Huddersfield Town enjoy productive night as Vertu Trophy progress secured

A deserved 2–0 win at Lincoln City sent the Terriers into the last 16 of the competition, while offering valuable minutes for players in need of game time

Advancing to the next round of the Vertu Trophy will inevitably prompt a shrug of the shoulders from many fans, unless it proves to be one further step on the road to Wembley.

But this could well turn out to be a productive evening for Lee Grant and his Huddersfield Town side when it comes to their league duties.

After all, the victory over Mansfield in the group stage had a positive effect. It ended a miserable run of five straight defeats, transformed Dion Charles into the centre-forward Town had hoped they had signed, and served as a successful experiment for the manager’s new shape.

All being well, this game could have much the same impact. With Town making nine changes, players who needed minutes got them, and players who needed to perform did so. And goodness, did Town need to show us they still know how to keep a clean sheet.