Papa John’s Trophy Semi-Final draw: Two former winners avoid each other and could meet at Wembley in the Final

With the draw for the last four of the Papa John’s Trophy now confirmed, Rotherham United and Wigan Athletic, the two remaining former winners, have avoided one another and could yet meet in the final at Wembley.

The semi-final ties are to be played in the week commencing March 7th and here is a brief look over the two fixtures.

Hartlepool United vs Rotherham United

Winners of the competition in 1996, League One side Rotherham face a trip to the North East to take on League Two newcomers Hartlepool in the last four.

The two clubs are not exactly strangers, coming up against each other on more than 70 occasions, though have not met since 2013.

Coincidentally, that meeting also came in the Football League Trophy with the Millers winning 2-1 at the Suit Direct Stadium. Meanwhile, the Pools came out on top in the meeting prior to that with a 3-1 win in the same competition back in 2006.

Sitting top of the third tier, Rotherham reached the semi-finals following a penalty shootout victory over Cambridge United earlier this week. Hartlepool, who are 16th in League Two, overcame Charlton Athletic in the same manner.

Paul Warne’s Millers will go into the tie as favourites but will be under no illusions as to what Graeme Lee’s Hartlepool are able to achieve when they come up against opponents from a higher division.

To get to the last four, the Pools have beaten Morecambe, Sheffield Wednesday and Bolton Wanderers as well as Charlton, with all four teams currently in League One.

Wigan Athletic vs Sutton United

Leam Richardson’s Wigan sit a point behind Rotherham in the League One table, but have two games in hand and are arguably the favourites to win the Papa John’s Trophy for the third time after successes in both 1985 and 1999.

In the last four, they welcome Sutton to the DW Stadium who are currently enjoying a first-ever campaign in the Football League after winning the National League title last season and are currently fourth, outside of the automatic promotion places on goal difference.

The Latics themselves only joined the Football League in 1978, not so long ago compared to some of their fellow EFL teams at present, but are now unbeaten in 19 matches in all competitions and are just 90 minutes from a day out at Wembley.

They saw off Arsenal under-21s in the quarter-finals, winning 1-0, while Matt Gray’s U’s beat fellow fourth-tier outfit Harrogate Town by the same margin.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the game between the two clubs in March will represent the first-ever meeting at any level.

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