Championship: World Cup memories, Chelsea youngsters and play-off heroics | Five EFL stories ahead of the midweek matches | Football News

Sargent: Missing Gold Cup helped me feel fresh for Norwich

It was a blow for Josh Sargent to miss out on the Gold Cup with the USA in the summer, particularly with the World Cup coming up on home turf next year.

But the Norwich striker admits a full rest and a proper pre-season may have benefitted him in the long run. The 25-year-old has missed large swathes of the past two campaigns with injury. And he has hit the ground running with five goals already this term.

“It was a bit unfortunate not to be able to go to the Gold Cup with the national team,” he told the Sky Sports Essential EFL podcast after winning the Sky Bet Championship Player of the Month award for August. “But, at the same time, it put me in a very good spot to be fresh at the start of the season. It was the first time in a while I’ve had a full pre-season with the team.

“Mentally and physically it was very important for me to have that break and spend some time with family. That allowed me to hit the ground running as soon as I got here. I want to keep that going.

“The last couple of seasons I played very well but struggled with injuries that kept me from putting up the numbers I wanted to. I feel like I’m in a good place at the moment. It would be very important for me and the club to have a full healthy season and to help as much as I can.”

Sargent was back in the fold for the USA during the last international break, but faces competition for the No 9 shirt. Coventry’s Haji Wright and Derby’s Patrick Agyemang (more on him later) are in close proximity in the Championship and both will be desperate to impress to try and make Mauricio Pochettino’s squad.

“There’s always good healthy competition, and we all want to be there in such a big World Cup year back home,” Sargent adds. “If I do what I’m supposed to, keep scoring goals and playing well, it’ll put me in a good position to go to the World Cup.

“It’s what any kid would dream of, playing a World Cup in their home country. But it’s very important for me to focus day by day and stay in the present. If I take care of what I’m supposed to here, it’ll put me in a good spot to hopefully get on that roster.”

Agyemang: Settling in England and playing for the USA

Sargent’s absence for the USA in the summer played into the hands of Patrick Agyemang, who started for the USA at the Gold Cup on their run to the final.

He also completed a move to Derby County in the summer, but missed the first part of the season with injury. Playing in Europe was always the 24-year-old’s dream.

“Obviously it’s a little nerve-racking coming across from the States, but I’ve been welcomed really nicely and it’s been a great experience,” he says. “I’ve been enjoying it each day. When you’re in the States, you want to do well there, but you also dream of making the next step to Europe. This is where I wanted to be, to challenge myself both on and off the pitch.

“I used to watch so much Premier League. Players like Didier Drogba and Thierry Henry. Watching Drogba in his prime was amazing. He’s the type of striker I try to model myself on: running with the ball, getting in behind, holding up play.

“I fell in love with football as a little kid. That was always my focus. But I tried other sports too. I ran track, played volleyball, even a little American football. But the main thing that stuck with me was football. My family loved it, my friends loved it, everyone around me loved it, so it just stayed with me.”

Naturally, conversation quickly turned to the World Cup in the summer. Agyemang scored twice at the Gold Cup and is dreaming of more. But he knows his first job is performing for Derby County in the Championship.

“The 2010 World Cup was my first experience of really falling in love with the game,” he says. “Seeing my family reacting to how well Ghana was doing was amazing. The celebrations from goals and wins, the watch parties, all of it. As a kid, it was incredible and something you dream of being part of one day.

“It’s something I’m aiming for. But I want to focus on what I can control first, step by step, like getting back on the field. In the bigger picture, the World Cup is what you strive for as a kid. For it to potentially happen is amazing. I just want to keep putting myself in the best position possible without putting too much pressure on myself. I’m at my best when I’m enjoying the game, having fun, and not stressing about what I have to do. I just go about every day the right way.”

Vale: Injury setbacks and growing up at Chelsea

It was not the ideal start for Harvey Vale on his arrival at QPR. Joining in the January window earlier this year, his medical immediately uncovered an issue and he was ruled out for the rest of the season.

“I was gutted when they first told me,” he admits. “I felt I was taking that step out of the academy scene and finally into the men’s game, finding a home. And then you get hit instantly with a setback. It’s challenging mentally.

“But the staff and the boys were really good. They helped me get through it. I knew the focus was always to have a full pre-season this season. When there’s a goal, it’s a lot easier to work towards something.”

This season he has had a much bigger chance to make an impression. He started his first league game for the club and got an assist in a win at Charlton, then scored his first goal as they beat Stoke 1-0. There is a way to go before Vale feels he may reach his full potential, but the signs are good for the 22-year-old.

“The last two or three weeks especially, I feel like I’ve got a lot sharper in training, fitter, and just getting back used to it,” he says. “After a long time out, going from academy straight into men’s football feels like two transitions in one. But in the last few weeks, I feel like I’m starting to become more myself and I want to play again.”

Before arriving at QPR, Vale came through the academy at Chelsea. He namechecks Tino Livramento, Levi Colwill, Lewis Hall and Jamal Musiala as some of the talents in the age groups above and below his.

“You’ve played with them and trained with them and felt comfortable at that level,” he says. “I’m grateful for the education and footballing education I had at Chelsea. Everyone knows it’s one of the best academies in the world. Like everyone, there have been ups and downs. I played in the first team, then went back to the 21s, then on loan where I played loads of games, then came back and didn’t play, and now I’m here.

“Everyone’s journey is different, some quicker than others, but it gives you belief in your own ability that you can go on to do bigger and better things.”

Jones: A topsy-turvy career and play-off heroics

It has not been a linear path to the Championship for Lloyd Jones. Now 29, he is playing his first proper campaign at second-tier level for Charlton, after a topsy-turvy period in and out of the game.

“My career has definitely been up and down with certain situations and things that have gone on, but I’ve never doubted my ability to get here,” he says. “Sometimes I haven’t had the opportunity, whether through injury or not being selected, but I’ve never doubted myself. To finally get to the level I think I can play at and to achieve it is a great feeling.

“I’d almost say I’ve had two careers in a way. One that sounds nice, being at Liverpool or signing for Luton, but then having some time out of football for six or seven months and coming back was probably the best decision I’ve ever made. I didn’t care where I was playing or what money I was on, I was just happy to be playing every Saturday or Tuesday. In the last four or five years that’s been the happiest I’ve been in my career. It feels like the second part of my career. Last season was probably the best I’ve had as a professional.”

The highlight undoubtedly came last season when he played a huge role in Charlton’s promotion through the play-offs. His vital assist in the second leg of the semi-finals against Wycombe earned their passage to Wembley. A silky bit of control and a pass to tee up Matty Godden.

“I saw the ball coming in and I thought I wasn’t getting there with my head so I’d have to bring it down,” Jones recalls. “Somehow I touched it down, then sprinted after it and the ‘keeper hesitated. Luckily Matty was there to tap it in. To be honest it was more relief because I’d missed a sitter in the first 10 minutes of the second leg of the semi-final! When we scored the atmosphere was electric.

“In the final I was actually more calm than in the semis. There was a feeling in the dressing room that we were going to do it. There was no doubt in our minds. Last season, when we went ahead, I think it happened 28 times and we only dropped points once. So when we went 1-0 up in the final the belief was there.

“The celebrations were unbelievable. The play-off final was 100 per cent the best day of my football career. I don’t remember too much about it as it was all a bit of a blur. But it was an unbelievable feeling and a great day for everyone involved.”

Stolarczyk: Becoming Leicester No 1

Jakub Stolarczyk had been waiting a long time for his opportunity to come at Leicester City. But since Mads Hermansen’s departure in the summer, he has seized the goalkeeping jersey with both hands.

“I’ve been here since 2017, coming through the academy, having loan spells as well, and now having the No 1 shirt,” he says. “Even though it’s just a number, it still feels like a massive honour and a special occasion that makes me even more motivated for this season.

“Since we came back for pre-season, I was only thinking about competing for that No 1 spot. With Mads moving to West Ham, it probably did help a little, but I still had to get out there and perform and take my chance, which I think I did. But I don’t want to sit around being happy about previous performances because there are another 30-plus games to play and we need to get this club back to where it belongs.”

Stolarczyk also played 10 games for Leicester in the Premier League last season. In a poor campaign for the club, there were some superb moments for him, including making his top-flight debut at Anfield, of all places.

“Obviously, the whole club and every single one of us had a difficult time,” he says. “We simply weren’t good enough to stay up, which was our aim from the beginning. Individually, the season didn’t start well for me because I picked up a bad injury in pre-season, which kept me out for five or six months.

“When I got back fit, I had the chance to play at Anfield, which was a dream come true. That’s what I’d always trained for and the reason I came to England when I was younger, to play in the Premier League one day. The fact I got that chance, even in a difficult period for the club, was something positive for me. To end the season with 10 games was a huge achievement and gives me a strong foundation going into this season.

“It felt like a big step, but I also felt ready for it because that’s what I had trained for all those years. It was about getting out there, being myself, and helping the team as much as I could. I never thought about it too much because all the loan spells and countless hours of training were building to that moment of making my Premier League debut.”

Midweek Championship fixtures

Every game is live on Sky Sports+ and the Sky Sports app, with free highlights on the Sky Sports app shortly after full-time. 7.45pm kick-offs unless stated.

Tuesday night

• Birmingham vs Sheff Wed
• Blackburn vs Swansea
• Bristol City vs Ipswich
• Hull vs Preston
• Leicester vs Wrexham
• Middlesbrough vs Stoke
• Sheff Utd vs Southampton
• Derby vs Charlton, 8pm

Wednesday night

• Millwall vs Coventry
• Norwich vs West Brom
• Portsmouth vs Watford
• QPR vs Oxford, 8pm