| Football League Trophy | |
| Year: | 2010–11 |
| Other Title: | Johnstone's Paint Trophy |
| Country: | |
| Num Teams: | 48 |
| Champions: | Carlisle United |
| Runner-Up: | Brentford |
| Matches: | 49 |
| Prevseason: | 2009–10 |
| Nextseason: | 2011–12 |
The 2010–11 Football League Trophy, known as the Johnstone's Paint Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is the 30th season in the history of the competition. It is a knock-out tournament for English football clubs in League One and League Two, the third and fourth tiers of English football.
In all, 48 clubs entered the competition. It is split into two sections, Northern and Southern, with the winners of each section contesting the final at Wembley Stadium. The first round took place on the week commencing 30 August 2010. The final was contested between Brentford and Carlisle United with Carlisle winning 1–0.
The draw for the first round of the competition took place on 14 August 2010.[1] Sixteen clubs were given a bye into the second round, and the remaining 32 clubs, including the holders, were divided into four geographical regions. Among the clubs receiving a bye in the northern section were Huddersfield Town and Peterborough United, while in the southern section West Country clubs Bristol Rovers and Plymouth Argyle entered at the second round stage.[2]
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North-West | |||||
| 1 | Macclesfield Town | 1–0 | 720 | ||
| 2 | 0–1 | Shrewsbury Town | 2,703 | ||
| 3 | Port Vale | 2–1 | 2,442 | ||
| 4 | Tranmere Rovers | 1–1 | 2,020 | ||
| Accrington Stanley won 5 – 3 on penalties but later withdrew from the competition | |||||
| North-East | |||||
| 5 | Hartlepool United | 4–0 | 1,359 | ||
| 6 | Rotherham United | 1–0 | 1,677 | ||
| 7 | Sheffield Wednesday | 2–1 | 10,551 | ||
| 8 | 1–2 | Chesterfield | 1,793 | ||
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South-West | ||||
| 1 | Aldershot Town | 2–0 | 1,607 | |
| 2 | 0–0 | Torquay United | 3,140 | |
| Torquay United won 3 – 0 on penalties | ||||
| 3 | 0–3 | Swindon Town | 8,333 | |
| 4 | 1–3 | Exeter City | 2,954 | |
| South-East | ||||
| 5 | 0–2 | Leyton Orient | 3,124 | |
| 6 | Charlton Athletic | 1–0 | 4,630 | |
| 7 | Southend United | 0–0 | 3,073 | |
| Southend United won 4 – 3 on penalties | ||||
| 8 | 0–1 | Brentford | 1,916 | |
The second round draw took place on 4 September 2010, with matches played in the week commencing 4 October 2010.[3] Accrington Stanley were due to play Stockport County but the game was postponed because Accrington played an ineligible player in their first round match against Tranmere;[4] Accrington subsequently withdrew from the competition and Tranmere were reinstated.[5]
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North-West | |||||
| 1 | Tranmere Rovers | 0–0 | Stockport County | 2,223 | |
| Tranmere Rovers won 4 – 3 on penalties | |||||
| 2 | Macclesfield Town | 2–4 | Crewe Alexandra | 1,103 | |
| 3 | Bury | 0–0 | Shrewsbury Town | 1,944 | |
| Bury won 6 – 5 on penalties | |||||
| 4 | Carlisle United | 2–2 | Port Vale | 2,273 | |
| Carlisle United won 4 – 3 on penalties | |||||
| North-East | |||||
| 5 | Burton Albion | 1–2 | Rotherham United | 1,360 | |
| 6 | Hartlepool United | 1–0 | Bradford City | 1,728 | |
| 7 | Sheffield Wednesday | 2–2 | Chesterfield | 15,003 | |
| Sheffield Wednesday won 8 – 7 on penalties | |||||
| 8 | Huddersfield Town | 3–2 | Peterborough United | 2,904 | |
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South-West | |||||
| 1 | Bristol Rovers | 1–0 | Aldershot Town | 4,050 | |
| 2 | Swindon Town | 2–0 | Torquay United | 3,625 | |
| 3 | Cheltenham Town | 0–2 | Plymouth Argyle | 1,597 | |
| 4 | Hereford United | 0–3 | Exeter City | 1,286 | |
| South-East | |||||
| 5 | Colchester United | 0–2 | Wycombe Wanderers | 2,379 | |
| 6 | Leyton Orient | 0–0 | Brentford | 1,152 | |
| Brentford won 5 – 4 on penalties | |||||
| 7 | Milton Keynes Dons | 1–2 | Charlton Athletic | 3,773 | |
| 8 | Barnet | 1–3 | Southend United | 1,356 | |
The draw for the area quarter-finals took place on 9 October 2010 on Soccer AM, with matches played in the week commencing 8 November 2010.[6] [7]
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carlisle United | 3–1 | Crewe Alexandra | 2,142 | |
| 2 | Rotherham United | 2–5 | Huddersfield Town | 2,185 | |
| 3 | Bury | 0–1 | Tranmere Rovers | 1,961 | |
| 4 | Sheffield Wednesday | 4–1 | Hartlepool United | 10,909 |
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Swindon Town | 1–1 | Brentford | 3,469 | |
| Brentford won 4–2 on penalties | |||||
| 2 | Plymouth Argyle | 1–2 | Exeter City | 9,431 | |
| 3 | Southend United | 0–1 | Charlton Athletic | 4,373 | |
| 4 | Wycombe Wanderers | 3–6 | Bristol Rovers | 1,591 | |
The draw for the area semi-finals took place on 13 November 2010 on Soccer AM, with matches due to be played in the week commencing 29 November 2010. Due to snow, only one match was eventually played during this week. One match was played on 14 December 2010 and broadcast live.[8]
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tranmere Rovers | 0–2 | Huddersfield Town | 2,598 | |
| 2 | Carlisle United | 3–1 | Sheffield Wednesday | 3,149 |
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brentford | 0–0 | Charlton Athletic | 2,783 | |
| Brentford won 3–1 on penalties | |||||
| 2 | Bristol Rovers | 2–2 | Exeter City | 3,881 | |
| Exeter City won 5–4 on penalties | |||||
The area finals, which serve as the semi-finals for the entire competition, were contested over two legs, home and away.
Carlisle United won 4–3 on aggregate
Brentford won 3–2 on aggregate
See main article: 2011 Football League Trophy Final.