Kevin Lisbie is rolling back the years with League One leaders Leyton Orient and, according to manager Russell Slade, his veteran striker is a ‘phenomenon’.
Lisbie scored his tenth league goal of the season – his 12th in all competitions – in the weekend 1-0 win against Rotherham, taking him joint top of the leading scorers table.
The 35-year-old former Jamaica international has edged above Orient teammate David Mooney who was the PFA Fans’ Player of the Month winner in September, and is also in the hunt again.
Slade said of the much-travelled Lisbie: “He is a phenomenon because the day before the Rotherham game he only had a 50 per cent chance of being fit.
"But the game demonstrated not only how important Kevin Lisbie is to the team, but how important everyone is. We had to defend stoutly at times and all the lads across the back were superb.”
Slade’s title-chasers have conceded just 11 goals in 14 league games so far, with the likes of Elliot Omozusi and Nathan Clark, together with ever-present keeper Jamie Jones, playing major roles.
Three of the 11 goals to find their way past Jones came in the recent 3-1 defeat by Coventry who continue to make light of their ten-point deduction imposed at the start of the season.
Sky Blues’ leading scorer Callum Wilson has taken his league tally to ten during the course of another successful month for Steven Pressley’s men who are now looking at an unlikely play-off place.
But whilst Wilson has been the shining light this season, he has been somewhat overshadowed in recent games by teammate Franck Moussa who, having scored in the 3-1 win over the O’s, was the match winner in the 1-0 victory against Walsall.
It was City’s fourth win in five games and midfielder Moussa now has an impressive six goals to his name.
Like their West Midlands rivals, Wolves have also enjoyed a fruitful month with three wins and two draws taking Kenny Jackett’s men up to the heady heights of second place.
Master marksman Leigh Griffiths, with nine goals in nine league games, continues to impress and his Wolves boss believes the young Scottish international can go all the way to the top.
“It’s really up to Leigh how good he can be – it depends on how much drive he has. He’s got the platform now at a tremendous club to do it. Even in a quiet game, he can score, which is a vital thing to have in your forwards.”
Griffths’ teammate James Henry, on loan from Millwall, has also stood out this month along with the likes of Patrick Bamford at MK Dons and Gillingham’s Danny Ketwell, who has scored five goals in five games.
Coming up on the rails in the voting for October fans’ player of the month is former Arsenal trainee Jay Emmanuel Thomas who scored the first professional hat-trick of his career in struggling Bristol City’s 4-2 win at Carlisle – the Robins’ first three-point haul.
City’s assistant manager John Pemberton was full of praise for Thomas, who joined the club from Ipswich in the summer, saying: “His goals were terrific and it was the perfect hat-trick. We know what he's capable of doing and what he's not good at. We need that maverick player.”
Source: DSG
