BRING ON JOSE AND CO -PAGE
DELIGHTED boss Rob Page saluted players and fans after Northampton Town stunned West Brom in the EFL Cup – and lined up a plum tie against Manchester United in the third round.
Zander Diamond gave the Cobblers the lead, but the Baggies looked to in control when goals either side of half-time from James McClean and Gareth McAuley gave them a 2-1 lead.
But Northampton dug deep and the League Two champions gained their reward when Alex Revell scored in the 82nd minute.
When extra-time failed to separate the sides, it was Page’s troops who kept their nerve in the penalty shoot-out that followed, triumphing 4-3.
Excellent
Cobblers keeper Adam Smith saved James Morrison’s penalty to give Kenji Gorre the opportunity to win the tie – and he didn’t blink.
Boss Page, who joined Northampton from Port Vale in the summer, said: “I thought the lads were excellent on the night.
“When West Brom went ahead, people thought it would be 3-1 or 4-1 but the lads knew they hadn’t carved us open and that there would be opportunities.
“The lads showed great character, which was really pleasing, and also some of the aspects we’d been lacking in the league were there for everyone to see.”
It was a sweet moment for Page as a year ago, as Port Vale boss, he had seen his side lose on penalties to the Baggies after a 0-0 draw at the Hawthorns. “That was going through my mind,” he admitted. “I had just sorted the pens out and my assistant Paul Wilkinson said, ‘Didn’t you go to pens with them last year?’ I told him I’d tell him what happened after…
“I’m really pleased for Kenji – he was excellent on the night and showed great character with his spot-kick and Adam was a real credit, too.
“The atmosphere was tremendous and the fans played a massive part – I’m really pleased for them.
“To be in the draw and get Manchester United was fantastic.”
In a little over three weeks, Page will go head-to-head with Jose Mourinho and the Red Devils, but his focus will be purely on his side.
The former Welsh international added: “I played in big games and the important thing for my players is to realise we aren’t there to make the numbers up – we deserve to be there.
“We have beaten Premier League opposition – can we do it again and take the game to them?
“Their manager will pick a team to get through a cup-tie and whether it’s their first eleven or their second string, I need to get my players in the right mindset to win a game of football. It’s not about them.
Clinical
“We haven’t been clinical enough in the league, but we have to take confidence from scoring two goals against Premier League opposition.”
Meanwhile, Accrington Stanley are looking forward to a trip to the capital to take on West Ham at the London Stadium after defeating Premier League outfit Burnley 1-0 in an exciting finale.
Matty Pearson scored a lastgasp extra-time winner as League Two outfit Stanley beat a Premier League club for the first time in their history.
Fulham also got the better of top-flight opposition, defeating Middlesbrough 2-1 at Craven Cottage.
Lasse Vigen Christensen scored an extra-time winner to send the Whites through to the next round.
There was a remarkable finish at Derby where the Rams saw off Carlisle 14-13 on penalties after a 1-1 draw, while Championship side Norwich crushed League One outfit Coventry City 6-1.
Other results: Crystal Palace 2 Blackpool 0, Blackburn 4 Crewe 3, Burton 0 Liverpool 5, Everton 4 Yeovil 0, Exeter 1 Hull 3, Luton 0 Leeds 1, Millwall 1 Nottingham Forest 2, Newcastle 2 Cheltenham 0, Oxford 2 Brighton 4, Peterborough 1 Swansea 3, Preston 2 Oldham 0, QPR 2 Rochdale 1, Scunthorpe 1 Bristol City 2, Stevenage 0 Stoke 4, Wolves 2 Cambridge 1, Reading 2 MK Dons 2 (Reading won 4-2 on pens), Morecambe 1 Bournemouth 2, Sunderland 1 Shrewsbury 0.