Loan report: Another clean sheet for Carl

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Matthew Bishop

2025-12-29T14:40+00:00

Carl Rushworth kept another clean sheet on Boxing Day. 📸 by James Boardman.

Carl Rushworth and Coventry continued their Championship promotion charge on Boxing Day as Albion’s loanees faced a busy run of festive fixtures.

Rushworth’s Sky Blues equalled a club-record eight consecutive home wins by beating Swansea City – who our on-loan goalkeeper played for during the 2023-24 season, winning their Player of the Year award – 1-0 at the Coventry Building Society Arena.

Malick Yalcouye was on the opposing side in the Midlands, coming on for Swansea with 20 minutes remaining, but the Malian couldn’t prevent Frank Lampard’s side from moving eight points clear of Middlesbrough at the top of the Championship.

Rushworth will be hoping to keep a third clean sheet in four games when they play Ipswich, who are third, on Monday night.

James Beadle and Eiran Cashin were also in second-tier action on Boxing Day but their Birmingham City side had to settle for a point against Derby County. Beadle was back in goal for the Blues after an ankle injury while Cashin was subbed off after an hour during their 1-1 draw against the Rams.

Dropping into League One, Kamari Doyle and Reading enjoyed a very merry Christmas as they won 4-1 at Plymouth Argyle. The hosts were reduced to ten players early on and Doyle’s Royals punished the Pilgrims with three goals in the first 20 minutes.

Doyle’s third goal of the season was also Reading’s third on the day. The Royals brought Mark O’Mahony off the bench in the second half and moved up to tenth in the third tier.

Amario Cozier-Duberry and Caylan Vickers were also both in League One action on Boxing Day and both registered an assist – although their sides endured mixed festive fortunes with Bolton Wanderers winning but Barnsley losing.

Cozier-Duberry started for the Trotters and helped them moved up to fourth by assisting Josh Sheehan’s dramatic 93rd-minute winner against Rotherham, but Vickers – who played 70 minutes for the Tykes – couldn’t prevent his team from losing 3-2 to Mansfield, who he was on loan at last season, despite setting up Davis Keillor-Dunn’s early goal.

Like Vickers, Jacob Slater also tasted defeat in the division below as his Harrogate side lost 1-0 to Salford City to stay a point adrift in the League Two relegation zone.