Karl Robinson hoping squad players can deliver in the Papa John’s Trophy

The EFL Trophy tends to sit pretty low on the list of priorities for managers of League One and Two clubs at the start of every season.

The introduction of Premier League and Championship under-21 sides in 2016, as well as the regular re-naming of the tournament – from Auto Windscreens and Johnstone’s Paint to it’s current sponsor, the UK’s third most popular pizza chain – have possibly devalued the competition even further and many would suggest it is clogging up an already congested fixture list.

What is now the Papa John’s Trophy lacks the storied history of the FA Cup, or the potential for a money-spinning tie that the League Cup has, but Oxford United and AFC Wimbledon are now just two wins away from a trip to Wembley and a chance to add some silverware to their respective trophy cabinets.

The two sides met on Boxing Day in League One, with Karl Robinson’s Yellows running out 2-0 winners. Despite the comfortable looking nature of the scoreline, Oxford relied on some heroics from Jack Stevens in goal to ensure they came out on top.

Even though the game at the Kassam Stadium was fairly even, both sides have been on completely different trajectories since.

That victory was the second of the eight-game winning run that Oxford are currently on, seeing them climb from the bottom half of the third tier table to within three points of the play-off places. The run also includes a 1-0 win over Cambridge United in the previous round of the Papa John’s Trophy, and Saturday’s victory over Fleetwood Town by the same scoreline has got supporters believing this team could right the wrongs of last season’s play-off final defeat.

Robinson has used the competition so far as an opportunity to give underused members of his talented squad a chance to shine, typified by the fact that he made nine changes between the win over Cambridge and their next league game against Bristol Rovers. The likes of Anthony Forde, Jamie Hanson and Rob Hall have all struggled for game time in the league, so the extra matches have given them an opportunity to impress, whilst it has also provided Sam Winnall and Cameron Brannagan with competitive action to build up their fitness up as they work their way back from injury.

Oxford have an almost fully-fit squad to choose from on Tuesday night, with club captain John Mousinho the only absentee due to a long-term knee complaint.

Former MK Dons and Charlton boss Robinson is hoping he will have even more of a selection headache when they face the Dons, as he is looking to add a striker and a wide player to his squad before Monday’s transfer deadline. The Yellows have already managed to address a lack of depth at centre-back thanks to the arrival of Luke McNally from St.Patricks in Ireland, but Jordan Obita’s move to Wycombe Wanderers has reduced their options on the left of midfield.

Regardless of new additions, the Yellows will be looking to make history on Tuesday night by winning a club-record ninth game in a row.

Whilst the home side have been in sparkling form of late, Wimbledon have been in free-fall, winning just one of their last 11 games. This alarming run of form has seen the Dons drop into the League One relegation zone, and club legend Glyn Hodges was dismissed as manager after Saturday’s 2-0 home defeat to arch-rivals MK Dons.

First-team coach Mark Robinson has been placed in temporary charge for the trip to Oxfordshire, and whilst a relegation six-pointer at Wigan next weekend may be his primary concern, a good performance at the Kassam could go a long way to lifting the mood around the club.

The south London side have also used the Papa John’s Trophy as an opportunity to rotate their squad, with top-scorer Joe Pigott yet to start a game in the competition so far this season. Whether or not the Dons’ captain starts at the Kassam may give some indication as to where their caretaker manager’s priorities lie.

The game is likely to come too soon for both Ben Heneghan and Ollie Palmer as they recover from injury, reducing Wimbledon’s options even further.

Despite the lack of excitement attached to the early rounds of the competition, and the miserable circumstances Wimbledon find themselves in, all will surely be forgotten come the first whistle on Tuesday night as the realisation that the famous Wembley arch is just around the corner.