October 2011

But for a good hour of last night’s Johnstone’s Paint Trophy second round that was exactly the case, as all thoughts turned to Accrington Stanley defender Tom Bender.

The 18 year-old suffered what looked like a horrific head injury, leading to 30 minutes of medical treatment on the pitch before his side’s game against Tranmere Rovers was abandoned.

But thankfully for Tom, his family and teammates, he is now fully conscious and recovering well.

Johnstone’s Paint Trophy’s sponsorship manager Teresa Hardwick said: “All of our thoughts are with Tom and his family.

“The scene at The Crown Ground was particularly worrying for us all, but we are thrilled and relieved to hear that he is conscious and his scan results are normal.

“We now hope that he makes a speedy recovery and we would like to applaud both Accrington Stanley and Tranmere Rovers for the way they dealt with a distressing situation.”

With Tom on the mend, the trophy can start to make sense of an extraordinary night of football elsewhere, which again underlined the unpredictability of the competition.

Amazingly, only three home teams claimed victory, with 10 away sides prevailing.

AFC Bournemouth were the only side in the round to win at home in normal time, beating Yeovil in a five goal thriller.

The Cherries are already plotting a route to Wembley after quickly noticing that they are the only League 1 side left in the southern section, apart from Charlton Athletic and Brentford who are going head-to-head tonight.

In addition, Brentford are the only side with the experience of a Johnstone’s Paint Trophy final under their belts, suggesting that an unfancied side might emerge to lift the trophy come Sunday March 25.

AFC Wimbledon will be praying that they will be that team, in what would be one of the most romantic cup tales in recent times.

The Dons crept past Stevenage on penalties, while Oxford United, Southend United, Swindon Town and Cheltenham Town will join them in the southern section, which looks wide open.

In the northern section, the biggest headlines were reserved for Bradford City, who crept past Yorkshire rivals Huddersfield Town on penalties.

Considering they triumphed in the same fashion in round one against League One Sheffield Wednesday, the Bantams deserve all the praise going.

With the match finishing 2-2 in normal time, the tie went to penalties where Nialle Rodney eventually struck the decisive kick.

Some big hitters still stand in Bradford’s way though, with Preston North End scraping by on penalties against Morecambe, and Sheffield United quietly going about their business with another away win, this time at Rotherham.

Oldham, Rochdale and Chesterfield can also look forward to seeing their names on the cards for the Area Quarter Final draw on Soccer AM this Saturday.

Teresa added: “We will remember the second round of this season’s trophy for a long time to come.

“We can now look forward to seeing the pairings for the Area Quarter Finals, where we hope the goals will keep on flowing.”

Supporters are asked to keep their eyes peeled for Johnstone’s Paints’ ‘Just Rewards’ giveaways, where a number of discounts and special offers will be up for grabs, including a free goodie bag for fans of the highest scoring team and 50% off at Johnstone’s Decorating Centres for the club with the highest attendance.

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