Walsall boss Mat Sadler hailed Josh Gordon’s bottle after the striker rebounded from missing a penalty in normal time to hit the winning spot-kick in a 4-3 shoot-out win over Exeter to reach the second round of the Carabao Cup.Gordon has netted just once in his past 50 games and, with League Two side Walsall behind with nine minutes to go, he was foiled from the spot by Exeter goalkeeper J...Full Story »

Crawley boss Scott Lindsey felt his young team were thoroughly good value for their Carabao Cup win over Swindon – but felt they made hard work of the 4-2 home victory.Swindon, trailing to goals from Ade Adeyemo and Jack Roles, fought back midway through the second half to score twice and also miss a penalty through Will Wright inside a six-minute period.The Robins pulled level with goals ...Full Story »

Barrow boss Stephen Clemence praised his side’s performance in Tuesday night’s 3-2 Carabao Cup victory over League Two rivals Port Vale.Despite leading within a minute, the hosts found themselves 2-1 down after Tom Sang’s wonder strike but Clemence’s side won it through goals from substitute Emile Acquah and Ben Jackson.Bluebirds boss Clemence was particularly pleased wit...Full Story »

Millwall boss Neil Harris hailed his young cubs as the Lions booked their place in Carabao Cup second round for the first time in three years with a 1-0 win over Portsmouth.Homegrown talent Romain Esse, 19, impeccably slotted the only goal of the game in the 13th minute at Fratton Park.Esse, who grew up in Peckham and Bermondsey, grabbed his third goal for the club, while 18-year-old Alfie Masse...Full Story »

Boss Simon Weaver made a jubilant return to the LNER Stadium as the former Imps defender oversaw Harrogate’s 2-1 EFL Cup upset win over Lincoln.Weaver played around 100 games for City between 2002 and 2004 and was delighted to enjoy that winning feeling once more at ‘the Bank’ as Sam Folarin and James Daly produced the goods, with Jovon Makama replying with a late penalty.&ldqu...Full Story »

Barrow progressed to the second round of the Carabao Cup following an impressive 3-2 win over League Two rivals Port Vale at Holker Street.An outstanding curling finish from Ben Jackson in the 77th minute capped off a second-half turnaround to fire Stephen Clemence’s side into the next round where they could face a Premier League side.The Bluebirds started the game brightly and were ahead ...Full Story »

Stoke boss Steven Schumacher was delighted his team successfully negotiated a “difficult test” as they saw off League Two Carlisle 2-0.It was a youthful Potters outfit that made Carabao Cup progress at Brunton Park, thanks to second-half goals from Freddie Anderson and Emre Tezgel.Schumacher, whose team defeated Coventry in their Championship opener at the weekend, said: “It wa...Full Story »

John Eustace hailed Sammie Szmodics after starring in Blackburn’s Carabao Cup first round 6-1 thrashing of Stockport – but is unsure of the striker’s long-term Rovers future.Szmodics’ double, Andreas Weimann’s strike and Yuki Ohashi’s header put Rovers 4-0 up by half-time before Makhtar Gueye and Jack Vale netted afterwards, as Nathan Mapengu scored County&rsq...Full Story »

Huddersfield boss Michael Duff lauded West Ham loanee Callum Marshall after the teenager claimed a goal and an assist on his debut in a 3-0 Carabao Cup victory over fourth-tier Morecambe.After a disappointing loan spell at West Brom last season, the 19-year-old dropped another level to join League One Huddersfield on Friday and made a strong first impression.Duff said: “I thought he showed...Full Story »

Manager Chris Davies praised Brandon Khela as his 10-man Birmingham side beat Charlton 1-0 at the Valley to reach the second round of the Carabao Cup.A wonder strike by the 19-year-old was a fine way to win a game that saw Dion Sanderson sent off after 78 minutes for a second bookable offence.Davies put the youngster in at left-back and felt the trust put in him paid off.He said: “It was a...Full Story »