If the EFL Trophy is so important why do so few fans turn up to watch? And the one Peterborough United back-up boy who did himself no harm on Tuesday night

And I don’t care how many times the words ‘Wembley final’ are uttered my opinion won’t change, and I am not alone.

Teams requiring three wins to reach Wembley attracted crowds of 881 (Wycombe), 990 (Brighton), 1,316 (Wimbledon), 1,534 (Blackpool) and 3,831 (Derby who packed close to 30,000 into Pride Park for their previous home game against Posh) for their last-16 ties.

Posh managed just under 3,000 for their last-16 win over Crawley Town on Tuesday. There are a lot of people who tell me Posh should treat getting to the Trophy final as a priority, but a third of the club’s average League One gate turning up suggests some don’t want to play their part in getting the club there despite cheap match tickets.

Posh have a golden opportunity to win promotion this season and nothing else should matter, no matter how glitzy the distraction. I must confess I spent as much time checking events at Bolton, Oxford and Reading as I did checking on how Emmanuel Fernandez was getting on at right-back for Posh last night.

TALKING POINTS FROM POSH 2, CRAWLEY 1...

1) I shuddered when Ephron Mason-Clark was nudged into an advertising hoarding early in last night’s game and I bet Darren Ferguson did as well.

Ferguson has a difficult balancing act to pull off whenever these Trophy matches come around. There will be a natural desire to win every game, but there’s a bigger picture in play as well with the need to preserve energy and freshness in star players for matches that actually draw crowds and have points at stake.

Friendly home draws in the Trophy have helped Ferguson mix and match his playing squad. Last night he made five changes to the side that started the 2-1 win over Shrewsbury on Saturday, but did any of them get the boss or the fans excited? I would say one did himself no harm at all, but even he faces an uphill struggle to force his way into the League One starting line-up on merit.

2) The problem for midfielder Jeando Fuchs is the regular excellence of Archie Collins and Hector Kyprianou. After a sluggish start when he looked rusty last night, Fuchs played strongly as he delivered some crunching tackles while also keeping possession well. He deserved his sponsors’ man-of-the-match award.

3) Judgement on Fernandez should be reserved until he’s played as a centre-back. All last night, and the FA Cup replay at Salford earlier this season, proved is the lanky defender is no right-back.

4) Ryan De Havilland did well and scored in his last outing as a number 10 in this competition. It was a different story last night as he struggled to get on the ball so had minimal effect on the game. Joel Randall can rest easy in the knowledge his first-team place is safe for now even though he came on and missed two sitters. He finds space so easily he always appears to be in the thick of the action. De Havilland doesn’t have that skill yet.

5) Romoney Crichlow’s left-footedness helped persuade Posh to bring the centre-back to the club in the summer. He started the season as first-choice, but the form of Josh Knight and Ronnie Edwards has since restricted Crichlow to late substitute appearances. He enjoyed some good moments last night, but if Edwards goes in the next seven days I suspect Posh will look outside the current squad for his replacement.

5) Malik Mothersille will be haunted by missing the target from six yards with a side-foot finish last night. It appeared to knock his confidence as he struggled until showing what he capable of with one outstanding burst of speed and an excellent pass to tee up Randall in the second-half. He’s not one to give up on, but there doesn’t appear to be a natural finisher in the squad, apart from one who isn’t athletic enough to get a start.

6) And how sad it would be if Jonson Clarke-Harris ends his time at Posh by being frozen out of the first-team picture.

Professional football can be a cruel business, but a double Golden Boot winner doesn’t deserve an ignominious end. He’s made a massive contribution on the pitch and, by all accounts, he’s been fantastic off it even when it was clear he was no longer to be a regular starter.

7) Ferguson’s selection skills will be tested when Posh host AFC Wimbledon in the Trophy quarter final next Tuesday (January 30) as Harrison Burrows is suspended. Posh have no other natural left-back apart from young Harley Mills. It’s likely Crichlow will play there.