Stoke City midfielder Lewis Baker has been rewarded for his incredible long-range strike against Swansea with the Sky Bet Championship Goal of the Month award for February.
With the Potters 2-1up injury time, Baker let fly from inside his own half and sent the ball whizzing over the head of shell-shocked Swans keeper Lawrence Vigouroux to seal victory.
“I managed to intercept the ball, take a touch out of my feet, and look up in time to spot that the keeper was pretty far out,” said the 29-year-old.
“I thought I’d just go for it. You know when you’ve hit a good one and you just hope it ends up in the back of the net. It’s up there with the best goals I’ve scored.”
Best
Baker beat off competition from Watford’s Imran Louza, Bristol City’s Mark Sykes and Coventry’s Brandon Thomas-Asante.
In League One, Crawley midfielder Bradley Ibrahim took the honours for his goal in the 2-1home defeat against Wrexham.
He controlled a bouncing ball on his chest and then cracked an unstoppable dipping 30-yarder high into the net.
“I am delighted to have won the goal of the month award,” said the 20-year-old Hertha Berlin loanee. “It was a great strike and one that I am very proud of.
“Unfortunately, we were not able to get anything from the game in the end, but we are now looking forward and hoping to have a positive end to the season.”
Ibrahim overcame teammate Charlie Barker, Birmingham’s Jay Stansfield and Lincoln’s Sam Clucas.
Evergreen Notts County forward David McGoldrick scooped the League Two accolade. The 37-year-old sprinted onto a stray ball and then, without breaking stride, dinked an impudent chip over Gillingham keeper Glenn Morris in his side’s 2-1win. “The keeper came off his line and it was an instinctive decision
to chip it over him,” he said. “I got a great connection and knew it was going in straight-away. It’s definitely one I’ll always remember.”
Swindon’s Joel Cotterill, Gillingham’s Robbie McKenzie and Bradford’s Alex Pattison were also nominated.
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