- Leicester City's George Thomas was thrilled to play in the Checkatrade Trophy
- The 20-year-old scored at Wembley to help Coventry City win last season's final in April
- Thomas had not featured during City's group stage campaign due to Wales U21 international duty
- Sam Hughes netted Leicester's second to help book a place in the Round of 16
Before joining the Club in the summer, the 20-year-old midfielder netted the winner for Coventry City in last season’s final at Wembley, a moment he has since labelled the best of his career.
Thomas also scored City’s opener in Lincolnshire before Sam Hughes, another summer recruit from Chester, added a second for Steve Beaglehole’s side.
“We’re really happy, it was the aim to get into the next round,” Thomas told LCFC TV. "This competition is a chance for us younger players to prove ourselves against Football League players.
“Everyone was desperate to get through. We needed Hames [Ben Hamer] to make some saves and it was tough but it was a well-deserved victory in the end.
“I’m always pleased to get on the scoresheet, especially from midfield. I hadn’t scored for a few weeks so it was playing on my mind a bit. To get one early is good for my confidence.”
Thomas missed City’s three group stage fixtures on international duty with the Wales Under-21s and so Tuesday’s victory was his first in the competition since April.
“It was disappointing when I saw the international fixtures crossed with the Checkatrade Trophy ones, I love this competition,” he added.
“When I got the chance to play in the game, I was buzzing. We had a few first teamers like [Leonardo] Ulloa, [Aleksandar] Dragović and [Kelechi] Iheanacho.
“They are top, top players and obviously it’s going to help you become a better player yourself and they got us over the line.”