EFL Stories: Adventures in Europe, Stunning Goals, and a Fairytale Comeback

Milan Smit has made a seamless transition to life in the Championship with Stoke, following a loan move from Go Ahead Eagles in January. Prior to the move, Smit had the opportunity to play in the Europa League, where he scored twice on his first start against Panathinaikos and also scored away at Lyon. 'When I played in the Europa League with Go Ahead Eagles, it's something I didn't think about when I joined the club!' he told Sky Sports. Smit believes the experience of playing in the Europa League has prepared him for the demands of English football, with a packed schedule and multiple games per week. Meanwhile, Dylan Lawlor, the 20-year-old Cardiff defender, has seen his side's relegation to League One as an opportunity to break into the first team and gain valuable experience. Lawlor, who has been with the club since he was seven, has featured prominently in Cardiff's push for promotion and has also earned a call-up to the Wales squad. Elsewhere, Ryan Ledson scored a stunning 50-yard goal for Huddersfield against Luton, which won him the Sky Bet League One Goal of the Month award. The midfielder described the goal as the best of his career, saying it was 'probably the sweetest I've hit the ball for a while and luckily it went in.' James Belshaw, the 35-year-old Notts County goalkeeper, has realized his dream of playing for his boyhood club, having worked his way back up through the game after being released as a youngster. Belshaw, who was born and raised in Nottingham, had to work his way through non-league and the EFL before earning a move back to his hometown club. Ryan Woods, the Oldham midfielder, reflects on his time at Stoke City, where he struggled to establish himself after joining from Brentford in 2018. Woods admits that the experience was difficult for him, having never experienced a low point in his career before, but has learned a lot from it and is now enjoying his time at Oldham in League Two.