It was Wycombe men against West Ham boys with no fans or glamour in a cup that nobody loves, but is the Checkatrade Trophy all that bad?

Daily Mail | October 5, 2016

West Ham’s teenagers swapped glances and shuffled quietly within the tight confines of the tunnel as Wycombe kept them waiting.

The League Two team had already ignored the buzzer and a rap on the door from the butt of an assistant referee’s flag.

Still nothing. A few more seconds filtered by before referee Darren Deadman rolled his eyes, banged once more and yelled for Gareth Ainsworth to send his team out.

Wycombe's Adebayo Akinfenwa (left) celebrates scoring in the 3-0 victory over West Ham

West Ham youngsters were forced to wait in a cramped tunnel before being confronted by 'The Beast' at Adams Park

Despite the defeat, West Ham head of development Terry Westley (right), pictured with Alex Pike, insists his players gained valuable experience

The door burst open just as Love Runs Out by OneRepublic exploded from two enormous floor speakers inside the home dressing room and shook the rabbit warren of plywood inside Adams Park.