Loan Watch: Payne on target again on Boxing Day

Lewis Payne continued his recent personal form as he scored his second goal in four games for Newport County, after bagging his first senior strike earlier in the month.

Despite suffering a 2-0 defeat against Wrexham before Christmas as a late substitute, Payne and Newport bounced back with a 4-2 victory over Forest Green Rovers on Boxing Day.

The Welsh side went two goals down but responded in style; Payne assisted Will Evans’s equaliser before scoring the third himself with a delightful volley that dropped over the goalkeeper and into the far corner.

The win lifts Newport up to 17th in the league table, sitting 12 points above the relegation zone and just seven behind the playoff places.

Outside of the EFL, goalkeeper Jack Bycroft had similar fortunes with defeat pre-Christmas but an impressive response on Boxing Day.

Bycroft kept his second clean sheet of the season as Oxford City beat relegation rivals Dorking Wanderers 2-0 away from home, returning them to winning ways and lifting them to within one point of safety in the National League.

A division below in the National League South, fellow Academy goalkeeper Josh McNamara kept his first clean sheet of the season as St Albans City beat Dartford 3-0 on the 23rd December.

His side suffered defeat on Boxing Day as McNamara played his seventh consecutive game for the Saints.

Up in Scotland, Thierry Small made his third consecutive start for St Mirren, playing 73 minutes in a defeat against Hearts.

Finally, in Turkey there were two loanees in action; Paul Onuachu registered his second assist of the campaign, his tenth goal contribution so far for Trabzonspor, to equalise in a 1-1 draw against İstanbul Başakşehir.

Mateusz Lis made his 16th and 17th starts for Göztepe, picking up one win and one defeat before the Turkish winter break.

Main image: Lewis Payne (Photo: Newport County)