With as many as 20 Papa John’s Trophy clashes on show on Tuesday evening, we delve into the key talking points from last night’s action-packed schedule:
1. Lincoln City top Northern Group F
Having taken the maximum six points from their last two Papa John’s Trophy Group Stage ties, Lincoln City found themselves sitting pretty at the top of Northern Group F, in the wake of an emphatic 3-0 victory over Bradford City yesterday evening.
The Imps defeated Manchester United Under-21s a week prior and made light work of the Bantams on Tuesday night, with goals from Tom Hopper, Hakeeb Adelakun and Anthony Scully - the competition’s leading marksman to date - enough to sink the Sky Bet League Two opposition.
It's almost the perfect t̴e̴a̴m̴ ̴g̴o̴a̴l̴ individual goal!#EFL | #PapaJohnsTrophy pic.twitter.com/FpbK6fk7So
— Papa John's Trophy (@PapaJohnsTrophy) September 1, 2021
2. Sutton United up and running in first victory
Despite sitting at the foot of the League Two table, Sutton United dusted themselves off and secured their first victory of the season over Crystal Palace Under-21s, with the EFL newcomers positioned at the summit of the Southern Group B standings.
Oluwatobi Sho-Silva opened the scoring on the half-hour mark before Alistair Smith doubled Sutton’s lead in the second period. Ricky Korboa then completed the Papa John’s Trophy triumph with 10 minutes remaining.
3. James Daly makes goal of the month case
Striker James Daly opened his Stevenage account on his first start, as Alex Revell’s side edged Tottenham Hotspur Under-21s 4-3 in Southern Group H. The forward, who joined the Hertfordshire team at the beginning of June from Bristol Rovers, got off the mark in spectacular style.
Trailing 2-0 at the time, Stevenage got back into the game after Daly’s stunning strike halved the deficit, before they turned it around to beat the North Londoners.
4. Cambridge settle Oxford Papa John’s Trophy score
Elsewhere in Group H, last year’s Quarter-Finalists Oxford United suffered a 4-1 defeat at the hands of Cambridge United, whom the Yellows eliminated from the competition last year in Round Three.
Sam Smith was at the double for Cambridge, netting twice in the space of five minutes, before Dan Agyei responded for Oxford in the 71st minute. However, Harvey Knibbs restored the hosts’ two-goal lead, and Kai Yearn added a fourth in added time.
5. Seven-goal thrillers galore
Meanwhile, in the evening’s other seven-goal thriller, Charlton Athletic thrashed Crawley Town 6-1 in Southern Group G.
The Addicks fashioned a three-goal lead before the break, courtesy of Josh Davison, Corey Taylor-Blackett and Elliot Lee.
Charlton’s George Francomb and Mason Burstow got in on the act in the second-half, before Davison bagged his second of the evening. Kwesi Appiah’s 75th minute penalty was all but consolation for Crawley.