Accrington ST secured a dramatic 1-1 draw with Salford City in the EFL Trophy after scoring a last-minute equaliser on Tuesday. David Tutonda turned and fired home in the eighth minute of stoppage time to cancel out Daniel Udoh's 51st-minute opener and force a penalty shoot-out.
John Doolan's side, who sit 16th in League Two with 10 points from nine games, showed resilience to fight back at the Wham Stadium. The match was a chaotic affair, with the referee forced off injured after 55 minutes and both sides creating numerous chances before the late drama.
Salford City took the lead when Udoh pounced on a loose ball early in the second half. Accrington ST goalkeeper James Rogerson had been in fine form before that, making a superb double save to deny Kallum Cesay and Udoh, and later keeping out a fierce Luke Garbutt free-kick. At the other end, Alex Henderson saw a header hit the post and Charlie Warren headed narrowly wide.
The home side piled on pressure late on. Joel Catesby dragged an effort wide and Lee Burge denied Josh Woods when he raced through. The pressure finally told when a corner was only partially cleared to Tutonda, who scored his first goal for the club. The subsequent penalty shoot-out saw Accrington ST convert all five of their kicks, with Rogerson saving from Adebola Oluwo to secure the bonus point.
John Doolan praised his team's effort and highlighted the value of the competition. "I think it could have gone either way," Doolan said. "They had a couple of chances but so did we. Our lads did great, put a shift in and I'm proud."
He added that the EFL Trophy games are important for developing players who need minutes and that the competition generates useful revenue for the club.
The result leaves Accrington ST needing a point from their final group game at Sheffield Wednesday to progress. Attention now turns to League Two, where they face a trip to 21st-placed Oldham this Saturday. The team's recent form shows they are tough to beat, having gone five games unbeaten across all competitions. Check the latest standings to see how the table looks ahead of that key fixture.
Swindon Town manager Ian Holloway criticised local media after his side's 1-1 draw with Accrington ST on September 26. Holloway told reporters he took issue with the Swindon Advertiser's player ratings, specifically a five out of ten given to defender James Debayo. He said, "It's hard to watch when a young man played really well yesterday in training." Accrington ST, now unbeaten in five games, face Oldham on October 10.
