Exciting young forward Shaq Forde shone on the Sky Bet League One stage for loan club Leyton Orient over the Bank Holiday weekend, as a string of Hornets continue to showcase their quality away from Vicarage Road.
Forde, 19, marked his first start for the O’s with the opening goal in a convincing 2-0 home win over Cambridge United on Saturday (August 26), following up his first appearance for the club a week earlier in perfect fashion.
Having lashed a close-range effort past Cambridge goalkeeper Jack Stevens in the 29th minute, Forde - who won Watford’s 2021/22 Young Player of the Season award - continued to prove a menace before being withdrawn in the 84th minute.
Elsewhere in the third-tier, Forde’s fellow attacker Kwadwo Baah made a late substitute appearance for Burton Albion in their 1-1 home draw against Bolton Wanderers (August 26), helping the Brewers earn a second point of the campaign.
Over in Italy, defender João Ferreira was handed his first start for Udinese in their 1-1 league draw at Salernitana (Monday August 28), with the 22-year-old featuring alongside a handful of former Golden Boys including Christian Kabasele and Hassane Kamara before being substituted in the 75th minute.
In the USA, Colombian teenager Jorge Cabezas Hurtado made his debut for New York Red Bulls against a star-studded Inter Miami in the MLS (Sunday August 27), coming on for the final 14 minutes as Lionel Messi and co. powered Miami to a 2-0 win at the Red Bull Arena.
Back across the pond, forward Ashley Fletcher made his fourth league appearance for Championship newboys Sheffield Wednesday (August 26), completing the last half-an-hour as Cardiff City snatched an injury-time 2-1 win in the Welsh capital.
And finally, Academy star George Abbott was an unused substitute in both of Chippenham Town’s Bank Holiday outings in the National League South, with the Bluebirds first drawing 0-0 at Braintree Town (August 26) before beating Slough Town 2-1 at home (August 28).
Leyton Orient image credit: Simon O’Connor
