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Charlton Athletic head to Cheltenham Town looking to get off a to similarly good start to last season.

A 1-0 win against West Bromwich Albion at the beginning of November 2025 put the Addicks sixth and in the Championship play-off places but a run of two wins from 14 matches followed with the club staring down the barrel of a relegation dogfight.

Nathan Jones' side eventually ended 19th, a good return following promotion via the play-offs the year prior, and today take on a Robins outfit who will be aiming to improve on their 18th placed finish last season in League Two.

Isaac Hutchinson, who scored 18 goals for the Robins on loan from Bristol Rovers last year, has since found a permanent home in Doncaster this summer so there will be more focus on players such as new Leicester loanee Kirsten Otchere and Jake Bickerstaff to find the net this term.

It's not been easy summer for either Colchester United or Southampton.

For the U's, many out of contract players have given the club a recruitment headache and there was a time when it looked as if the side were in a goalkeeping pickle as their only recognised stopper, Tom Smith, battles a thigh injury.

Luckily, Smith seems to be on the mend and a mere two days ago, Thimothee Lo-Tutala joined the club on loan from Hull City to bring some competition for the number one spot.

Though for Southampton, it's not the players who have caused the most uncertainty.

Boss Tonda Eckert is waiting to hear the outcome of the charges he faces from the FA for misconduct after the side were thrown out of the play-offs in May for spying.

He faces a ban of potentially six months or more but until then, owner Dragan Solak has stuck with him and Eckert will want to repay that loyalty with another Saints win after a trio of good performances in pre-season.

Well, it's a hectic old afternoon of EFL Cup first round action with 26 of the 29 ties done and dusted.

We are now less than 10 minutes away from the remaining three games.

• Cheltenham v Charlton
• Colchester v Southampton
• Rotherham v West Brom

After nine successful penalties, Ethon Archer is the guilty man to miss his spot-kick for Bromley and Reading are through to round two.

Joel Pereira holds Archer's tame effort from 12 yards out and the Reading 'keeper takes the plaudits from the Royals supporters behind the goal the penalties were taken at.

Guy Whittingham
Former Portsmouth manager on BBC Radio Solent

You could see the quality of the West Ham players in that five-minute spell just before half-time when they created the chances and took them.

That's the difference between top players and players that are trying to get to the top that haven't quite got that skill or that presence or that ability.

Pompey were certainly put to the sword in that last five minutes in the first half and then West Ham got the one goal in the second half and they were happy with that and defended in a way that Portsmouth couldn't get around them at all.

Delano Burgzorg sends Preston through to the second round of the EFL Cup!

North End went down to 10 men after Lewis Gibson was sent off for a professional foul on Ashley Fletcher, and Paul Heckingbottom's side went behind almost straight away thanks to Radinio Balker.

Huddersfield fought hard to keep a hold of their lead for more than 45 minutes, until Jusef Erabi popped up to equalise in the 93rd minute.

It was decided on the cruel game of penalties, and after the away side missed their first two you felt there was only going to be one winner.

Elation for Preston at Goodison Park.

Matt Piper
Former Foxes winger on BBC Radio Leicester

I wouldn't be concerned just based off this game, we have seen plenty of what is to come in pre-season.

And certain elements of the game today will make me excited, and some the fans that came to the game today.

I don't think it was an epic, and I don't think the manager will be that pleased with the performance as a whole.

There were pockets of excitement throughout the match. But we still need a striker - and I will keep saying that.

There were too many mistakes in the first half, they were easy mistakes by giving the ball away too easy.

We have to give credit to Northampton, they were relegated last season and have gone down to League Two, and I think they will fare well this season.

We have seen enough to be excited going forward.

Who else to finish the job for Burnley?

Clarets captain Kyle Walker smashes down the middle to spare Burnley's blushes and the Championship side are into the EFL Cup second round.

An excellent effort by Notts County, who will be in League One this season after promotion from League Two last season.

Nicky Hayen just about gets the job done in his first competitive game in charge of Burnley.

Former Burnley man Jacob Bedeau has his penalty saved by Max Weiss and now the Clarets have the chance to win it...

Notts County's Conor Grant and Burnley's Mike Tresor make no mistake from the spot, before Jack Evans nets again for the Magpies to make it 3-3.

But then Hannibal Mejbri's spot-kick is saved by James Belshaw!

Andrew Moran's penalty is saved by Matty Young!

3-2.

Paul Parker
Ex-QPR and Manchester United defender on BBC Radio London

There were really good bits today, but if you're a West Ham fan you would be a little bit concerned because Pompey had the legs on them.

The Championship is so tactical and we've seen that teams can get behind them so easily and the 'keeper worries me.

Maybe I'm just picking at things. I'm just saying from what I've seen.

Teams are going to work and work against them and they have to be prepared for that because in the first half they were not.

It looked destined for penalties but a late 99th minute goal from Marc Bola sends Watford through to the second round.

Crawley fought hard for so, so long, and Vito Mannone performed admirably for most of the match, keeping out numerous shots.

But Watford deserved to prevail, and of all the players most unfortunate you have to feel some sympathy for Luca Kjerrumgaard whose disallowed goal and shot which hit the woodwork did nothing to give them breathing room.

It took Marc Bola's last minute intervention to settle the tie.

Burnley goalkeeper Max Weiss saves the first spot-kick of the shootout from Notts County's Emile Acquah, diving low to his right to keep it out.

Zian Flemming is the coolest man inside Turf Moor to send James Belshaw the wrong way to put the Clarets in front.

Dean Campbell slots calmy into the bottom corner for the Magpies before Zeki Amdouni restores Burnley's lead, stuttering and then rolling home.

Bolton pay dearly after Xavier Simons loses his head to put them a man down.

After being pulled back by Harry Gray, Simons repaid the favour by lashing out with a punch. The Wednesday players were up in arms and things got heated but the Owls men would have the last laugh as Simons was given his marching orders.

Jamal Lowe came on the field and scored from Barry Bannan's ball.

A win. Barry Bannan involved in the goals. The feel-good factor is in full flow at Hillsborough now.

Taty Castellanos and Jarrod Bowen combine to put the game to bed for West Ham and knock out Portsmouth despite a decent performance from the visitors.

After a first half comeback from 1-0 down, West Ham scored a third and final goal in the 50th minute after Bowen sets up Castellanos for a superb header.

Portsmouth played well but not well enough to surpass the Hammers' talented squad.

A force to be reckoned with in the upcoming Championship campaign? It's certainly looking so.