Master beats apprentice & instant impacts

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Mick McCarthy started his managerial career in 1992

The master and his boot-cleaning apprentice, ending goal droughts and making the instant impact to beat all instant impacts – it’s been another incident-packed English Football League programme.

BBC Sport takes a look at the stories you may have missed from Saturday’s action.

The Championship apprentice and his master

Forty years ago this week a raw, no-nonsense 18-year-old centre-back by the name of Mick McCarthy was making his debut for Barnsley in a 4-0 win over Rochdale.

The Ipswich Town manager had been marking that football landmark in fine style, until Saturday’s 2-0 home defeat against Fulham put an end to his side’s 100% start to the league season.

Following an impressive playing career at club and international level with the Republic of Ireland, the Yorkshireman has been in charge for almost 900 matches in the top two tiers of English football, as well as leading his adopted country to the last 16 of the 2002 World Cup.

But it is the man whose boots he used to clean who now boasts the only perfect record in the Championship. Can you spot McCarthy’s fellow Championship manager below?

A Bluebirds boss in the making… Neil Warnock (bottom row, second left) in his Barnsley playing days

McCarthy, 58, was a certain Neil Warnock’s apprentice during his early years at the Tykes and, incredibly, between them they have managed more than one-third of the teams currently in England’s second tier.

Warnock’s Cardiff City lead the way on their own now, with five wins from five thanks to a 2-1 success against QPR.

And here’s a quiz question bonus for you. Can you name the nine second-tier sides the pair have managed? Answers at the bottom of the page.

Gills go goal crazy and a Nouble gesture

A glum-looking Tom Eaves clutched the ball after his treble only earns Gillingham a point

After a total of 439 minutes* spanning more than four and a half league and cup games this season, Gillingham finally scored a goal on Saturday.

In fact they got three. Well, Tom Eaves did to be precise, netting a hat-trick – and his first goals for the club – inside 24 second-half minutes. Eaves’ efforts saw the Gills twice come from behind to earn a 3-3 draw against Southend United.

Not to be outdone by Eaves, Newport County’s Frank Nouble also grabbed a hat-trick – marking his home debut in style as his side beat Chesterfield 4-1.

Coming through the ranks at Chelsea, the Exiles are Nouble’s 13th British club, with a brief spell in China sandwiched in between. The South Wales air certainly seems to agree with him. Maybe his treble will help the much-travelled 25-year-old forward settle?

*Not counting Gillingham’s 0-0 draw on the final day of last season, or the 25 goalless minutes in the game before that.

Mason makes first impression count

Has there ever been a more instant impact by a new signing than Joe Mason’s for Burton?

Every new signing dreams of scoring on their debut, but Burton Albion loanee Joe Mason took that to the next level in his side’s 1-1 draw with Sheffield Wednesday.

Not only did the striker equalise for the Brewers, he did so only 31 seconds after being brought on at the Pirelli Stadium.

Seconds after jogging on, Mason was allowed space in the area to shoot on the turn, converting after Gary Hooper had put the visitors ahead with a close-range backheel.

Mason had not scored since January. How is he going to follow up that first impression?

Grimsby’s unwanted five from five

Grimsby Town’s players are either very unlucky or need to brush up on the laws of the game following their fifth red card in five matches this season.

Danny Collins was guilty of two bookable offences in the Mariners’ 3-2 home defeat against Wycombe after a handball in the penalty area and a bad foul on Matt Bloomfield.

Grimsby’s indiscipline has not been lost on their fans

Early baths for Ben Davies, Sam Jones, James Berrett and Zak Mills in the four previous league and cup matches mean Collins’ dismissal kept up the unwanted 100% record.

Grimsby now find themselves third from bottom in League Two and will hope to move themselves back up the table before they run out of available players.

The slow starters

This isn’t going well… Northampton’s Brendan Moloney (left) and Leon Barnett

Northampton Town’s start to a season seemingly so full of promise has been miserable to say the least.

With Matt Crooks and Matt Grimes headlining a host of summer signings, hopes were high for a positive campaign in League One.

Four games in and Justin Edinburgh’s side are one of only two teams in the EFL yet to register a single point.

Saturday’s 4-1 home loss against high-flying Peterborough United means the rock-bottom Cobblers have now lost all four league matches, conceding 10 goals and scoring two.

Under-pressure boss Edinburgh told BBC Radio Northampton: “We are in this together. We will never isolate anybody. We have let ourselves down, we have let the fans down and the football club. I accept all the responsibility.

“I have had to work hard in my career as a player and a manager and I am not going to give it up lightly.

“If we are going to get the result that we need we certainly have to defend better than we have. We were so, so poor in the goals we gave away. I understand the frustration but the only way you get through it is by sticking together.”

At least the Cobblers are not alone at the foot of the third tier. Oldham Athletic’s 2-1 loss to Blackpool means they also have no points but remain above Northampton on goal difference.

Former Tottenham full-back Justin Edinburgh is having a torrid time as Northampton Town manager

The second-tier teaser…

Did you get the nine Championship clubs managed by either Mick McCarthy or Neil Warnock? They are: Cardiff, Ipswich, Wolves, Leeds, QPR, Sheffield United, Sunderland, Millwall and Burton.

Neither has managed Barnsley… yet.