Swansea boss Russell Martin was fuming after his Championship side squandered a two-goal lead at half-time and lost 5-3 on penalties against League One side Oxford at the Kassam Stadium.Jay Fulton and Liam Cullen put the Swans two up in 25 minutes and they had other good opportunities before an error from keeper Steven Benda on 72 minutes gave Oxford hope.His casual clearance was charged down by...Full Story »

Gillingham manager Neil Harris still wants new additions to his squad after they made it into the second round of the Carabao Cup with a hard-fought 2-0 win at AFC Wimbledon.Two late goals from substitutes Mikael Mandron and Jordan Green settled the tie and Harris believes he needs even more options from the bench going forward.The Gills boss was also keen to use the cup clash as an opportunity ...Full Story »

Ryan Lowe was left purring as his Preston side dismantled Huddersfield 4-1 in the Carabao Cup.Ali McCann’s double was sandwiched by goals from Troy Parrott and Brad Potts in a dominant performance.“I’m pleased, I thought we were fantastic,” Lowe said. “Everything we asked the lads to do, they’ve done.“We asked for ruthlessness and the patterns of play, h...Full Story »

Bolton boss Ian Evatt hailed the strength of his squad as his Sky Bet League One side came from behind to thrash neighbours Salford 5-1.Evatt made eight changes from the side that brushed aside Wycombe 3-0 last time out.But, after Brandon Thomas-Asante put the visitors in front after 23 minutes, Wanderers rallied to hit five in reply, including two top-draw goals.“I trust them all,” ...Full Story »

Paul Hurst admits he enjoyed watching rampant Grimsby overwhelm Crewe to reach the Carabao Cup second round with a 4-0 win at Blundell Park.Goals from Luke Waterfall, Kieran Green, Andy Smith and Stephen Wearne settled the game as Grimsby stand by for a possible date with Premier League opponents in the next stage following their return to the competition this season.Grimsby were particularly da...Full Story »

Portsmouth boss Danny Cowley is dreaming of facing Southampton at Fratton Park in the second round of the Carabao Cup after seeing his troops dump Championship side Cardiff out of the competition.After a goalless first half, Joe Pigott, Ronan Curtis from the penalty spot and substitute Colby Bishop scored to send the League One side through following a 3-0 win.Cowley said: “We’d love...Full Story »

Colchester head coach Wayne Brown hailed a “massive, massive plus” for his club a they beat his old side Ipswich 1-0 in the opening round of the Carabao Cup.His team defended tenaciously throughout a resolute 90-minute display and won the game with their only clear-cut chance when Luke Hannant pounced on a slack pass across his own penalty area by Rakeem Harper in the 29th minute.Mea...Full Story »

A much-changed MK Dons gave manager Liam Manning the performance he wanted as his side progressed to the second round of the Carabao Cup with a 1-0 win over Sutton.Manning made seven changes to the team beaten by Sheffield Wednesday in League One last Saturday, but Conor Grant’s goal rewarded the Dons for largely controlling the contest at Stadium MK.Manning said: “I was really pleas...Full Story »

Walsall manager Michael Flynn claimed it was a case of if, not when, Walsall would score against 10-man Swindon.The Saddlers took 79 minutes to get their noses in front through a Danny Johnson penalty after Harrison Minturn saw red on his professional debut for the visitors, before Timmy Abraham wrapped things up with his first Walsall goal two minutes later.“It was just a matter of if not...Full Story »

Fleetwood boss Scott Brown was delighted that his side backed up Saturday’s win at home against Plymouth with another home success on Tuesday night after knocking Wigan out of the Carabao Cup.With those two wins, with the Wigan success secured by Ged Garner’s goal, Brown put to bed a statistic he was unaware of before joining the Cods.“I only found out after the game on Saturda...Full Story »

Charlton manager Ben Garner praised youngster Aaron Henry after Charlton claimed a 5-3 penalty shootout victory over QPR.The 18-year old academy midfielder equalised late on to send the tie to penalties.Henry’s strike cancelled out a Tyler Roberts screamer with 10 minutes remaining.Addicks goalkeeper Joe Wollacott made the crucial save against Stefan Johansen – the first spot-kick of...Full Story »

Norwich manager Dean Smith was delighted with the performance of his much-changed side as they beat Birmingham 4-2 on penalties after a 2-2 draw at Carrow Road to make progress in the Carabao Cup.With only Jacob Sorensen playing from the side which drew 1-1 with Wigan in the Championship on Saturday, the Canaries shrugged off the shock of losing a two-goal lead to book their place in the second ...Full Story »

Rochdale manager Robbie Stockdale refused to go overboard with the Carabao Cup victory against Burton.James Ball’s penalty and Devante Rodney’s stoppage-time clincher finally saw off the League One side.“It was a really positive night for us – but it is just the start,” explained Stockdale, who was mindful his side had lost its first two league matches.Stockdale was...Full Story »

Mansfield Town boss Nigel Clough said his battling Sky Bet League Two side did not deserve to exit the Carabao Cup at the first hurdle after losing a thriller 2-1 to League One neighbours Derby County.Oli Hawkins levelled for the Stags on 56 minutes after Elliott Hewitt had put through his own net on 30 minutes before Tom Barkhuizen headed Derby a 69th minute winner and the home side had Jordan ...Full Story »

Luton boss Nathan Jones brandished his side as “naïve” after they went out of the Carabao Cup at the first-round stage with a 3-2 defeat to League Two Newport.Despite leading twice through Carlos Mendes Gomes and Tom Lockyer, Luton looked on as the Exiles hit back thanks to goals from Lewis Collins and Chanka Zimba, before James Waite struck the winner with 15 minute left.Jones ...Full Story »

Sky Bet League Two side Mansfield pushed visiting neighbours Derby all the way before losing 2-1 and having Jordan Bowery dismissed near the end of a Carabao Cup thriller.An exciting first half saw the Rams go in ahead after Lewis Dobbin had turned a low cross from the left at goal which went in off defender Elliott Hewitt from close range on the half hour.Home keeper Christy Pym had already had...Full Story »

League One Oxford shocked Championship outfit Swansea 5-3 on penalties after storming back from two goals down at half-time to force a 2-2 draw.Penalties were earned thanks to Cameron Brannagan’s stoppage-time equaliser, but Swansea should have been out of sight after a dominant first half.Jay Fulton fired the Swans ahead in the eighth minute, curling a 20-yard free-kick around the wall af...Full Story »

Three second-half goals enabled Portsmouth to avenge their defeat to Cardiff at the same stage five years ago as they progressed to the Carabao Cup second round with a 3-0 win at Cardiff City Stadium.After a goalless first half, Joe Pigott, Ronan Curtis from the penalty spot and substitute Colby Bishop scored to send the League One side through.Cardiff nearly got a nasty shock inside two minutes...Full Story »

Joe Wollacott made the crucial save in a penalty shootout to send Charlton through 5-3 against QPR following a 1-1 draw.The goalkeeper kept out the first spot-kick by Stefan Johansen.Miles Leaburn created the first chance for the hosts after 10 minutes when he headed over a Sean Clare cross, while Niko Hamalainen blasted over the crossbar for QPR a minute later.Charlton were on the front foot mo...Full Story »

Conor Grant’s first goal for MK Dons earned a 1-0 victory against Sutton of League Two in the first round of the Carabao Cup.It was also a first win of the season for the Dons, who had lost their first two games in League One but controlled the tie despite making seven changes from last weekend.After a pedestrian start, MK Dons midfielder Darragh Burns tried to liven up proceedings but cou...Full Story »