EFL Unfiltered with David Prutton

It’s what’s known as the business end of the season, and Mark Clemmit is joined this week by two men who hail from the North East, but are both plying their trade in the south at opposite ends of the EFL pyramid. Jonathan Woodgate is the manager of AFC Bournemouth until the end of the season and his side are on a fantastic run of form, eyeing a return to the top flight at the first attempt through the perilous playoffs. At the other end of the EFL spectrum, vastly experienced manager Phil Brown, has returned once again to one of his old clubs to see if he can keep them from being relegated from Skybet League Two and dropping out of the EFL completely. It’s a tough ask, but you wouldn’t bet against Brownie with 5 games to go!

It’s the 3 wise men on this week’s official EFL Podcast. Well 4 I suppose if you count Clem, who’s joined by one of the EFL’s most formidable former marksmen Robbie Earnshaw, to cast his expert eye on all the week’s news in the Skybet Championship, League One and League Two. CEO of the EFL Trust Mike Evans is here to talk about next week’s annual EFL Day of Action, which sees football doing it’s bit for the local community, and Nigel Adkins pops by to inject some much needed positivity, as he reflects on his first month in charge at Charlton Athletic.

History will be made on Easter Monday, as Rebecca Welch from Washington, Tyne and Wear becomes the first female referee to be appointed by the EFL. Her debut sees her taking charge of Port Vale’s visit to Harrogate Town in Skybet League 2, which she explains to Mark Clemmit will be a huge milestone in her already impressive career. Clem also links up with Peterborough manager Darren Ferguson live from his garden on a balmy spring evening, and Morecambe’s Derek Adams, who Clem’s promised to buy two packets of Tunnocks caramel wafers if the Shrimps are successful in their promotion push!

This week it’s all about the biggest star in the EFL, as Mark Clemmit sits down for a fascinating chat with Brentford’s goal scoring talisman Ivan Toney, as he takes a much needed breather in the international break. With the opportunity of a bit of time off, he’s able to reflect on an incredible season so far in the Sky Bet Championship, and look forward to the task ahead in his side’s big push for promotion to the promised land of the Premier League. Clem is also joined by his old mate Simon Grayson to catch up on League One life at Fleetwood Town, and to find out what the secret is to promotion from this tricky division, bearing in mind Grayson has managed it four times to date, with four different clubs!

A busy week of managerial comings and goings in the EFL, and the heated battles at the top and bottom of all 3 divisions intensifies. The brilliant Curtis Davies joins Mark Clemmit to give his expert view on all of the above, and we enjoy a frank and honest assessment of life in league 2, with the longest serving manager in English football, Harrogate Town’s Simon Weaver. Clem also catches up with Rochdale fan Mark Cryer, who’s spearheading an amazing fundraising campaign to honour one of the club’s most loyal supporters and most generous of benefactors. 

At 16 years and 274 days James Vaughan smashed the record for the premier league’s youngest ever goalscorer, a title he still proudly holds to this day, and 16 years and 13 clubs later he should have been continuing his goalscoring habit at Wembley this Sunday, against one of his former employers Sunderland in the 2021 Papa John’s Trophy Final. However, a recurrence of a knee injury that has blighted his career sees him injured and unavailable for selection, but he still hopes to be fit enough to travel with his Tranmere team mates, for what promises to be a very special day out for Keith Hill’s Skybet League 2 high flyers. Elsewhere, Mark Clemmit catches up with Coventry City boss Mark Robins, who’s looking forward to the return of fans, a return to normality and a return to the Ricoh Stadium next season after their groundsharing sabbatical at St Andrews.

Two brilliantly candid interviews this week which Mark Clemmit does so well. First up, Lincoln City’s Michael Appleton on the learning journey at Sincil Bank and his side’s continuing push for promotion. Then a man who’s scoring goals for fun, a stone’s throw away from where Appleton grew up. Last summer, Ian Henderson made the short move from Rochdale where he’d become a club legend, to aspirational Salford City to take part in their footballing journey. It seems to be an inspired move so far, and he’s even managed to blag a trip to Wembley out of it, for next weekend’s rearranged 2020 Papa John’s Trophy Final!

At the risk of overdelivering, this week Mark Clemmit gives you not one, not two, but 3 cracking interviews, to prove once again that this is the best EFL Podcast by a country mile!Rotherham manager Paul Warne, gives us a brilliantly candid insight into the 24/7 pressure of football management, 34 year old Cameron Jerome is still scoring week in, week out for old mate Russell Martin’s MK Dons, and Bolton’s Eoin Doyle gives some of the best, funniest and honest answers ever heard in a football interview! It can only be the official EFL Podcast!

It’s a busy one this week as Mark Clemmit welcomes Preston North End’s veteran midfielder Paul Gallagher in for a brew and a blather. England’s only openly gay professional match official Ryan Atkin, talks about the challenge ahead to try and eradicate discrimination of any type from our national game, as we celebrate LGBT+ History Month, and last but not least it’s Oxford United’s charismatic gaffer Karl Robinson. Robbo and Clem chat about everything from mental health and hair loss, to medieval costumes and specialist leather wear! I suspect this is the only podcast in the world that can cover this much ground on a weekly basis!

Watford’s Ben Foster is an effervescent burst of energy, as he tells Mark Clemmit all about his YouTube show which has now amassed more than 400,000 followers in just a few months. Clem also sits down with Crewe Alexandra manager David Artell. The forensic scientist is known for his passionate displays on the touchline, but one on one in the studio he’s a very calm, considered and fascinating man, and it’s another brilliant interview on the official EFL podcast.