LFC Loan Watch: Wisdom plays for Norwich U21s, Williams in penalty controversy and Ward & Vigouroux impress with clean sheets

We take a look at how the loaned members of the Reds squad performed for the temporary clubs throughout the last week.

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Sheyi Ojo

In a week of poor results for promotion hopefuls Wolves, Liverpool’s 18-year-old loaned man watched from the bench as an unused substitute in midweek in the first of back-to-back defeats, as Kenny Jackett’s men slumped to a 3-2 home defeat against Queens Park Rangers.

The poor midweek result prompted Jackett to make changes to his XI on Saturday however for their trip to Cardiff, with Ojo one of those coming into the starting team for his first league start of the season.

Ojo lined up on the left side of midfield and the teenager impressed with his pace, positivity and directness down the left flank, where he created three good chances with dangerous crosses into the box which should have resulted in goals.

After a positive 62 minute showing, Jackett withdrew Ojo and replaced him with out-and-out striker Nouha Dicko who partnered Afobe up top as Wolves searched for a way back into the match at 2-0 down, which ultimately proved fruitless.

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Lawrence Vigouroux, Jordan Williams & Kevin Stewart

Football - Under 21 FA Premier League - West Ham United FC v Liverpool FC

Swindon’s No.1 and Williams kept their places in the Town starting XI for their League One match against Port Vale on Tuesday night – an eventful and dramatic game that ended in a 2-2 draw.

The pair completed the 90 minutes, helping Town to produce their best display of the season so far according to boss Mark Cooper, while Stewart entered only as an 89th minute sub for striker Fabien Robert as Swindon looked to hold on to their lead which was lost with Vale scoring a 96th minute penalty – conceded by Williams in truly bizarre fashion.

With a Swindon man down injured, Vale – pushing for a late leveller – swung in a corner which Williams punched thinking the corner would have to be re-taken with Brandon Ormonde-Ottewill still on the floor, but referee Brendan Malone instead awarded a spot-kick for handball at the death, leaving players and management furious.

Despite the freak mishap, Williams kept his starting shirt as did Vigouroux who kept a clean sheet in a hard-fought 1-0 win at Southend – a game which Stewart started on the bench and played the last 20 minutes.

The Chilean stopper turned in a superb display making numerous match-winning saves earning plaudits post-match, including two outstanding reaction stops from Myles Weston’s header and Joe Pigott’s injury-time volley.

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Williams – playing as part of Town’s back three – also played a fundamental role in the victory, calmly bringing the ball out of defence to instigate a fine move that eventually lead to Fabien Robert’s match-winning strike that keep’s Cooper’s side unbeaten after four league games.

 

Danny Ward

Aberdeen’s No.1 continued his fine start to the season at Pittodrie on Saturday in table-topping Dons’ victory over Dundee.

Ward kept his second league clean sheet of the season in the 2-0 win, but though a fixture Derek McInnes’ side dominated for large parts, the Reds stopper played a vital part in helping his side claim the three points – making a crucial save to deny Dundee’s Kane Hemmings at point-blank range with the score at 0-0.

It was a key moment in the match which sparked the Dons to life after a slow opening to a second half that saw Aberdeen score twice through Adam Rooney to keep up their 100% winning start, with five wins from five league games positioning them nicely at the top of the SPL table.

 

Lloyd Jones

Despite his error in Blackpool’s defeat last weekend, Jones kept his place at the heart of the Tangerine’s defence on Tuesday night in their clash against newly promoted Burton Albion.

But it proved to be another miserable evening of action for Neil MacDonald’s men, who slumped to a 2-1 loss – though Jones endured a better night on an individual level in a back four that was surprisingly unchanged for the third game running.

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Tuesday, November 4, 2014: Liverpool's Lloyd Jones during a training session at Melwood Training Grounds ahead of the UEFA Champions League Group B match against PFC Ludogorets Razgrad. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

After starting the season poorly, MacDonald made changes to his team on Saturday for their fixture against Sheffield United, including dropping the 19-year-old Reds youngster to the bench.

It was another drab afternoon for the Seaside outfit as they went down 2-0 to the Blades at Bramall Lane, where the Reds central defender watched from the bench as an unused substitute for the 90 minutes.

 

Andre Wisdom

After two weeks of no action, Wisdom finally made his first appearance for Norwich in midweek since arriving on loan – taking part for the Canaries’ U21 side on Tuesday.

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Saturday, October 20, 2012: Liverpool's Andre Wisdom in action against Reading during the Premiership match at Anfield. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

Having yet to feature for the first team who have made a promising start to the Premier League season, Wisdom’s lack of match practice saw him involved in the development squad fixture, where he played 71 minutes at right back in their 2-0 win over Leicester City.

But after welcome match minutes in midweek, Wisdom again watched on as an unused substitute for Alex Neil’s side in their 1-1 draw against Stoke on Saturday.

 

Luis Alberto

Luis Alberto’s Deportivo La Coruna opened their La Liga campaign with a goalless draw against David Moyes’ Real Sociedad on Saturday evening.

Having endured a pre-season of mixed game time, Liverpool’s attacking midfielder was named amongst the substitutes for the season opener, and that’s where he remained for the 90 minutes.