From local rivalries and tough tests against youthful opposition, Lincoln City and Shrewsbury Town rose to the top – here’s how the pair made it to today’s final...
Lincoln City
Round One - Northern Group G
Mansfield Town 1-3 Lincoln City
Lincoln City 2-1 Everton U21
Lincoln City 2-1 Notts County
Round Two: Lincoln City 3-2 Accrington Stanley
Round Three: Rochdale 0-1 Lincoln City
Quarter-Final: Lincoln City 4-2 Peterborough United
Semi-Final: Lincoln City 1-1 Chelsea U21 (Lincoln win 5-3 on penalties)
Top scorers:
Matt Green – 3
Ollie Palmer – 3
Jordan Maguire-Drew – 2
Harry Anderson, Josh Ginnelly Sean Raggett, Matt Rhead, Danny Rowe, Luke Waterfall, Elliott Whitehouse – 1
“Lincoln City are off to @wembleystadium.”
— Lincoln City FC (@LincolnCity_FC) April 8, 2018
MATCH DAY! ⚽️#ImpsAsOne 🔴⚪️ pic.twitter.com/moDkse2wqX
Shrewsbury Town
Round One - Northern Group E
Coventry City 2-3 Shrewsbury Town
Shrewsbury Town 3-0 West Bromwich Albion U21
Shrewsbury Town 0-1 Walsall
Round Two: Port Vale 1-2 Shrewsbury Town
Round Three: Shrewsbury Town 0-0 Blackpool (Shrewsbury win 4-2 on penalties)
Quarter-Final: Shrewsbury Town 2-1 Oldham Athletic
Semi-Final: Shrewsbury Town 1-0 Yeovil Town
Top scorers:
Louis Dodds, Carlton Morris, Stefan Payne – 2
Arthur Gnahoua, Lenell John-Lewis, Joe Riley, Alex Rodman, Shaun Whalley – 1