Tim Akinola came off the bench as Chesterfield progressed to the FA Cup third round on Saturday, but Arthur Okonkwo and Crewe Alexandra were eliminated.

Arthur Okonkwo with Crewe Alexandra (Photo via Crewe on Twitter)
Arthur Okonkwo with Crewe Alexandra (Photo via Crewe on Twitter)

Having made it through qualification and the FA Cup first round proper, Arsenal loanees Tim Akinola and Arthur Okonkwo were in action in the second round of the competition on Saturday.

Okonkwo faced League One side Barnsley away from home with League Two side Crewe Alexandra, and unfortunately, his side couldn’t overcome the odds to pull off an upset.

Barnsley dominated the contest, having 18 shots and seven on target including a penalty, so it was inevitable the Arsenal goalkeeper would let some of them in. The match finished 3-0 to eliminate Okonkwo’s loan side.

But whilst Crewe couldn’t pull off an upset, Chesterfield did. Akinola came on as a substitute as the National League side knocked out League Two side AFC Wimbledon with a 2-0 victory.

There’s a chance Ipswich Town will join Chesterfield in the FA Cup third round draw, as they face Buxton FC on Sunday at 17:00 GMT. Tyreece John-Jules is on loan at Ipswich, but he won’t feature in the match, as he has a serious hamstring injury.

Tyreece John-Jules playing for Ipswich Town (Photo via John-Jules on Twitter)
Tyreece John-Jules playing for Ipswich Town (Photo via John-Jules on Twitter)

For now, only Akinola is certain to be in Monday’s third-round draw at 19:00 GMT – when the Premier League teams join the competition – with matches to be played on the weekend on Saturday, 7th January.

Akinola has made nine appearances for Chesterfield, but all bar one of those appearances were from the bench.

Yet he seems to be something of a fan favourite with his loan side anyway, and a cup run will only improve the mood at the club.