Shrimpers Payne Up For Goal Of The Month Award

First-year scholar Jack Payne, who scored four goals in the 7-0 Football League Youth Alliance Cup win over Dagenham & Redbridge, has been nominated for his second goal in the rout, which came at the end of an excellent move down the left-hand side.

Robert Hyams chipped the ball down the line for Shamir Mullings, who in turn laid it off to Michael Hyland. Blues’ captain swung a cross to the back-post, where Marlon Agyakwa side-footed the ball into the path of Payne and he took it away from a defender by dragging it underneath his left foot and curling into the top right-hand corner of the goal from 15 yards out.

Payne’s entry was one of eight chosen amongst a record 26 submittals for the award this month, with all Academies and Centres of Excellence run by Football League clubs encouraged to nominate the best goals over the month.

Last month saw Portsmouth’s Ashley Harris scoop the prize after a spectacular overhead kick for his team against Milton Keynes Dons, but LFE Chief Executive Alan Sykes has been moved to praise the standard of the strikes this month.

“The quality of goals on display is a great advertisement of the work being conducted at Football League Clubs to develop the players of tomorrow. Judging by the standard of entries that we have once again received it is going to be yet another close fought competition,” he said.

To vote for Jack’s goal this month, click here, where you can also view the other contending efforts: http://www.lfe.org.uk/news/goal-of-the-month-october-2011