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The season is beginning to wind down, but for many clubs the most important matches of the season are yet to come. Quite a few of Chelsea's youngsters on loan will get to experieince this, either playing for European places or fighting for promotion.
Romelu Lukaku is finally back from an ankle injury which cost him about a month, and luckily for Everton, he looks to have picked up where he left off. The big Belgian started on the bench, but came on with just over 30 minutes to pay in a scoreless match with West Ham. Lukaku scored, Everton won, and Big Sam saw the Hamers' four match win streak snapped.
The other striker Chelsea have on loan in England found the back of the net as well, also securing a win with a game winning strike. Patrick Bamford was quiet against Sheffield Wednesday, but his best goal of the season ended up being the game's only goal. He also played 45 minutes against Bournemouth and about 30 minutes against Burnley since our last update, and will likely start this weekend in the center of the attack as Chris Martin will be suspended for Derby's next game.
Victor Moses continues to be buried at Liverpool, playing just ten minutes against Swansea before going unused against Southampton. Ryan Bertrand has seen more success at Villa, starting and playing about 75 minutes against Newcastle before playing the full 90 in a 4-1 victory over Norwich City.
The Middlesbrough duo of Nathaniel Chalobah and Kenneth Omeruo have both nailed down regular starting roles now, with both of the pair getting starts over each of the past two weekends. Boro didn't manage a gal in either of those outings, a 0-0 draw and a 1-0 loss. Still, both looked pretty good based on the response of Boro's supporters after each of those games, and seem to have done enough to assure they continue to see starts.
Sam Hutchinson finally debuted for Sheffield Wednesday, though he did so in an unfamiliar central midfield role. He did enough during his 30-minute cameo against Derby to earn a start in the same role against Boro, and managed to assist that game's only goal. So far, so good, now just stay healthy Sam.
When Ben Watson broke his leg against Barnsley, it looked like an opportunity for Josh McEachran to get some more minutes. He came on for the injured midfielder in that one, before starting and playing 59 minutes against Brighton. Unfortunately,Josh went unused against Nottingham Forest, while Wigan sign Ryan Tunnicliffe on loan to help replace the injured Watson.
Todd Kane has found his way to the Blackburn bench, despite being one of their better performers over the past 12 months. He only managed a short substitute appearance over the past two weeks, with Adam Henley being the current flavor of the month.
In League One, George Saville and Milan Lalkovic both continue to get regular starts for their clubs. Saville only managed 86 minutes against Wolverhampton before getting his regular 90 minutes against Carlisle, but the Bees managed only one point from that pair of fixtures. Lalkovic managed appearances of 78 and 81 minutes, neither scoring or assisting but picking up a booking for a dive.
