Rotherham United midfielder Ollie Rathbone’s rocket against Blackburn Rovers has been nominated for the Sky Bet Championship Goal of the Month for January.
The midfielder was left in suspense momentarily after his left-footed piledriver had crashed down off the crossbar, with the referee’s watch confirming that the ball had indeed crossed the line with Thomas Kaminski well-beaten in the Rovers goal.
Rathbone will now have an anxious wait to see whether his strike is adjudged to have been better than those from Jeff Hendrick (Reading), Scott Twine (Burnley) and Gustavo Hamer (Coventry City).
The January nominations for the Sky Bet Championship Goal of the Month Award are:
Ollie Rathbone – ROTHERHAM UNITED v Blackburn Rovers – 14th January
But for goal-line technology, Rathbone’s stunning 20-yard piledriver which crashed against the bar and bounced down over the line would have been noteworthy as a spectacular near-miss.
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Jeff Hendrick – READING v Queens Park Rangers – 14th January
It is hard enough to beat a Championship keeper with a swerving rising shot from 30 yards, but Hendrick managed it with a perfectly struck grasscutter that fizzed into the bottom corner.
Scott Twine – BURNLEY v West Bromwich Albion – 20th January
Cruelly hampered by injuries this season, Twine reminded us of his prowess from free-kicks by majestically curling this effort swiftly up and over the West Brom wall with minimal back-lift.
Gustavo Hamer – COVENTRY CITY v Huddersfield Town – 28th January
Hamer took 10 touches in a run which saw him twist and turn, play a one-two with Viktor Gyokeres, waltz past four Huddersfield defenders and finally curl his shot into the far corner.
Fans are invited to vote for their favourite goal on EFL.com before 5pm on Monday 16 January.
The supporters' votes will be combined with the choices from a panel to determine the winners.
The judging panel comprises Sky Sports’ EFL experts Don Goodman & David Prutton.