The Football League Trophy has caused plenty of controversy since Premier League academy teams joined the competition in 2016.
Many supporters up and down the country have boycotted the competition, largely down to discussions surrounding the addition of a new 20-team division, which would include the top-flight academy sides, with some fans even missing the chance to watch their team in the final at Wembley.
Oxford United took the field in their first game on Tuesday night against Northampton and while the game is seen as unimportant for a large section of supporters, there are three important things to take away from the match.
Oxford United Win in the Football League Trophy
Squad Rotation
With six players away on international duty and a further three injured, head coach Liam Manning had the opportunity to rotate some of his squad.
Simon Eastwood made his first appearance of the season in goal while Jordan Thorniley made his return from injury. In midfield, Oisin Smyth and summer signing Max Woltman took to the field for the first time while deadline-day addition Kyle Edwards was handed his first start.
The bench also consisted of three academy players, which we will get to later.
Wins Bread Confidence
Oxford won the game 3-1, despite falling behind to a fourth-minute penalty. Mark Harris, who is suspended for the next three league games following his red card against Port Vale, was available to play and he netted a brace, while Edwards scored his first goal just after the restart.
As we alluded to, many fans don’t care about the competition but they also want to see their team succeed. Having seen their four-game winning streak come to an end at the weekend, and with their next league fixture postponed due to the international break, putting in a good performance and picking up the win will be a good morale boost for Manning’s side.
Youth Opportunities
George Franklin made his first-team debut, starting the game at right back, while Louis Griffiths, who turned 16 just two days before the match, became the club’s youngest-ever player when he came on for Woltman for the final quarter of an hour.
There was also time for second-year scholar Aidan Elliott-Wheeler to make his first-team debut as he replaced Franklin with just under ten minutes of normal time to play.
Featured image: Jimmy and Sacha Reade. CC BY-ND 2.0.
