New chairman to impress or not, Martin O’Neill has always taken this competition seriously and it was no surprise that Villa were at full strength last night. The last team the Irishman sent out in this competition was Leicester City to win the 2000 final, and he clearly fancies a repeat.

Scunthorpe began at 100mph, as might have been expected, but kick and chase it wasn’t. Billy Sharp tested Thomas Sorensen’s reflexes and bravery in the second minute and Steve Foster blasted over as The Iron kept their visitors on the back foot. Villa’s new chairman Randy Lerner, watching with a considerable entourage, can only have been impressed by the sport’s depth on his first exposure to football life outside the Premiership because Villa, who lost in this competition at Doncaster last season, were under real pressure.

Gradually their extra class began to show. Twice they hit the bar, first when Juan Pablo Angel sidefooted Gabriel Agbonlahor’s cross and then when Gareth Barry shot from 22 yards. Three minutes before half-time Luke Moore outpaced Richard Hinds on to Sorensen’s long clearance and was brought down. Angel’s penalty was blocked by Joe Murphy but the Colombian turned in the rebound.

Fuelled by a sense of injustice Scunthorpe redoubled their efforts and Andy Keogh almost squeezed a shot past Sorensen. Villa scored again when Angel headed Aaron Hughes’s cross past Murphy but Sharp’s header from a corner ensured a lively final quarter.