Young Aussie pair Cameron Peupion and Tyrese Francois both got game-time for Premier League clubs Brighton & Hove Albion and Fulham respectively in the English FA Cup over the weekend.
Olyroos midfielder Cameron Peupion had been recalled from his season-long loan to League One club Cheltenham late last month.
The Sydney-born 21-year-old came on in the 93rd minute for the Seagulls in a 4-2 win over Stoke City on Saturday in the FA Cup.
Peupion, who debuted for Brighton in the Premier League late last season, only managed six appearances totalling 98 minutes during his time with Cheltenham.
Amid an availability crisis, Brighton cut short the loan deal, with Peupion getting 90 minutes last month in a Brighton U21’s match against Lyon’s U21s where he got the winning assist.
Tyrese Francois saw first-team minutes for the first time since August, coming on as an 82nd minute substitute in Fulham’s 1-0 triumph over Rotherham United.
Football League World rated Francois’ cameo as 6/10. The 23-year-old midfielder had been sidelined recently due to injury, writing “a positive start to 2024” on Instagram after his latest appearance.
Francois has made 11 appearances over the past four seasons for the Cottagers, while he was also loaned out to Croatian club HNK Gorica last term to get first-team experience.
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Tom Glover continued his six-game run as Middlesbrough’s number one keeper with a Player of the Match performance in their 1-0 home loss to Aston Villa.
Glover was rated 8/10 by the Evening Gazette, who wrote: “Boro’s man of the match. He was always going to have to make some big saves against a team as good as Villa. The one in the second half that he stopped from John McGinn that was heading straight for the top corner was top draw. It took a heavily deflected effort to beat him in the end.”
The goalkeeper, who was overlooked for the Socceroos’ Asian Cup squad, got his chance in the Boro side after an injury to Seny Dieng last month, with the Senegalese custodian now away for the Africa Cup of Nations offering him an opportunity to firm up his spot as first choice.
Elsewhere, Massimo Luongo was an unused sub as Ipswich Town progressed with a 1-0 win at AFC Wimbledon, while Kenny Dougall was unused as Blackpool drew 2-2 at top flight Nottingham Forest.
Nectarios Triantis remained on the bench for Sunderland’s Tyne-Wear derby 3-0 loss to Newcastle, while Jack Iredale was unused as third tier Bolton drew 0-0 at Luton Town.
Dean Bouzanis put in a full shift as Sutton United lost 3-1 at Plymouth Argyle.
In League One, Ash Maynard-Brewer played a full game as Charlton drew 3-3 at Port Vale, while Callum Elder was a half-time sub in Derby County’s 3-1 win at Fleetwood Town.
In the Italian Serie A, Cristian Volpato was an unused substitute as Sassuolo beat Fiorentina 1-0.
In the Coupe de France, Mohamed Toure was a 67th minute substitute as Paris FC won 2-1 at Olympique D’Ales.
In the Spanish Copa del Rey, Ryan Edwards started and played 78 minutes as Amorebieta went down 4-2 to top flight club Celta Vigo.
