Huddersfield Town 2 Leicester City 2 (Huddersfield win 3-2 on penalties) - youngsters step up for Terriers
Lee Grant has changed an awful lot at Hiddersfield Town – even their dismal League Cup record.
For only the third time in their last 10 home games in the competition, the Terriers progressed.
They beat Leicester City 3-2 on penalties after a 2-2 draw in 90 minutes to set up a second-round trip to Premier League Sunderland.
A lot of the focus this summer has understandably been on the shiny new signings Lee Grant has brought to West Yorkshire, but the heroes were three players he inherited – the experienced Lee Nicholls and academy graduates Dan Vost and Cameron Ashia.
Nicholls saved twice in the shoot-out, but it took goals from the youngsters to take it that far.
For any lower-league club to function sustainably, they need to bring through players of their own, and amongst Grant's nine changes were start for 19-year-old midfielder Vost and 20-year-old winger Ashia.
Both were making their second starts for the club, having their first tastes in the Football League Trophy.
Huddersfield defended well for the most part, and could have had the first of three first-half penalty appeals go their way against opposition much better on paper having spent last season in the Premier League.
The game was only three minutes old when Sean Roughan played a lovely ball down the line for Ruben Roosken, who chopped back inside, and had his ankles taken by Ben Nelson as he did. Referee David Webb must have thought his shift of weight had toppled him over, and waved play on.
A minute later Dion Charles saw Jakub Stolarcz off his line, but was unable to clear the goalkeeper from distance.
At the other end, Jeremy Monga, the Leicester left winger who played Premier League football as a 15-year-old last season, was giving Lynden Gooch a difficult time.
He beat the American with ease in the seventh minute, only to shoot ineffectively at Nicholls from a tight angle.
So the teenager had no need to resort to diving after nicking the ball past Gooch in the opening quarter of an hour. He was booked.
From that point he was mercilessly booed by the sparse crowd – quite right, supporters have a right to let players know there have no time for cheats – and although it did not seem to deter him, it did give Gooch extra determination, and he went on to dominate the duel.
Early in the second half he gave the teenager a taste of his own medicine, sprinting back to stop a counter-attack, then sending him the wrong way with a lovely turn, followed by a sweeping crossfield pass.
David Kasumu made it a hat-trick of first-half penalty appeals when he appeared to get his feet tangled with Nelson. It looked a decision that could have gone either way, and Webb erred on the side of caution, waving play on.
Although Leicester had the better of the first half, the League One side, with nine changes from the weekend, kept chances to a minimum.
The Foxes worked the ball well out to Kasey McAteer, whose cross/shot took a touch which kept it away from danger. He also won two headers at corners, both off target, but Lee Grant will have been unhappy there was not more pressure on him
Roosken, playing in a narrow front three which had Ashia on its right, had a shot over from distance when Charles did well to rob Nelson. Although he could not get away from the defender, his team-mates did a good job of keeping the hosts hemmed in.
It was Leicester who took the lead, though, Hamza Choudhury arrowing in a shot after a stretching Josh Feeney returned his pass to him.
With 54 minutes on the clock, you wondered if Huddersfield's resistance might be broken. Anyhting put.
A poor Charles touch allowed Boubakaray Soumare to get a tackle in and Feeney had a header saved at a free-kick.
Ben Wiles became the latest to try to catch Stolarczyk off his line when Roosken cut out the goalkeeper's pass.
They got their reward in the 65th minute when Choudhury – on loan at Sheffield United last season – conceded a penalty sliding in on Roosken. Charles took it, but did not place it far enough left of Stolarczyk to beat him. Fortunately, right-sided central midfielder Vost followed in to head the equaliser.
But then Town stood off far too much to allow Leicester to work the ball to Harry Winks, who finished as a man of his talent ought to.
Still the Terriers refused to take the hint and when it was the Foxes’ turn not to get tight enough, Ashia accepted the invitation and curnled in a second equaliser.
Leicester were made to bring Jordan Ayew and the much in demand Bilal El Khannouss off the bench in search of victory.
Substitute Joe Sway became the latest to have a penalty appeal waved away when he went down a tad too easily with Louis Page at his back.
Leo Castledine had the chance to spare everyone penalties as the board went up for a minimum six added minutes, but his outside-of-the-boot effort took the ball away from goal.
As a keeper, Lee Nicholls had far more to gain from a shoot-out, and made a good low save to keep Page out. Perhaps Ayew wanted them, flashing a shot wide.
Nicholls dived right to save Leicester's third and fifth penalties, from Ayes and McAteer.
Joe Taylor had Huddersfield's first kick of the shoot-out saved, but with Alfie May, Castledine and Lasse Sorensen all finding the net and El Khannouss hammering against a post, it was Huddersfield who progressed.
Huddersfield Town: Nicholls; Gooch (Sorensen 79), Feeney, Roughan, Wallace; Vost, Kasumu; Ashia (Sway 79), Wiles (Castledine 64), Roosken (May 70); Charles (Taylor 70).
Unused substitutes: Goodman, Ledson, Balker, Kane.
Leicester City: Stolarczyk; Choudhury (El Khannouss 82), Faes, Nelson, L Thomas; Skipp (Winks 60), Soumare; McAteer, Alves (Page HT), Monga (Mavididi 60); Daka (Ayew 82).
Unused substitutes: Okoli, Begovic, S Thomas, Aluko.
Referee: D Webb (County Durham).