Carabao Cup: Hourihane and Obafemi both on target

Having delayed the naming of his final squad for the European Championship qualifier against Switzerland until Thursday so as to give some of the players available to him the opportunity to get game time in the League Cup, Mick McCarthy will have been encouraged to see the likes of James McCarthy and Conor Hourihane get 90 minutes apiece for their respective clubs.

Hourihane had lost his place at Aston Villa after the newly promoted side was beaten on the opening weekend of the season but did well in Villa’s comfortable win at Crewe with the Corkman scoring twice.

McCarthy had come on a couple of times in the Premier League since moving to Crystal Palace but will have boosted his chances of surviving the Ireland manager’s cut on Thursday by featuring from start to finish against Colchester, who won the tie 5-4 on penalties.

Michael Obafemi provided a reminder of his potential by scoring the only goal of the game for Southampton at Fulham where Shane Long came on with a quarter of an hour to play.

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Obafemi may well still find himself in the under-21 squad due to be named on Wednesday for the European Championship qualifiers against Armenia and Sweden but Stephen Kenny will also have been delighted to see both Aaron Connolly and Adam Idah make senior competitive debuts for their clubs, Brighton and Norwich respectively, with Galway-born Connolly getting his side's first goal in a 2-1 win at Bristol Rovers.

Another Irish Under-21 international, Conor Coventry, made a late appearance for West Ham, who won at Newport.

Alan Browne scored the winning penalty for Preston North End after their game with Hull ended 2-2 after 90 minutes.

CARABAO CUP RESULTS
Bristol Rovers 1, Brighton & Hove Albion 2; Burton Albion 4, Morecambe 0; Cardiff City 0, Luton Town 3; Crawley Town 1, Norwich City 0; Crewe Alexandra 1, Aston Villa 6; Crystal Palace 0, Colchester United 0 (Colchester won 5-4 on penalties); Fulham 0, Southampton 1; Grimsby Town v Macclesfield Town - Match abandoned, waterlogged pitch; Leeds United 2 Stoke City 2 (Stoke won 5-4 on penalties); Newport County 0, West Ham United 2; Nottingham Forest 3, Derby County 0; Oxford United 2, Millwall 2 (Oxford won 4-2 on penalties); Plymouth Argyle 2, Reading 4; Preston North End 2, Hull City 2 (Preston won 5-4 on penalties); Rochdale 2, Carlisle United 1; Sheffield United 2, Blackburn Rovers 1; Southend United 1, Milton Keynes Dons 4; Watford 3, Coventry City 0.