Penalty heartbreak for Shaun Whalley and Shrewsbury Town in EFL Football Manager Cup
Shaun Whalley's brief stint at Shrewsbury Town's virtual manager ended in heartbreak as Brentford progressed on penalties in the FM20 EFL Cup.
Town winger Whalley is a big fan of the popular video game series and was elected as Shrewsbury's boss for the virtual knockout competition, which is raising funds for mental health charity Mind.
But Shrewsbury were denied a place in round three after a 2-2 draw after extra time against the Championship, who prevailed 3-1 on penalties.
Midfielder Sean Goss' strike in off the post from 20 yards put Whalley's visitors ahead against the run of play just before the hour mark, only for Bees striker Ollie Watkins to score at the second attempt after hitting the post.
Salop, who were awarded a bye in the first round, went closest to a winner in normal time, as home goalkeeper David Raya tipped a header over in time added on.
Striker Jason Cummings got 30 minutes of extra time off to the best possible start for Shrewsbury with a cool finish, but Shrewsbury were immediately pegged back again as Emiliano Marcondes levelled at 2-2.
It looked like Christian Nørgaard has given Brentford a 117th-minute winner but his effort was disallowed.
Shootout misses by skipper Ollie Norburn, Ryan Giles and Whalley himself meant it was the hosts who progressed.
The EFL Football Manager Cup has raised almost £2,000 for Mind during the coronavirus lockdown.
