The young Reds had triumphed 3-2 at Forest Green Rovers and 4-0 at Altrincham in the tournament’s inaugural season already, and had to work hard to maintain our 100% record in front of a 3,681-strong crowd at Rochdale’s Crown Oil Arena.
Travis Binnion’s side had dominated periods of the match but were unable to convert the few clear-cut chances that came our way, until space opened up for Ibragimov to shoot from the area’s edge.
United are in an excellent position going into our final group-stage game in late January, at Oldham Athletic. With nine points from three games, Binnion’s charges know a good result at Boundary Park will seal passage into the knockout stages.