Carabao Cup: Nine out of nine Championship sides lose to lower-league opposition
- Published
Nathan Jones' Luton Town were one of nine Championship sides beaten by lower-league opposition in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday
"You've seen one of the worst performances ever at this football club."
Those were the words of Luton Town manager Nathan Jones after his side were dumped out of the Carabao Cup by League Two Newport County on Tuesday.
But the Hatters were not the only Championship team on the end of a shock.
Of the nine second-tier sides to face lower-league opposition on Tuesday, all nine lost.
And with Cambridge United having beaten Millwall last week, that took the total to 10 out of 10 - meaning that, at most, only 10 Championship sides will compete in the second round, beating the previous low of 12 in 2006-07 and 2011-12.
Why were there so many upsets and were all the managers as unhappy as Jones?
Were changes to blame?
Higher-level teams are known to make plenty of changes to their line-ups in the early stages of the competition to give squad players game time and help build match fitness in the early weeks of the season.
And in all but one of the upsets, each of the Championship sides made more changes than their opponents.
Wigan Athletic named a completely new 11 as they were beaten by League One Fleetwood Town, who made five changes and won 1-0 with their only shot on target.
In the crowd was former Liverpool and England centre-back Jamie Carragher, who was there to see his son James makes his first appearance of the season for the Latics.
Like Wigan, Luton's 11 changes proved too many as Newport twice came from behind to dump the Hatters out with a 3-2 win at Kenilworth Road.
Cardiff retained just one player from the side beaten 2-1 at Reading on Saturday, and only mustered one shot on target as they lost 3-0 to Portsmouth, for whom bringing in six players on the night made little difference.
Stoke City dominated their tie against a near full-strength Morecambe despite making eight changes, having 21 shots, forcing 10 corners and playing the final half an hour against 10 men - only to tumble out on penalties.
Bradford City made three changes for their tie with Hull - four fewer than their Championship opponents
Seven changes were the order of the day for Blackpool, Hull City, Swansea and Reading, and all four also lost.
The Tangerines were beaten on penalties by Barrow, who made only three alterations to their line-up, while both the Royals and Tigers bowed out 2-1 to League Two opposition in Stevenage and Bradford respectively.
Among Stevenage's seven changes were match-winner Danny Rose, while the Bantams' two-goal hero Andy Cook was one of three to come in for the hosts.
Oxford were the exception as they made eight changes, one more than Championship opponents Swansea.
Things did not look to be going the U's way as the Swans took a 2-0 lead only to flounder, conceding an injury-time leveller and ultimately sink 5-3 on penalties.
Elsewhere, with 10 minutes to go QPR boss Michael Beale must have thought his decision to make six changes from Saturday's win over Middlesbrough on Saturday was going to pay off as Tyler Roberts' debut goal put them ahead at Charlton.
However, teenager Aaron Henry's 90th-minute strike sent the tie to penalties, and the Addicks edged through after Eoghan O'Connell - one of three players retained from the previous match - scored the decisive spot-kick.
'I'm embarrassed' - what the losing managers had to say
Going out in the first round to lower-league opposition was clearly not the plan for some Championship managers, even if they sent out much-changed sides.
"Credit to Newport, they came here and played well and not many people score three goals at Kenilworth Road," Luton boss Jones told BBC Three Counties Radio.
"But you've seen one of the worst performances ever at this football club.
"I'm embarrassed, not by the team, I'm embarrassed by a certain individual who has had possibly one of the worst games I've seen in my life.
"We're one of the best sides in the Championship out of possession but today one or two were very naive."
Hull City boss Shota Arveladze was no happier with his side's display at Bradford.
"It's over and it's painful," he told BBC Radio Humberside. "We changed seven players but no-one who hasn't played that role before.
"Collectively I wanted the players to have the character to respond to being behind, but we didn't."
By contrast, Stoke manager Michael O'Neill felt a little aggrieved by their outcome.
"I was pleased with the performance," he told BBC Radio Stoke. "We made a lot of changes but we had control of the game.
"Second half, we just couldn't find the goal but the goal we did score was a good goal - it's onside.
"Some of the tackling was disgraceful. We're disappointed to go out of the competition, but we're pleased to get out without a player being seriously injured."
'The consequences were minimal' - the thoughts of winning managers
Barrow beat Blackpool 4-3 on penalties after a goalless draw at Bloomfield Road
Speaking to the media after the games was a more pleasurable experience for the managers of those sides who made it through.
"Once we dusted ourselves down after going behind, I think we really understood what was required, got on the front foot and put the opposition under pressure," Bradford boss Mark Hughes told BBC Radio Leeds.
"Goals came at the right time. Hull weren't able to sustain any pressure against us.
"It was a different type of game for us. Usually we are the side passing the ball around playing possession football. But we showed a different side of our game and that's a real positive. It shows we can step up a couple of gears."
Barrow manager Pete Wild was delighted with his side's application in their win at Blackpool.
"When you play a Championship side away, you've got to defend well, and I think after about 20 minutes when we were able to get to grips with their rotations in midfield we defended well," he told BBC Radio Cumbria.
"We had limited chances going forward, but that's football, and we were playing away at a Championship club.
"We just had to take our chances when they came and I think we did that. I'm thrilled for the lads, they stood strong, I'm so pleased for them.
"Tonight was a chance for us to go and express ourselves, to push ourselves and play with freedom knowing the consequences were minimal."
After coming out on top against Swansea despite making more changes, Oxford boss Karl Robinson told BBC Radio Oxford: "If you look at the team we started, it was Ed McGinty and James Golding's first professional start, Alex Gorrin hasn't played for 10 months, Lewis Bate hasn't started for six months, Jodi Jones hasn't started a league game for five years and Tyler Goodrham's first start in a game of this quality.
"I think we did OK in the first half, but the second half we went up against people and were up for it - I was pleased with that."