Milan Smit on his Europa adventure before Championship move

Milan Smit is still settling into life in the Championship with Stoke, following a loan move from Go Ahead Eagles in January – but at the tail end of 2025, he settled perfectly into playing European football.

The Eredivisie side won the KNVB Cup in 2024/25 and qualified for this season’s Europa League league phase as a result.

On his first start, against Panathinaikos, Smit scored twice, while he also scored away at Lyon.

“When I played in the Europa League with Go Ahead Eagles, it’s something I didn’t think about when I joined the club!” he told Sky Sports.

“We said just to make the best of it and to not really expect things because it was new for everyone. When you win the second game, you start thinking if something is possible. Then you win against Aston Villa and you are already on six points with three or four games left, then you think maybe it’s possible to go through.

“The Stuttgart game was another level – they were much better than us. Against Salzburg, we went close and Lyon, we went close. We ended on seven points and wonder if more was possible, but it was a really nice experience to play against those kinds of clubs.”

And he says a packed schedule, as a result of the extra European games, prepared him for life in England.

“Because we played Europa League, I know what it’s like to play that many games and I really liked it.

“You are a football player to play matches and here you can play almost three matches in a week, which is a dream for me.”
Dan Long

Dylan Lawlor on his Cardiff dream and rugby background

There are occasions when the clouds of relegation can provide silver linings for some. For Dylan Lawlor, Cardiff’s drop into League One has provided a massive opportunity.

The defender only turned 20 in January, but has enjoyed a massive breakout season for the Bluebirds – featuring in their push for promotion and also getting into the Wales squad.

For a Welsh lad who has been at the club since he was seven, it has been a dream.

“Every time I pull on the shirt it’s immense pride,” he says. “I love it and cherish every moment. I grew up a Cardiff fan, so it means even more to me. I love every minute playing for the club and I hope it continues.”

Built at 6’2 and from Wales, rugby could well have been an option for Lawlor, particularly considering his Irish heritage.

“My family aren’t big football fans to be honest! There’s more of a rugby background there and my dad is Irish,” he adds.

“I did play rugby at school and really enjoyed it. In school I was always a back. I started as a 10 and then moved to outside centre. But it clashed with football as they were on the same days. I had to choose and I always enjoyed football more.”

Cardiff City will be very glad he did.

Ryan Ledson on his halfway line stunner

Ryan Ledson does not usually score many. But the one he hit for Huddersfield against Luton in January was pretty special.

A peach of a hit from just behind the halfway line, to seal a 1-0 win for his 10-man side.

“It was definitely the best goal of my career,” he said of the strike that won him Sky Bet League One Goal of the Month. “It was probably the sweetest I’ve hit the ball for a while and luckily it went in.

“It just rolled back to me. We were down to 10 men as well, so it was going to take something a little bit special to get us in front. Luckily we hung on and got the three points, which made it even better.

“It was more instinct. In that split second your mind just takes over and you just do it. I think it’s just instinct. It rolled back nicely, I took a couple of steps onto it and just went for it.

“It could have gone anywhere, but I backed myself to have a good strike and I caught it clean and it’s gone in.

“You’ve got to try and catch the keeper off guard.You see quite a few now each season. It’s becoming more common, with five or six a year from around the halfway line because goalkeepers are taking up higher positions, so it’s always a chance to score.”

James Belshaw is living his dream at Notts County

James Belshaw still has to pinch himself from time to time. Back in January, at the age of 35, the goalkeeper sealed his dream move to his boyhood club Notts County.

“It still feels surreal,” he says. “Every time I pull the badge on and represent the football club, walking out at Meadow Lane, I don’t think that will ever get old. I don’t take a minute for granted here. As you can probably tell, I’m loving every minute of it.”

Belshaw, born and raised in Nottingham, was at County as a youngster, but then had to work his way back up through the game, first in the USA at college level, before time in both non-league and the EFL.

Now, he is back where it all began.

“I don’t think these stories happen very often in football,” he adds. “It’s a club I’ve tried to sign for for a long time and we’ve had conversations in the past. When it all became real around the back end of December and things started moving, I was only ever going to do one thing.

“It’s a club that’s so close to my heart and my family’s heart. My dad is a season ticket holder and still sits in the Kop supporting me. For my family, my wife and my little daughter, to see me play for the club is really special.

“I was part of the Centre of Excellence here until I was 15. After leaving, I had to work my way through non-league and eventually got back into the Football League at 30.

“To now wear the goalkeeper shirt, represent the club and follow in the footsteps of the legends who have played here before me means a lot. It’s really special to be part of it now.”

Ryan Woods: Stoke setback was a difficult time

Ryan Woods had been on the rise for several years, first at Shrewsbury, then at Brentford.

In the summer of 2018, he joined Stoke City. Just relegated from the Premier League. It was supposed to be the next big step for the midfielder, but it turned out to be more of a derailment.

“I spoke to [then-Stoke manager] Gary Rowett a lot before the move,” Woods recalls. “He wanted to bring me in to try and influence and change the style of play, to help put his own stamp on things.

“He brought me in to help the team play more football, but he then left after about three months of me being here. Then, a new manager came in with different ideas and I found myself more on the periphery.”

Now 32 and at Oldham in League Two, Woods reflects on what was a challenging time.

“It was really difficult for me because I’d never experienced a low in football before,” he admits. “From starting at Shrewsbury at 17 or 18 up to my move to Stoke at 25, everything had been an upward trajectory in terms of games and performances.

“Going there, it was hard to get my head around not playing as much as I wanted and not performing at the level I expected from myself.

“I learned a lot from it as a person and a player. It was very difficult and I struggled mentally to understand what was going on because I hadn’t experienced it before.

“We also had big players and big personalities in the dressing room. Gary had spent a lot on players and we had a really strong squad for the division, but we never achieved what we expected at the time.”

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