Reading and Swindon Town drew the largest crowd of the southern section of the EFL Trophy so far, with more than 6,000 attending the first derby for 21 years.

The Royals confirmed their place in the knockout stages with a match to spare by beating the Robins 5-0, with fireworks both on and off the field in RG2.

Not meeting competitively since 2001, 6,121 came out on Tuesday evening as 1,435 travelled from Wiltshire as both managers rotated heavily.

This is the largest southern section attendance of the season to date, with many clubs opting to boycott the competition after Premier League sides were allowed to field Under-21 teams in a tournament traditionally for teams in the third and fourth tiers.

Portsmouth attracted 5,008 in the second-largest turnout in the southern section, while Notts County against Derby County was the second-largest turnout last night with 5,946.

So far this season, Wrexham against Newcastle United Under-21s has attracted the largest crowd overall, with over 7,000 at the Racecourse Ground.

In comparison, just 1,871 witnessed Reading's historic 9-0 win over Exeter City in matchday one.

Stevenage versus Wycombe Wanderers failed to even attract 1,000 fans as the all-League One clash had a total attendance of just 906.

Reading host Arsenal Under-21 in the final group match next month, with both sides battling for top spot.