Sheffield United's route to the Quarter-Finals of the Johnstone's Paint Trophy began at Hartlepool United and despite leading the game through a Ryan Flynn strike the game ended 1-1, under competition rules, this went straight to penalties with the Blades winning 4-3. Their passage into the Quarter-Finals was made a simpler task, beating Nott's County by five goals to one at Bramall Lane.
The Blades will be looking to mirror the League One result inflicted on Fleetwood on 20 October when they won 3-0. Last Saturday the Blades progressed to the Second Round of the Emirates FA Cup after beating Worcester City by three goals to nil and have been rewarded with a home tie against either Mansfield Town or Oldham Athletic.
Goals from Jose Baxter, Conor Sammon and Kieron Freeman gave Sheffield United a 3-0 victory over non-league Worcester City in the first round of the FA Cup. United keeper George Long was forced to make a sixth-minute save, tipping Connor Gater's 20-yard effort over. Baxter scored from the penalty spot in the 19th minute to put the hosts in front after Che Adams was fouled by Sam Minihan following his burst into the area.
Jamal Campbell-Ryce went close to extending United's lead soon after when his shot came back off the bar. The home side continued to dominate with Adams and Campbell-Ryce both going close and Sammon heading wide before the break. Worcester's Deon Burton tried a long-range shot which was comfortably saved by Long.
Freeman had a shot parried by Nathan Vaughan at his near post. Baxter then shot wide after looking certain to score and a Bob Harris free-kick struck the bar. Sammon made it 2-0 after 81 minutes, tapping in from close range after meeting a low cross from Campbell-Ryce. Freeman bundled the ball into the net to complete the scoring in stoppage time.
Blades boss Nigel Adkins will assess the fitness of Che Adams, Chris Basham and Paul Coutts prior to the trip to Highbury. The trio came out of the cup clash with knocks and may not be fit enough to play any part. Meanwhile defenders David Edgar (hamstring), John Brayford (knee), Craig Alcock (ribs) and Jay McEveley (toe) all remain side-lined.
Competition Rules
Under competition rules each club must include in its starting line-up at least six of the eleven players who started the Club fixture immediately preceding or following the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy tie (against Worcester City (h) and Southend United (h)). Alternatively, a Club must include in its starting line-up at least six of the eleven players who have made the most starting appearances in League and domestic cup competitions during the season so far. Meanwhile, there is guaranteed no extra-time, should the scores be level at 90 minutes, the game will go straight to a penalty shoot-out.
| Football League Trophy Fixtures |
| Northern Area Quarter-Final |
| Wigan Athletic vs. Blackpool |
| Rochdale vs. Morecambe |
| Fleetwood Town vs. Sheffield United |
| Barnsley vs. York City |
| Southern Area Quarter-Final |
| Dagenham & Redbridge vs. Oxford United |
| Gillingham vs. Yeovil Town |
| Southend United vs. Bristol Rovers |
| Plymouth Argyle vs. Millwall |
Blades-Mad Prediction: Fleetwood Town 0 Sheffield United 1
