Five Crystal Palace loanees were in action across the English Football Pyramid and beyond this weekend.
There were debuts for Owen Goodman and Romain Esse, David Ozoh returned to the Derby County starting XI following a lengthy injury lay-off, and Joe Whitworth kept yet another clean sheet as his impressive season continues.
Find out how each got on, below!
Goodman made an eye-catching Barnsley debut on Saturday, playing a key role in a dramatic 2-1 victory over Blackpool at Oakwell.
The 22-year-old was immediately thrust into a hard-fought contest and produced a series of sharp stops, including an excellent first-half reaction save, as the Reds weathered fatigue and a late Blackpool push.
Barnsley took the lead on 27 minutes when David McGoldrick capitalised on an error in the visitors’ backline. Moments earlier, Goodman had already announced himself with a superb intervention – denying what looked an all-but-certain goal. An Eoghan O’Connell error allowed Ashley Fletcher to drive into the box and tee up Tom Bloxham, but Goodman reacted brilliantly to keep the effort out.
The Palace loanee was busy again before the break, protecting the lead with another big save from a tight angle after Fletcher and Bloxham combined once more.
Blackpool eventually drew level through Fletcher, and the contest looked set to end all square. However, deep into stoppage time, Barnsley snatched all three points as McGoldrick fired into the bottom corner.
Speaking to Barnsley’s club channels post-match, Goodman said he was “just happy to play football”, eager to repay the trust shown in him and give everything for the staff and supporters.
Barnsley sit 15th in League One, level on 32 points with Leyton Orient, and face Reading on Saturday.
Whitworth recorded his fifth consecutive home clean sheet – and his 11th of the 2025/26 campaign – as Exeter City continued their strong form at St James Park with a 3-0 win over Stevenage.
After a relatively quiet opening, Stevenage began to apply pressure late in the first half, forcing Whitworth into action. A misplaced pass gifted the visitor’s possession and Whitworth reacted well to deny Patterson from a tight angle, before producing another solid save to keep out Reid’s goalbound effort minutes later.
On the stroke of half-time, Whitworth kick-started a flowing Exeter move, finding Brierley, who combined with Cole before Immi’s cross was flicked just wide by Wareham.
Exeter took control after the break. Ashby Hammond opened the scoring from the penalty spot, Brierley doubled the advantage midway through the second half, and a late debut goal from Semper Fidelis sealed the points.
The Grecians sit 13th in League One on 33 points, level with Plymouth Argyle. Whitworth and Exeter return to action against Port Vale on Saturday (24th January).
Ozoh made his first start for Derby County since early November as the Rams edged past Preston North End with a 1-0 victory.
The midfielder had returned to the matchday squad in last Sunday’s FA Cup defeat to Leeds United, coming off the bench after missing 11 matches through injury.
In a tightly contested first half, Derby nearly broke the deadlock from a short corner, with the ball dropping invitingly for Ozoh and Patrick Agyemang, only for Preston’s defence to snuff out the danger.
Ozoh impressed in midfield, snapping into tackles and finishing the match as Derby’s most active ball-winner, making four tackles before being withdrawn in the 73rd minute.
Derby sit 12th in the Championship on 38 points, five points off the play-off places, and face Charlton Athletic on Tuesday evening (20 January).
Esse made his league debut for Coventry City, playing 67 minutes as the Sky Blues came from behind to win a dramatic M69 Derby against Leicester City.
The 20-year-old made his second consecutive start since joining on loan and caught the eye with a series of tricks and flicks down the flank, causing Luke Thomas plenty of problems.
Haji Wright came off the bench to score a late winner, while head coach Frank Lampard turned to his substitutes on 67 minutes, introducing Wright and Tatsuhiro Sakamoto in place of Esse and Simms.
Coventry welcome Millwall on Tuesday evening (20th January) and sit top of the Championship, extending their lead to six points over Middlesbrough (55 points to 49).
The new Brazilian season got underway this week with the opening stage of the Campeonato Carioca, where teams are split into two groups, with the traditional ‘big four’ seeded across them.
Vasco began the campaign with an impressive 4-2 victory over Maricá, thanks to a brace from Rayan, though França missed the opener through injury.
The attacker returned to fitness in time for Vasco’s next outing, starting against Nova Iguaçu-RJ and playing the first 45 minutes of a goalless draw.
After two matches, Vasco sit second in their group with four points, having won one and drawn one, with Volta Redonda currently top.
Raynes Park Vale’s scheduled Isthmian South Central Division fixture against Bedfont Sports Club was postponed.
Hill is next set to feature against Fareham Town on Tuesday evening (20 January, 19:45 GMT).
Grante played the full 90 minutes as St Albans City were beaten 5-3 by Whitehawk FC in the Isthmian Premier Division on Saturday.
St Albans sit 14th in Step Three on 32 points and are back in action against Hashtag United this weekend.
Last season, Owen Goodman, Danny Imray, Tayo Adaramola and Joe Whitworth all featured featured in the Palace TV series Loan Life, where our cameras gained an unprecedented insight into their time adapting to new clubs and developing in the Football League.
