EFL Trophy Round of 32: Walsall and Birmingham Among Teams Advancing

Walsall secured their progression to the EFL Trophy last 16 by defeating nine-man Reading in a penalty shootout, following a dramatic 97th-minute equalizer scored by Danny Johnson. The Saddlers had initially trailed after Tyler Sackey’s second-half goal for the Royals, who also had both goalkeeper David Button and defender Ashqar Ahmed dismissed from the game. However, the League Two home side equalized with what was nearly the final kick of regular play, courtesy of Danny Johnson. Goalkeeper Sam Hornby subsequently saved two of Reading’s penalty attempts, enabling Walsall to clinch the shootout 4-2 and advance from the round of 32 in the Vertu Trophy, a competition recently rebranded from the Bristol Street Motors Trophy. Bradford City similarly triumphed over a team from a higher division, narrowly defeating Stockport County 3-2 in an engaging match held at Edgeley Park. For The Bantams, Callum Kavanagh contributed two goals and Andy Cook also scored, nullifying goals from Oliver Norwood and Odin Bailey for County. Elsewhere, other League Two teams secured victories against League One adversaries: Chesterfield defeated Wigan Athletic 3-2, and Cheltenham Town overcame Cambridge United 2-1. A ten-man Swindon Town achieved a 2-0 victory away at high-flying Wycombe Wanderers, with goals coming from Kabongo Tshimanga and Billy Kirkman, who had been recalled from his loan spell with National League team Weston-super-Mare just on Monday. Morecambe experienced a 1-0 home loss to Lincoln City, while Tranmere Rovers suffered a 3-2 defeat at Rotherham United. In Wales, Wrexham secured a 1-0 win over Crewe Alexandra. Stevenage advanced comfortably, defeating struggling Burton Albion 4-0 away from home in one of four matches contested solely between League One teams on Tuesday evening. Leyton Orient netted two goals during stoppage time, scored by Charlie Kelman and Dan Agyei, to overcome Charlton Athletic at The Valley. Bolton Wanderers secured a 3-1 home win against Huddersfield Town, with an Aaron Collins double and a goal from Klaidi Lolos contributing to their victory. Concurrently, Birmingham City achieved a 2-1 victory when visiting Exeter City. Among the matches featuring two League Two teams, Rekeem Harper scored in the 92nd minute, contributing to Port Vale’s win against fellow promotion contenders Doncaster Rovers. Separately, Lyle Taylor scored twice for Colchester United in their 2-0 triumph over AFC Wimbledon. The final two last-32 fixtures are scheduled for Tuesday, December 17, with Blackpool hosting Aston Villa Under-21s and Peterborough welcoming Northampton. The draw for the last-16 stage is set to take place on Saturday during lunchtime. Bradford’s manager, Graham Alexander, provided comments after The Bantams advanced to the EFL Trophy last-16. The teams progressing to the next stage are categorized as follows: **North:** Bolton Wanderers, Bradford City, Chesterfield, Lincoln City, Port Vale, Rotherham United, Wrexham, and either Blackpool or Aston Villa U21s (whose tie is scheduled for 17 December). **South:** Birmingham City, Cheltenham Town, Colchester United, Leyton Orient, Stevenage, Swindon Town, Walsall, and either Peterborough United or Northampton Town (whose tie is also set for 17 December).