December's divisional Goal of the Month winners have been confirmed!
Ashley Fletcher – West Bromwich Albion v MIDDLESBROUGH – 29 December
Middlesbrough striker Ashley Fletcher is the Sky Bet Championship Goal of the Month winner for December, receiving 64% of the public vote.
As the ball dropped over his right shoulder, a quick glance at goal was all Fletcher needed to send an instant, sumptuous looping strike up and over Sam Johnstone from 30 yards.
Fletcher said: “It was an unbelievable moment to score a goal like that. It’s definitely the best I’ve ever scored.
“The ball came to me and I just thought ‘hit it.’ It was even more pleasing for us as a team because we’d played so well that day and it put the icing on the win for us."
Lead Sky Bet EFL Goal of the Month judge and Sky Sports Pundit Don Goodman said: “The fact that this goal was the pick of three high-class candidates speaks volumes for its quality. A volleyed goal is always spectacular but one from so far out makes this extra special.
“You could see how much the goal and the victory meant to Fletcher and his teammates from the celebration, as they ran the full length of the field to slide in front of the rapturous Boro faithful.”
Fletcher beat off competition from Cardiff City’s Lee Tomlin and Millwall’s Jed Wallace.
Kyle Vassell – ROTHERHAM UNITED v Peterborough United – 29 December
Rotherham striker Kyle Vassell is the Sky Bet League One Goal of the Month winner for December, receiving 51% of the public vote.
All overhead kicks are acrobatic, but Vassell’s almost defied the laws of physics, so quickly did he spin his body upside down to time a perfect volley following lovely chest control.
Vassell said: “I’m really happy to have won League One Goal of the Month.
“It’s crazy to think that it was my first league goal for Rotherham but now that I’m off the mark I am hopeful I can keep it up and keep scoring goals. It would be even better if I could get a couple more of that calibre.
“As soon as you've scored one, it's the same with buses, you'll wait ages for the first and then two or three come at the same time. Hopefully that can now continue.
“Now I feel like I'm getting a bit of a reward for my overall contribution with the goals starting to go in.”
Lead Sky Bet EFL Goal of the Month judge and Sky Sports Pundit Don Goodman said: “There’s nothing quite as spectacular as an overhead kick when the ball finds the back of the net and this was no exception from Kyle Vassell.
“Facing away from the Peterborough goal, he reacted quickest in a crowd of bodies to chest the ball, then immediately rotate his body, make perfect contact and send the ball flying into the top corner.”
Vassell beat off competition from Oxford United’s Shandon Baptiste and Blackpool’s Matt Virtue.
Jordan Maguire-Drew – Cambridge United v LEYTON ORIENT – 21 December
Leyton Orient winger Jordan Maguire-Drew is the Sky Bet League Two Goal of the Month winner for December, receiving 56% of the public vote.
So true was Maguire-Drew’s strike of his free-kick as the ball flew up and over the yellow wall before dipping into the top corner, it didn’t matter that it had travelled over 30 yards.
Maguire-Drew said: “I’m delighted with it, I’m really pleased that I have won. I’m really grateful to those who voted.
“The keeper give me a lot of room at the front post and it was Wrighty (Josh Wright) actually who said to me ‘Jord, you could have a shot here.’ To be fair I caught it perfectly, exactly how I had imagined it would go in and I’m delighted that it came off.”
Lead Sky Bet EFL Goal of the Month judge and Sky Sports Pundit Don Goodman said: “Cambridge keeper Dimitar Mitov only asked for one man in his defensive wall as Maguire-Drew lined up his free-kick, given how far out it was.
“However, such was the power and pinpoint accuracy with which the dead ball was struck, it flew into Mitov’s near post without him getting a touch on it.”
Maguire-Drew beat off competition from Scunthorpe United’s Abo Eisa and Salford City’s Richie Towell.
