2024 EFL Trophy final

2024 EFL Trophy final

Event	2023–24 EFL Trophy
Peterborough United Wycombe Wanderers 2 1
Date	7 April 2024
Venue	Wembley Stadium, London
Referee	Scott Oldham
Attendance	42,252
← 2023 2025→

The 2024 EFL Trophy final, known as the Bristol Street Motors Trophy final for sponsorship reasons, was an association football match that was played on 7 April 2024 at Wembley Stadium, London. It was played between League One teams Peterborough United and Wycombe Wanderers. The match decided the winners of the 2023–24 EFL Trophy, a knock-out tournament comprising clubs from League One and League Two of the English Football League (EFL), as well as 16 Category One academy sides representing Premier League and Championship clubs. It was Wycombe's first appearance in the final and the second for Peterborough who previously won the competition in 2014.

The game was played in front of an attendance of 42,252 and the referee was Scott Oldham. Although Wycombe started the game brightly, Peterborough grew into the match towards the end of the first half. Neither side could find a goal in the first 85 minutes of the match in what was described as a cagey match by the BBC. Peterborough struck first thanks to a powerful goal from captain Harrison Burrows. In the 89th minute, Wycombe responded with an equaliser from substitute Dale Taylor, whose volley from 20 yards beat the Peterborough goalkeeper. However, in stoppage time, Burrows scored a second goal to win the match. His deep cross from near the touchline curled beyond the Wycombe goalkeeper to seal a second triumph for Peterborough in the competition.

Background

The EFL Trophy was inaugurated as the Associate Members' Cup in the 1983–84 season and followed on from the short-lived Football League Group Cup. ^[1] The competition was renamed to the Football League Trophy in 1992, ^[2] and to the EFL Trophy in 2016, coinciding with the Football League rebranding to the English Football League (EFL). ^[3] It is open to all 48 clubs in EFL League One and EFL League Two, the third and fourth tiers of the English football league system and, starting with the 2016–17 season, 16 Category One academy teams, representing clubs from the Premier League and EFL Championship. ^[4] The tournament originally used a straight knockout format, but was modified in 2016–17 to incorporate an initial group stage, ^[5] in which a team is awarded three points for a win and zero for a defeat. ^[6] In the event of a draw, a penalty shoot-out is held at the end of the game with the winner of the shoot-out receiving two points and the loser one. ^[6] In the 2023–24 season it was referred to by its sponsorship name, the Bristol Street Motors Trophy. ^[7] The sponsorship name of the EFL Trophy was changed midway through the competition in November 2023, previously being sponsored by Papa John's. ^[7]

Both Peterborough United and Wycombe Wanderers appeared in the competition due to their membership of League One for the 2023–24 season. Peterborough had previously competed in the final, having won the competition in the 2013–14 season, beating Chesterfield 3–1 in the 2014 final. ^{[8] [9]} This victory in 2014 was achieved during Darren Ferguson's second spell as Peterborough's manager, with the 2024 final being held during his fourth spell with the club. ^[8] As well as the 2014 final, Peterborough had played at Wembley Stadium on two other occasions for Football League play-off finals in 1992 and 2000. ^[8] This was the first time that Wycombe had reached the final of the EFL Trophy. ^{[8] [10]} Despite this, Wycombe had previously played at Wembley on six occasions, winning four times albeit in other tournaments. ^{[8] [11]} Their previous best performance in the competition was when they reached the semi-finals in the 2016–17 season. ^[8] Wycombe therefore aimed to win their first professional trophy. ^[12] Wycombe's manager Matt Bloomfield had previously played for the club and had captained Wycombe to promotion at Wembley to the Championship for the first time in 2020 via the play-offs. ^[13]

The two sides had met twice already during the league that season. At Peterborough's London Road Stadium, the two sides played out a 2–2 draw in October 2023. ^[14] Wycombe opened the scoring via Brandon Hanlan but two goals from Joel Randall and Ephron Mason-Clark saw Peterborough lead the match 2–1 at half time. ^[14] However, Mason-Clark would later score an own goal in the second half and it would finish 2–2. ^[14] The return fixture was played at Wycombe's Adams Park in February 2024 with the home side recording an emphatic 5–2 victory over Peterborough. ^[15] An own goal from Archie Collins and a goal from Jack Grimmer saw Wycombe lead 2–0 at half time. ^[15] Kieran Sadlier added a third goal for Wycombe, before Peterborough fought back to score two goals in quick succession from David Ajiboye and Ricky-Jade Jones. ^[15] Nevertheless, Wycombe would score a fourth after an own goal from Peterborough's goalkeeper Nicholas Bilokapic and subsequently a fifth in added time from David Wheeler to seal the victory. ^[15] Wycombe had therefore won three of the four previous league encounters between the two teams. ^[8] The BBC noted that matches between the two sides are often high scoring matches with 112 goals in their previous 30 Football League meetings. ^[16] The two sides had only met once previously in the competition, during the 2022–23 edition of the EFL Trophy with Wycombe winning the group stage affair following a penalty shoot-out. ^[8] Ahead of the match, Sam Avery, BBC Three Counties Radio's Wycombe commentator described the 2023–24 season as a transitional one for Wycombe owing to it being Matt Bloomfield's first full year in charge. ^[8]

Route to the final

Main article: 2023–24 EFL Trophy

Peterborough United

Pos	Div	Team v t e	Pld	W	PW	PL	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	L1	Peterborough United	3	2	0	0	1	5	2	+3	6	Advance to Round 2
2	L2	Colchester United	3	2	0	0	1	3	6	−3	6
3	ACA	Tottenham Hotspur U21	3	1	0	0	2	7	7	0	3
4	L1	Cambridge United	3	1	0	0	2	5	5	0	3

Updated to match(es) played on 7 November 2023. Source: EFL.com

Peterborough United v Cambridge United

12 September 2023Group stage	Peterborough United	2–0	Cambridge United	Peterborough
19:00 BST (UTC+1)	Katongo 19' Mason-Clark 54'			Stadium: London Road Attendance: 3,687 Referee: Kirsty Dowle

Peterborough United v Tottenham Hotspur U21

31 October 2023Group stage	Peterborough United	3–1	Tottenham Hotspur U21	Peterborough
19:00 GMT	Fernandez 31' Jones 53' Poku 68'		Véliz 24'	Stadium: London Road Attendance: 2,094 Referee: Carl Brook

Colchester United v Peterborough United

21 November 2023Group stage	Colchester United	1–0	Peterborough United	Colchester
19:30 GMT	Ihionvien 42'			Stadium: Colchester Community Stadium Attendance: 802 Referee: Craig Hicks

Peterborough United v Arsenal U21

5 December 2023Round of 32	Peterborough United	3–0	Arsenal U21	Peterborough
19:30 GMT	de Havilland 36' Clarke-Harris 39' Mothersille 49'			Stadium: London Road Attendance: 2,151 Referee: Lee Swabey

Peterborough United v Crawley Town

23 January 2024Round of 16	Peterborough United	2–1	Crawley Town	Peterborough
19:00 GMT	Burrows 28' Mason-Clark 37'		Tsaroulla 23'	Stadium: London Road Attendance: 2,933 Referee: Simon Mather

Peterborough United v AFC Wimbledon

30 January 2024Quarter-final	Peterborough United	3–1	AFC Wimbledon	Peterborough
19:00 GMT	Mothersille 2' Mason-Clark 4' Jones 90+5'		McLean 89'	Stadium: London Road Attendance: 3,225 Referee: Carl Brook

Blackpool v Peterborough United

20 February 2024Semi-final	Blackpool	0–3	Peterborough United	Blackpool
20:00 GMT			Mothersille 37' Burrows 79' (pen.), 90+3'	Stadium: Bloomfield Road Attendance: 6,044 Referee: Lewis Smith

Wycombe Wanderers

Pos	Div	Team v t e	Pld	W	PW	PL	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	L1	Wycombe Wanderers	3	3	0	0	0	3	0	+3	9	Advance to Round 2
2	L2	AFC Wimbledon	3	1	1	0	1	3	2	+1	5
3	L1	Stevenage	3	1	0	1	1	6	4	+2	4
4	ACA	Crystal Palace U21	3	0	0	0	3	2	8	−6	0

Updated to match(es) played on 14 November 2023. Source: EFL.com

Wycombe Wanderers v Crystal Palace U21

19 September 2023Group stage	Wycombe Wanderers	1–0	Crystal Palace U21	High Wycombe
19:00 BST (UTC+1)	Leahy 90+2' (pen.)			Stadium: Adams Park Attendance: 442 Referee: Sam Purkiss

Stevenage v Wycombe Wanderers

10 October 2023Group stage	Stevenage	0–1	Wycombe Wanderers	Stevenage
19:00 BST (UTC+1)			Vokes 70'	Stadium: Broadhall Way Attendance: 902 Referee: Daniel Middleton

Wycombe Wanderers v AFC Wimbledon

18 November 2023Group stage	Wycombe Wanderers	1–0	AFC Wimbledon	High Wycombe
12:30 GMT	Sadlier 84'			Stadium: Adams Park Attendance: 664 Referee: Aji Ajibola

Wycombe Wanderers v Fulham U21

5 December 2023Round of 32	Wycombe Wanderers	3–2	Fulham U21	High Wycombe
19:00 GMT	D. Taylor 22', 37' Forino-Joseph 79'		O'Neill 45+3' Esenga 82'	Stadium: Adams Park Attendance: 323 Referee: Kirsty Dowle

Wycombe Wanderers v West Ham United U21

9 January 2024Round of 16	Wycombe Wanderers	2–1	West Ham United U21	High Wycombe
19:00 GMT	Orford 5' (o.g.) Kone 32'		Kodua 58'	Stadium: Adams Park Attendance: 881 Referee: Adam Chilowicz

Wycombe Wanderers v Brighton & Hove Albion U21

31 January 2024Quarter-final	Wycombe Wanderers	4–1	Brighton & Hove Albion U21	High Wycombe
19:00 GMT	Sadlier 40', 45+1' Kavanagh 44' (o.g.) Taylor 47'		Barrington 65'	Stadium: Adams Park Attendance: 769 Referee: Paul Howard

Bradford City v Wycombe Wanderers

21 February 2024Semi-final	Bradford City	0–1	Wycombe Wanderers	Bradford
20:00 GMT			Butcher 90+1'	Stadium: Valley Parade Attendance: 6,903 Referee: Tom Reeves

Pre-match

Wembley Stadium, the venue for the 2024 EFL Trophy final

Ahead of the match, Peterborough were in play-off contention, sitting in fourth place in League One, eight points below the automatic promotion places with two games in hand on the teams above them. ^[16] Their manager Darren Ferguson said "The group of players I've got, I really think they'll thrive on the occasion (at Wembley). I think they'll go there and really enjoy it and hopefully get a performance that's good enough to beat Wycombe." ^[17] Peterborough's captain Harrison Burrows was a supporter of the club growing up, and attended the 2014 final. ^[18] Speaking to the BBC before the match, Burrows said "I don't want to overthink Wembley. When I get there I know it will hit me...Everyone you speak to says it's such a special feeling to play there." ^[18] Wycombe's manager Matt Bloomfield said "he couldn't be more proud", adding that "It feels exciting... When moments like this come around you need to make sure you embrace it." ^[12]

Peterborough Cathedral was lit up in blue before the match in support of the Posh. ^{[19] [20]} Peterborough United supporters raised over £5,000 to fund supporters who may struggle to attend the match due to financial concerns. ^[21] Both clubs were allocated 25,000 tickets each. ^[8]

A coin toss decided that Peterborough had first choice on the kit. ^[22] This meant that Wycombe had to wear their green and white away kit, which celebrates Wycombe's 30th Anniversary of their first season in the EFL, ^[23] but with dedicated green socks instead of white socks as to not clash with Peterborough's socks. ^{[22] [24]} Scott Oldham was confirmed as the referee for the final, to be assisted by Richard Woodward and Justin Amey, with Tom Kirk as the fourth official. ^[25] Peterborough had won the last five matches that had been refereed by Oldham. ^[25] The national anthem before the game was sung by Harry Linacre. ^[25]

Match

First half

The match began at 16:30 BST at Wembley Stadium in front of 42,252 supporters. ^[16] For the opening stages of the match Wycombe started the game brightly with most of the ball being played in Peterborough's half. ^[26] The opening chance fell to Garath McCleary who volleyed over the bar in the 25th minute of the match. ^[26] McCleary was involved again, forcing a save from Peterborough's goalkeeper Jed Steer. ^[26] Posh began to grow into the match towards the end of the first half. ^[16] After a header from Josh Knight had missed the target, referee Scott Oldham declined a penalty appeal from Peterborough after the ball hit Luke Leahy as he went to ground. ^[16] A pass from Kwame Poku in stoppage time found Joel Randall who forced a good save from Franco Ravizzoli in the Wycombe net. ^[26]

Second half

At the beginning of the second half, Posh continued to control possession. ^[16] Josh Knight had another chance, however it was blocked by Chris Forino-Joseph from close range to deny him the opener. ^[16] Both teams struggled to create clear cut chances throughout the second half in what was described by Chris Harby of the BBC as a "largely cagey final". ^{[16] [26]} Wycombe had a goal ruled out due to a foul on Jed Steer. ^[26] A loose pass from Steer fell to Kieran Sadlier, however he could not hit the target. ^{[26] [16]} Poku and Ricky Jade-Jones created chances for Posh as the match looked likely to continue into extra time. ^{[26] [16]} Nevertheless, Peterborough's captain Harrison Burrows exchanged passes with Ephron Mason-Clarke before hitting a powerful shot past Ravizzoli in the Wycombe goal to open the scoring in the 85th minute. ^{[26] [16]} Wycombe responded well to going behind. Substitute Dale Taylor hit a left-foot volley from 20 yards which beat Steer to equalise the match in the 89th minute. ^[16] However, in stoppage time Burrows scored the winner and his second of the match after a deep cross near the right-hand touchside managed to curl beyond Ravizzoli in the Wycombe net to seal Peterborough's victory. ^{[16] [26]}

Details

7 April 2024

16:30 BST

Peterborough United	2–1	Wycombe Wanderers
Burrows 85', 90+1'	Report	Taylor 89'

Wembley Stadium , London

Attendance: 42,252

Referee: Scott Oldham

Peterborough United

Wycombe Wanderers

GK 21 Jed Steer RB 2 Jadel Katongo CB 5 Josh Knight CB 4 Ronnie Edwards LB 3 Harrison Burrows  90+8' CM 22 Hector Kyprianou CM 27 Archie Collins  81' RW 11 Kwame Poku  90+6' AM 14 Joel Randall  90+3' LW 10 Ephron Mason-Clark CF 17 Ricky-Jade Jones  80' Substitutions: GK 1 Nicholas Bilokapic DF 6 Romoney Crichlow  90+6' DF 36 James Dornelly MF 8 Ryan de Havilland MF 16 David Ajiboye FW 9 Jonson Clarke-Harris  90+3' FW 18 Malik Mothersille  80' Manager: Darren Ferguson

GK 25 Franco Ravizzoli RB 2 Jack Grimmer CB 5 Chris Forino  90+8' CB 22 Nigel Lonwijk LB 10 Luke Leahy DM 19 Freddie Potts RM 12 Garath McCleary CM 4 Josh Scowen  87' CM 8 Matt Butcher LM 23 Kieran Sadlier  87' CF 24 Richard Kone  76' Substitutions: GK 1 Max Stryjek DF 6 Ryan Tafazolli DF 17 Joe Low DF 26 Jason McCarthy MF 7 David Wheeler  76' FW 9 Sam Vokes  87' FW 20 Dale Taylor  87' Manager: Matt Bloomfield

Sources: ^{[27] [16] [28] [29]}

Post-match

Darren Ferguson, Peterborough United's manager

Peterborough's win confirmed their second title in the competition after previously winning in 2014. ^[19] The victory maintained Peterborough's 100% win record at Wembley. ^[16] The win was celebrated in front of nearly 23,000 Peterborough supporters. ^[19]

Speaking after the match, Peterborough's manager Darren Ferguson said: "What a day. What a feeling... For this young squad to find a way after conceding that late equaliser was a credit to them. It was mayhem so I had to calm them down a bit and say: 'Just keep the ball, don't give it away.' And we managed to get a bit of luck. Whether it's a cross or a shot it doesn't matter – what a story for that kid. I thought we were the better team in the second half but we just couldn't find a goal until H (Harrison Burrows) got it, and then it was a hell of a finish to the game." ^[26] Wycombe's manager Matt Bloomfield commented: "The manner of the winning goal is really tough to take after equalising with an unbelievable strike from Dale (Taylor). I really felt we could go on and win, but there was no time in between the goals; it happened all so quickly, and obviously we feel bitterly disappointed... I thought it was a very tactical game. We knew they were a good team who play in a certain way and we've studied that this week, and I thought on the flip side of that tactically we were excellent... I'm proud of the way they've performed, I'm just really disappointed for them they didn't have a win to celebrate in the end." ^[16] Furthermore, Bloomfield added "I'm disappointed, but proud with the way the team played," ... "I'm proud of the spectacle we put on, and disappointed for the players and spectators because I felt we deserved something out of the game. But when a goal like that goes in against you, for it to be the winner, sometimes it's not meant to be." ^[26]

References

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