Jamaicans in action in EFL Championship playoffs

Ivan Toney, a possible future Reggae Boy, and freshly minted national players Ethan Pinnock and Jamal Lowe all turned out for their teams as the English Football League (EFL) Championship playoffs began yesterday.

Toney and Pinnock, who play for Brentford, went down to Bournemouth 1-0 in their first-leg encounter at the Vitality Stadium yesterday, while Lowe, who plays for Swansea City, saw his team win their first leg tie by the same result against Barnsley.

Toney, who has been on the radar of the Jamaica Football Federation for some time, could not add to his goalscoring tally as Brentford were undone by a 55th-minute strike by Arnaut Danjuma to take a slim advantage going into the second leg.

Tie is still in the balance

A 39th-minute goal from Andre Ayew was enough for Swansea to claim victory, but the tie is still in the balance for the second leg. Both second leg matches are scheduled for Saturday.

Pinnock, who made his debut for the Reggae Boyz in the 4-1 loss to the USA in March, played the full 90 minutes, as well as Toney, who is still undecided about his international future.

Toney won the Golden Boot award, having led the division with 31 goals this season, and was runner up for the Championship Player of the Season award.

Norwich City's Emi Buendia won the award after his 14 goals and 16 assists this season helped Norwich return to the English Premier League (EPL) after one season in the Championship.

Lowe, who scored on his debut in the game against the USA, finished in the top 10 of the goalscoring charts with 14 goals this season. He was not selected in the recent national call-ups for games against Japan, Serbia, and the Japan Olympic team, but Pinnock has been brought back into the fold for the games as part of the 30-man squad for the June international window.

Brentford are looking to return to consecutive playoff finals in their bid to gain the final promotion place for the EPL, while Swansea are looking to return to the top flight after a three-year absence. Norwich City and Watford have already secured EPL promotion for next season after finishing in the top two.