Playmaker's EFL 72: #15 Ephron Mason-Clark

It has been a whirlwind few weeks but we are nearing the final part of our ’72 of the 72’ countdown with a move back up to League One.

It's certainly been no easy task, but - just to clarify - our '72' is less a roll call of the best footballers in the EFL and more a tribute to those players who have enjoyed the most memorable seasons while racking up the most impressive stats.

Whatever the criteria, we're confident in our selections of the most outstanding players through the Championship, League One, and League Two and welcome any debate on the subject!

This man, no matter what happens in the next few days and weeks, will be a Championship player next season as we focus on Peterborough United’s Ephron Mason-Clark.

As mentioned, Ephron Mason-Clark will be in the second-tier next season. In the January transfer window, Coventry City agreed a deal believed to be worth £3.5 million for the winger and he has spent the second-half of the campaign back on loan at Peterborough United.

However, even with his own future secured, the 24-year-old is seeking to propel his current club into the Championship, too, and will be hoping to come up against them next season as they take on the League One playoffs.

Mason-Clark, in an attack that boasts the likes of Joel Randall, Jonson Clarke-Harris, Kwame Poku and Ricky-Jade Jones, is very much the leader and main man in the final third for League One’s top scorers during the regular campaign.

The excellent wide man averaged 2.9 shots per game throughout the 46-game league season, which was 0.4 more than anyone else in Peterborough’s squad, highlighting at how most, if not all, of their attacks filtered through the former Barnet man.

Only set-piece taker Harrison Burrows managed more key passes per game for Posh, whilst nobody was a more effective dribbler with 1.8 successful dribbles per match.

Those impressive numbers were also reflected up against the rest of the league, too, though, with genuinely effective end product. 

A list of players to complete 60+ dribbles in the 2023/24 League One season:

Ephron Mason-Clark (77)
Corey Blackett-Taylor (66)
Martial Godo (63)
Nathaniel Mendez-Laing (62)
Stephen Humphrys (62)

End of list.#PUFC #PUSB #DCFC #WAFC #FFC #EFL pic.twitter.com/6QmuCiIso8

— Not The Top 20 Pod (@NTT20Pod) May 1, 2024

With 14 goals and seven assists, only Alfie May (24) and Colby Bishop (24) had more direct goal involvements in League One than Mason-Clark. 

The 24-year-old was the star attacker in the league’s star attack and has already got his spot in the second-tier set for next year. It would be no shock to see him rise even higher up this list in an ambitious Coventry team next season. 

Playmaker's EFL 72...the countdown

16: Dan Kemp 17: Joe Taylor 18: Eiran Cashin 19: Ali Al-Hamadi 

20: Jack Clarke 21: Isaac Olaofe 22: Carl Piergiani 23: Jaden Philogene 

24: Alfie May 25: Will Evans 26: Jamie Reid 27: Morgan Whittaker

28: Conor Chaplin 29: George Thomason 30: Mickey Demetriou

31: Stephy Mavididi 32: Marc Leonard 33: Josh Sheehan

34: Matt Smith 35: Kwame Poku 36: Illan Meslier 37: Aden Flint

38: Ronnie Edwards 39: Josh Sargent 40: Alex Gilbey 41: Ben Sheaf

42: Jobe Bellingham 43: Devante Cole 44: Jacob Greaves 45: Paddy Lane

46: Herbie Kane 47: Dan James 48: Archie Collins 49: Karamoko Dembele

50: Haji Wright 51: Dan Crowley 52: Cameron Brannagan 53: Aaron Collins

54: Andy Cook 55: Connor Shaughnessy 56: Jannik Vestergaard

57: Willy Gnonto 58: Ellis Simms 59: Charlie Hughes 60: Fatawu Isshaku

61: Sam Hoskins 62: Paul Mullin 63: Chris Martin 64: Omari Hutchinson

65: Isaac Hutchinson 66: Sam Tickle 67: Ben Hinchcliffe 68: Michał Helik

69: Lewis Wing 70: Rob Apter 71: Kyle Walker-Peters 72: Alex Palmer