conclusion. Ben Woodburn was an unused sub.
Only one third of the Welsh contingent at Derby played at the weekend. Tom Lawrence came on after 61 minutes for The Rams in a 2-1 win over Hull. There were worries last week after news broke that he was carrying an injury and would probably miss the international break, thankfully he seemed okay. Ledley and Wilson were not in the squad.
Chris Gunter played his first full league game for Reading and Chris Mepham played 90 minutes for Brentford, despite an injury scare in midweek.
Connor Roberts and Joe Rodon played the full 90 minutes in Swansea’s remarkable 2-1 away win over Millwall, despite having 10 men on the field for 85 minutes. Daniel James also started the game but was replaced on the hour mark. Tom Bradshaw was brought on for the last five minutes but couldn’t get the all-important goal for his new team.
News on Wednesday saw Hal Robson-Kanu’s decision to retire from international football, much to everyone’s surprise. He played 20 minutes in West Brom’s 2-1 win over a Stoke side that included Joe Allen. Ashley Williams was an unused sub.
Bolton’s deadline day signing, Christian Doidge wasn’t in the squad after only signing for the club on loan from Forest Green Rovers yesterday. Andrew Hughes continued his position at left back for Preston.
In the lower leagues, Ched Evans netted another goal for Fleetwood and Wes Burns got sent off in the same match. Rhondda born full-back, Liam Shephard scored his first goal for Forest Green Rovers in a 3-1 win, after signing from Peterborough in the summer. George Williams came off the bench to play half hour for FGR in the second half, whilst Lloyd James played 80 minutes. David Vaughan played 90 minutes for Notts County.
Matthew Smith played in FC Twente’s 3-1 win over Simon Church’s old club, Roda JC Kerkrade. And finally, there will be a new name to look out for in Spanish football – Alex Babos has joined Segunda División side Real Unión on a season-long loan from Derby County. He wasn’t in their squad today but is certain to feature after the international break.
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Read more:
• All of the summer transfer moves for Welsh players
• Wales left heartbroken in Newport as England qualify for the 2019 World Cup
• The break down of everything Ryan Giggs said at the Wales squad announcement
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