EFL Trophy: Swansea City only remaining under-21 side in competition
Last updated on .From the section Football
Swansea City were the only development side to make it through to the quarter-finals of the EFL Trophy as four under-21 teams went out on Tuesday.
A brace from Oli McBurnie saw the Swans' under-21s beat Wolves' academy side 2-1 at the Liberty Stadium.
Leicester City, Reading, and Brighton's development teams all exited the competition after away losses.
Meanwhile, a Luton Town side showing seven changes beat Chesterfield 4-0 to reach the last eight.
The Hatters were fined £15,000 in November for failing to field "full-strength" sides in the group stage.
However, they will avoid another punishment as they included five to their top 11 starters in all league and cup matches this season.
Empty seats aplenty
Crowds were once again sparse for the evening's third-round ties, with just 60 Brighton supporters making the trip to the Ricoh Arena to watch their under-21 side lose 3-0 against League One strugglers Coventry City.
However, 2,085 fans turned out in total following the Sky Blues' lowest-ever attendance for a first-team game of 1,338 in December's second-round tie against Crawley.
A lowest-recorded attendance at Oxford United's Kassam Stadium of 1,383 included a home contingent of just one more fan than the U's took to Rotherham for their FA Cup third round tie on Saturday.
By comparison, a crowd of 1,917 watched the National League match between Eastleigh and Forest Green Rovers held on the same evening.
Many supporters have boycotted the competition this season after the EFL approved the introduction of 16 academy sides alongside clubs from Leagues One and Two.
Who else reached the quarter-finals?
Last season's runners-up Oxford United beat Scunthorpe 4-1 thanks to a Kane Hemmings hat-trick while two late goals from former Oxford striker Pat Hoban saw Mansfield Town beat Oldham Athletic 2-0.
League Two Yeovil Town profited from an early red card for Reading midfielder Sandro Weiser in their 4-2 win against the Royals' under-21s at Huish Park.
Blackpool and Wycombe needed penalties to be separated after a 1-1 draw at Bloomfield Road - Wycombe progressing 5-4 on spot kicks as Will Aimson hit the post with the final penalty for the Tangerines.
In the last remaining second-round tie, a Diego De Girolamo hat-trick saw Cheltenham Town hammer Leicester City Under-21s 6-1. The Robins will face Bradford City at home in the third round next Tuesday.
The draw for the quarter-finals will be held on Thursday at 11:30 GMT.
