| Football League Trophy | |
| Year: | 2011–12 |
| Other Title: | Johnstone's Paint Trophy |
| Country: | |
| Num Teams: | 48 |
| Champions: | Chesterfield |
| Runner-Up: | Swindon Town |
| Matches: | 49 |
| Goals: | 137 |
| Top Goal Scorer: |  Shefki Kuqi Mike Grella(4 goals each) |
| Prevseason: | 2010–11 |
| Nextseason: | 2012–13 |
The 2011–12 Football League Trophy, known as the Johnstone's Paint Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is the 31st 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 will enter the competition. It is split into two sections, Northern and Southern, with the winners of each section contesting the final at Wembley Stadium. Carlisle United is the defending champion, having beaten Brentford in the previous year's final, 1–0 but were beaten in the Northern Section First round by Accrington Stanley 3–2.
The draw for the first round of the competition took place on 13 August 2011. Sixteen clubs were given a bye into the second round, and the remaining 32 clubs, including the holders, were divided into four geographical regions.
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North-West | |||||
| 1 | 0–0 | Crewe Alexandra | 1,295 | ||
| Crewe Alexandra won 4 – 2 on penalties | |||||
| 2 | Tranmere Rovers | 1–1 | 2,546 | ||
| Tranmere Rovers won 4 – 2 on penalties | |||||
| 3 | Walsall | 2–1 | 2,605 | ||
| 4 | Accrington Stanley | 3–2 | 1,069 | ||
| North-East | |||||
| 5 | Scunthorpe United | 2–0 | 1,763 | ||
| 6 | Bradford City | 0–0 | 3,519 | ||
| Bradford City won 3 –1 on penalties | |||||
| 7 | 1–2 | Huddersfield Town | 1,776 | ||
| 8 | 1–2 | Sheffield United | 2,725 | ||
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South-West | ||||
| 1 | Bournemouth | 4–1 | 2,489 | |
| 2 | Cheltenham Town | 2–1 | 1,247 | |
| 3 | Exeter City | 1–1 | 3,940 | |
| Exeter City won 3 – 0 on penalties | ||||
| 4 | Wycombe Wanderers | 3–1 | 771 | |
| South-East | ||||
| 5 | 3–3 | Brentford | 4,175 | |
| Brentford won 4 – 3 on penalties | ||||
| 6 | 1–3 | Barnet | 1,747 | |
| 7 | Leyton Orient | 1–1 | Dagenham & Redbridge | 1,420 |
| Dagenham & Redbridge won 14 – 13 on penalties | ||||
| 8 | Southend United | 1–0 | 2,053 | |
The second round draw took place on 3 September 2011, with matches played in the week commencing 3 October 2011.[1]
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North-West | |||||
| 1 | 0–1 | Tranmere Rovers | 1,509 | ||
| Note: First match was abandoned | |||||
| 2 | 2–2 | Preston North End | 4,385 | ||
| Preston North End won 7 – 6 on penalties | |||||
| 3 | Crewe Alexandra | 1–0 | 2,271 | ||
| 4 | Rochdale | 1–1 | 2,089 | ||
| Rochdale won 3 – 1 on penalties | |||||
| North-East | |||||
| 5 | 1–2 | Sheffield United | 6,737 | ||
| 6 | 0–1 | Oldham Athletic | 2,106 | ||
| 7 | 1–3 | Chesterfield | 2,293 | ||
| 8 | 2–2 | Bradford City | 10,489 | ||
| Bradford City won 4 – 3 on penalties | |||||
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South-West | ||||
| 1 | Bournemouth | 3–2 | 1,416 | |
| 2 | 1–3 | Cheltenham Town | 931 | |
| 3 | 1–2 | Oxford United | 1,429 | |
| 4 | 1–2 | Swindon Town | 2,627 | |
| South-East | ||||
| 5 | AFC Wimbledon | 2–2 | 1,416 | |
| AFC Wimbledon won 4 – 3 on penalties | ||||
| 6 | 0–3 | Brentford | 3,486 | |
| 7 | 1–3 | Barnet | 1,278 | |
| 8 | 1–3 | Southend United | 2,395 | |
The area quarter finals draw took place on 8 October 2011, with matches played in the week commencing 8 November 2011.[2]
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1–1 | Preston North End | 2,395 | ||
| Preston North End won 4 – 2 on penalties | |||||
| 2 | Chesterfield | 4–3 | 3,152 | ||
| 3 | 1–1 | Bradford City | 5,692 | ||
| Bradford City won 6 – 5 on penalties | |||||
| 4 | Oldham Athletic | 3–1 | 2,163 | ||
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Swindon Town | 1–1 | 4.329 | ||
| Swindon Town won 3 – 1 on penalties | |||||
| 2 | 0–2 | Barnet | 1,388 | ||
| 3 | 0–1 | Southend United | 2,415 | ||
| 4 | Brentford | 6–0 | 3,015 | ||
The area semi finals draw took place on 12 November 2011, with matches played in the week commencing 5 December 2011.
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oldham Athletic | 2–0 | 5,697 | ||
| 2 | 1–1 | Chesterfield | 5,835 | ||
| Chesterfield won 4 – 2 on penalties | |||||
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1–2 | Swindon Town | 3,981 | ||
| 2 | Barnet | 0–0 | 1,970 | ||
| Barnet won 5 – 3 on penalties | |||||
The area finals, which serve as the semi-finals for the entire competition, were contested over two legs, home and away. 1st Leg ties due to be played by 18 January 2012. A 2nd Leg tie will be played on Monday 30 January 2012 and another on 7 February 2012
Chesterfield won 3–1 on aggregate
Swindon Town won 2–1 on aggregate
See main article: 2012 Football League Trophy Final.
3. https://web.archive.org/web/20120328055822/http://www.football-league.co.uk/johnstonespainttrophy/news/20111207/trophy-area-finals-draw_2293332_2540268 07/12/2011