SWANS ARE THE LAST U21S LEFT IN...
THE EFL may well have breathed a sigh of relief on Tuesday night as the Checkatrade Trophy final will not be contested by two academy sides.
After all the flak the competition has taken this season, two U21 sides meeting at Wembley could have been the final straw for critics who say their introduction has made a mockery of it.
As it is, Swansea U21s are the last development side left in after getting the better of
Wolves U21s 2-1, thanks to a double from Oli McBurnie. The Swans host Coventry
City in the last eight after the Sky Blues saw off
Brighton U21s 3-0 in the third round in front of a little over 2,000 fans at the Ricoh Arena. Ruben Lameiras, George Thomas and Ryan Haynes were on target.
Last season’s beaten finalists, Oxford United, marched into the quarterfinals with a 4-1 home win against Scunthorpe, Kane Hemmings hitting a hat-trick. They host Cheltenham or
Bradford in the last eight. In a delayed second round tie last Tuesday, Cheltenham thrashed Leicester’s U21s 61, with Diego De Girolamo hitting a hat-trick. The Robins host Bradford in the third round on Tuesday night. Luton hammered Chesterfield 4-0 to ease into the quarter-finals, Jack Marriott scoring twice. The Hatters face Yeovil Town, who beat Reading’s U21s 4-2.
The Glovers shared the goals around, with Otis Khan, Francois Zoko, Omar Sowunmi and a Jake Sheppard own goal making up their tally.
Mansfield will face Wycombe in the remaining tie. Pat Hoban struck both as Mansfield beat Oldham 2-0, while the Chairboys squeezed through 5-4 on penalties after a 1-1 draw at Blackpool.
The round three winners pocketed £40,000 apiece.
The quarter-finals take place in the week beginning January 23, with £50,000 for the winners.