Wrexham cut down Forest, Mansfield make Blades look rusty & Wigan K.O Preston – and in the EFL, League One and League Two go Greek...
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Sam Parry: As a Saturday job, I used to sell pies and drinks at Hillsborough to pay for my season ticket at Bramall Lane. Every winter, this old fella would idle up to the hatch and ask, without fail: “Got any soup?”
We never sold soup. If he’s still knocking about, though, I imagine he’s still asking the question. It’s freezing.
I raise this because, much like soup at football, we’re in Cup Mode today. Huw and Matt are running through the big stories from the FA Cup third round, leaving me to mop up the overspill from six big ties in League One and League Two.
FA Cup 3rd Round
Huw Davies
We make no apologies for starting this EFL newsletter with a match featuring no EFL teams, because Macclesfield of the National League North beating FA Cup holders Crystal Palace is the biggest shock in the competition’s 155-year history. No, really – there’s contextual justification to placing it below Hereford vs Newcastle in 1971/72, Sutton vs Coventry in 1988/89 or Wrexham vs Arsenal in 1991/92, but in pure position terms, five divisions and 117 league places separating Palace and Macclesfield makes the latter’s 2-1 win the No.1 upset by that semi-objective measure.
They were good value for it, too, even with 28% possession. The goals: a superb header from the be-bandaged Paul Dawson and a chaotic but well-taken effort from Isaac Buckley-Ricketts, all under blue skies and fans standing on gantries. Mmm, that’s some good FA Cup.
Sadly, we can’t ignore another record. Exeter became only the second Football League side to ship double figures in a post-war FA Cup tie (in 1960 fourth-tier Crewe lost 13-2 to Spurs in a replay) by going down 10-1 to Manchester City, who had 10 shots on target, posted an xG of 2.2… and scored 10 goals with it. Everything flew in, due to a combination of elite finishing, two own goals and a horror show for Joe Whitworth. The Exeter keeper is on loan from Palace, so he had quite the day. Yet travelling fans could celebrate when academy boy George Birch, 19 and recalled from Weston-super-Mare, slammed in the ultimate consolation goal with his weaker foot.
The previous night had brought shocks under the lights. Wrexham drew 3-3 with Nottingham Forest and beat them on penalties through two Arthur Okonkwo saves. The hosts had a little fortune in leading 2-0 (one goal deflected, one following some pinball) but they earned their luck as Nathan Broadhead, George Dobson and scorers Liberato Cacace and Ollie Rathbone hassled, harried and hit the target. It would have been 3-0 before half-time, had Sam Smith not spurned a one-on-one. Forest brought on their stars and Callum Hudson-Odoi duly scored twice, including an equaliser of pure Premier League quality, but Wrexham got there in the end.
Meanwhile, Wigan were winning 1-0 at Preston, 20 miles up the road and 35 places up the pyramid. Harrison Bettoni, 18, struck with a heavily deflected shot that looped so slowly past Daniel Iversen, he was turning around to pick the ball out of the net before it had even nestled there. On a dog of a pitch, Wigan’s Callum Wright sent a penalty over the bar, then in the 98th minute Sam Tickle brilliantly denied Alfie Devine’s would-be equaliser. Brad Potts’ strike from the rebound was ruled offside, prompting joy from Wigan’s players, despair from Preston’s, and disappointment from Potts (No.44) once he’d eventually finished celebrating in front of the stands.
On Sunday, Mansfield won 4-3 at Sheffield United with Louis Reed scoring twice from outside the box either side of Gus Hamer doing the same. Mansfield had to be effective on the rare occasions they had the ball – and boy, were they. Rhys Oates was the stand-out, always present, always driving, giving Blades debutant Ki-Jana Hoever a headache. He assisted Lucas Akins for 3-1, dinked home for 4-1, and that was enough to win it deservedly despite Blades hitting back with a quickfire double.
Matt Watts
Away from the cupsets that were and the cupsets that weren’t, a goal of the round contender from Lamine Cissé gave Mark Robins’ Stoke victory over Coventry. Robins’ previous club hit the woodwork twice before Cisse showed them how it’s done. The Potters have started 2026 with three wins and three clean sheets, while Coventry have lost three of their last four games in all competitions.
Saturday’s other all-Championship tie saw a lesser-changed Bristol City put five past a much-changed Watford. An Emil Riis hat-trick, sealed with a delightful dink, made it back-to-back five-star home displays for the Robins. Watford can at least focus all of their attentions now on maintaining their excellent league form. On Sunday, a Jovon Makama hat-trick helped Norwich on their way to a 5-1 victory over Walsall. Makama has scored 12 goals in league and cup after his summer switch from Lincoln.
Southampton and Birmingham were both on course for routine wins on the road at lower-league opposition… until they weren’t. In a battle of two out-of-form sides, Tonda Eckert’s Saints beat Grant McCann’s Doncaster 3-2 with new signing Daniel Peretz making a decisive double save in stoppage time. In Cambridge, Kai Wagner’s first goal for Birmingham, Kyogo Furuhashi’s first goal since August and Marvin Ducksch’s third goal of 2026 gave Birmingham a three-goal lead, before a late brace from Sullay Kaikai set up a grandstand finish – but 3-2 it remained.
Elsewhere, League One strugglers Burton flipped the form guide on its head by beating National League high-flyers Boreham Wood 5-0. Kyran Lofthouse’s goal loosened up the blocked-up Brewers, who’d failed to find the net in their last three league games but scored from five of their nine shots here.
Finally, Carabao Cup giant-killers Grimsby are officially on another cup run. The Mariners beat a stubborn Weston-super-Mare 3-2 at Blundell Park. After Charles Vernam opened the scoring, in true Charles Vernam fashion, the National League South side came from behind twice to level, before Kieran Green glanced in Grimsby’s winner in the 86th minute.
League One
Sam Parry
In the EFL proper, we begin with Icarus (and we’ll end with him too).
After an “oh gosh” festive period that left them 20th, it was an “oh dear” moment that put Leyton Orient ahead. When Cardiff keeper Nathan Trott controlled a backpass instead of booting it clear, Dom Ballard was on hand to tackle the ball into the net. A classic Icarus concession. So far, so Greek.
If there was tragedy in the opener, there was irony in the equaliser. Instead of playing out from the back, Cardiff booted it to Yousef Salech on halfway. A bit of Hercules to win it, a bit of Zeus to lift it over the defender’s head, a bit of Hermes to carry it from halfway to the box, wide around the keeper, and then a bit of Ares – brutal war – to smash it home. Lovely stuff.
All of the action came in a first half where Orient probably edged the chances. A staler second period meant 1-1 felt about right. It changes little for either side: the table still shows Cardiff amidst a heyday, and Orient a little too close to Hades.
Elsewhere, Bolton had a chance to power into the top four. Lately, though, the Trotters have lost some of their trot. Each of their previous nine games had been settled by no more than a goal; never thrashed, never thrashing, Pandora’s Box resealed like tupperware.
Here they were concerned with Peterborough’s box – or rather, Posh with theirs. Luke Williams’ side opened the scoring with an atypical Route One move: goalkeeper lofts it up Mount Olympus, one striker flicks it on, the other runs through and finishes. Not very Williams. Following some Bolton pressure late in the first half, more familiar patterns did bring reward: Archie Collins with a lovely first-time volleyed pass, Matt Garbett with the finish.
When Sam Dalby pulled one back for Bolton from Max Conway’s beautiful driven cross, it felt like a contest. Kyrell Lisbie ended that, latching onto a ball dummied by a team-mate and squeezing it home for 3-1. The goalkeeper was unsighted, but the table is clear: the two clubs are separated by four points, not ten.
Another play-off-relevant game followed, this time shaped by a missed penalty for Luton. It got worse. Stevenage took the lead after the break, but hats off, Hatters, because Luton responded well by equalising from a set piece within two minutes. Then won it by regaining possession on halfway, with Nahki Wells squaring the ball for Gideon Kodua to pass it calmly into the corner.
And finally. So very finally. When the embers are dying, you don’t need heat but ice in your veins. Stockport’s Ollie Norwood baffled the ground by rejecting the obvious set-piece delivery into a packed Huddersfield box, instead pinging the ball to Jid Okeke on the right. Okeke’s cross found Benoný Breki Andrésson — more ice, this time Icelandic — for a tap-in. There’s no coming back from that in the 96th minute. Stockport leapfrog Huddersfield into 4th with a much-needed win – just their second in five games since Christmas.
League Two
Sam Parry
It would usually be a “match that happened”, but Harrogate gaining a point against Crewe in the 93rd minute really matters. The Sulphurites played reasonably well without reward in the first half, then Crewe made a furious start to the second and deservedly went ahead through Calum Agius’ tap-in from a sumptuous Lewis Billington cross.
At 1-0, Crewe really should have capitalised. They did not. Harrogate barely threatened until time added on, when Tom Cursons finished a cross with all the emphasis of a man who knew his team had just moved off the bottom.
That was the bottom. Now for the top, where Andy Woodman’s making the weather.
Bromley have a knack of making their opponents feel hard done by. But if their imperiousness was not clear beforehand, it was after 90 seconds when Michael Cheek headed them in front. Tranmere were tidy enough and almost equalised when – in a very un-Bromley moment – chaos at the back allowed a header to hit the post. Cheek then hit the bar himself. Had fate tilted slightly, he might have had a hat-trick.
Instead, early in the second half, he mopped up a goalkeeper flap and some scrappy defending to end the contest at 2-0. You simply do not come back from that against Bromley.
We often talk about the spotty form of even the best fourth-tier sides. Bromley have now won 11 of their last 13 since 11th October. If the Ravens are to leave the tower this season, it won’t be with wax and wings but, I’d wager, promotion.
Now there’s your callback.
🎦 Our Top 5 clips from the EFL weekend
Sal-bloody-ech! Cardiff striker goes his own way.
Handy Bass goes route one as Posh punt for goal.
Stoke’s Cissé slaps in a Yeboah-like half-volley.
Bramall Lane debut under Nigel Clough aged 16; Bramall Lane banger under Nigel Clough for Louis Reed to start the Stag Party.
Classic Gustavo Hamer hitting play on Hammer Time.
📊 Your Monday morning cheat sheet
❌ QP Aren’t — With a 2-1 defeat in added time to West Ham, Queens Park Rangers have been knocked out of the FA Cup at the earliest opportunity for the 20th time in 25 seasons.
1️⃣ First time for everything — Despite both being at the club for two and a half years, Daryl Dike and Josh Maja started a West Bromwich Albion fixture together for the first time. Oh, and Maja scored, as the Baggies won their cup tie against Swansea.
📈 The Bromley Bounce — Only Walsall (126) have accumulated more points than Bromley (177) since their arrival in the division in 2024.
🏡 In their Ken — Luton’s win over Stevenage makes it 7 home games without defeat for Jack Wilshere’s side, a streak bettered only by Cardiff (8 games).
🔥 Getting Giddy — Gideon Kodua has scored in each of his last three league appearances for Luton (4 goals), and has 6 goals in his last 7.
🏋️♂️ Posh-ups — Since Luke Williams was appointed by Peterborough, when Posh were in the relegation zone, only league leaders Cardiff (26) can better their points tally of 25.
Sky Bet League One
Leyton Orient 1-1 Cardiff
Luton 2-1 Stevenage
Peterborough 3-1 Bolton
Stockport 1-0 Huddersfield
Sky Bet League Two
Crewe 1-1 Harrogate
Tranmere 0-2 Bromley
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