page_title: 2017 EFL Trophy Final
section_title: Pre-match
hierarchical_section_title: 2017 EFL Trophy Final / Match / Pre-match
caption_attribution_description: English: Outside Wembley stadium prior to the EFL Trophy final 2017 between Coventry City and Oxford United
context_page_description: The 2017 EFL Trophy Final was an association football match which was played on 2 April 2017 at Wembley Stadium, London. It was played between Coventry City and Oxford United, both of League One, and decided the winner of the 2016–17 EFL Trophy, a knockout tournament for the 48 teams in League One and League Two and 16 Category One Academy sides representing teams from the Premier League and EFL Championship. It was Coventry's first appearance in the final and the second for Oxford, who were runners-up the previous year.
  The game, which was refereed by Chris Sarginson, was played on a sunny day in front of a crowd of 74,434, the highest attendance for the final since the opening of the new Wembley Stadium. Oxford dominated possession in the first half, but lacked sufficient potency in attack, and it was Coventry who led at half time, scoring through Gaël Bigirimana after 11 minutes with the first meaningful chance of the game. Ten minutes into the second half, George Thomas made it 2–0 to Coventry with a low volley from the edge of the penalty area.
context_section_description: With Coventry at the bottom of League One and Oxford challenging for a play-off place, City manager Mark Robins was pragmatic about this team's prospects of victory. In a radio interview before the game he said that "there's no pressure on us, we're underdogs in terms of league position". He urged his players to make the most of their day out at Wembley Stadium but also noted that the best way to enjoy the occasion would be to win the match. The club selected coach and former goalkeeper Steve Ogrizovic, who had played in the FA Cup winning team 30 years earlier, to lead out the team. Oxford manager Michael Appleton addressed the issue of low supporter turnout following the inclusion of academy teams in the tournament. He voiced his own frustration about the matter, but also asked Oxford supporters to attend the game. "The more support we can get on the day, the better. All we can promise as a club and as a team is that we'll be going all out to try and win the game and bring a bit of silverware back," he commented in an interview with BBC Radio Oxford. Coventry City sold around 42,500 tickets for the match, outnumbering the opposition fans.
  The referee for the match was Chris Sarginson, who had officiated Coventry once during the league season, a 0–0 draw with over Oldham Athletic in December. His most recent game involving Oxford was a goalless draw at Exeter in 2014. The assistant referees were Neil Radford and Matthew Parry, with Dean Whitestone named as the fourth official. Chris Husband was the reserve assistant referee. Robins made a number of changes from the side that had beaten Bristol Rovers in the previous league game, including the replacement of Ollie Clarke by Chris Stokes, and Lameiras playing instead of Jones. First team goalkeeper Lee Burge played in goal, rather than Reice Charles-Cook who had played in the semifinal against Wycombe. Oxford named a close to full strength side with midfielder Ryan Ledson returning from international duty with the England under-20 team and Maguire being declared fit to start after injury worries. Joe Rothwell retained his place after playing well in the previous league game against Bury.
  The weather on the day of the final was sunny and fans of both sides arrived at the game with what BBC Sport described as "club-based paraphernalia that only seems to make appearances on days like this". Former Coventry manager John Sillett, who had led the club to their FA Cup win 30 years earlier, appeared on the pitch before the kick-off and made a speech to the club's supporters. The national anthem before the game was sung by Natalie Rushdie, performing in her fifth appearance at a Wembley event. The attendance at the game of 74,434 was the third highest in the cup's history, as well as being the highest for the event at the new Wembley Stadium since its opening in 2007.
caption: Supporters gather outside the stadium before the game
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