Shrewsbury Town 1-1 Wigan Athletic (4-1 On Pens)
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ASSISTANTS: Alan Kynaston & Jack Weldman.
: Josh Warren. REFEREE
GOALS: Merrie (8).
UNUSED SUBS: Kelland Absalom (GK), Matthew Taylor.
: Owen Evans (GK); Arnold Baxendale, Alex Lingard, Joshua Gregory (Joshua Beaumont, 45), Luke Burke (C) (Matthew Rimmer, 80), Sam Stubbs, Luke Burgess (Nathan Randell, 90), Callum Lang, Christopher Sang, James Barrigan, Christopher Merrie. WIGAN ATHLETIC LINE-UP
BOOKED: Ryan Sears (61).
GOALS: Wilson (56).
UNUSED SUBS: Jacob Rammell, Ryan Barnett, George Hassall, Charley Higgs.
: Charlie Bannister (GK); Ryan Sears, Callum Roberts, George Hughes, Joel Bonner, Chris Gallagher, Jack Butts (C) (Joel Carta, 45), John McAtee, Jordan Wilson, Ethan Jones, Tom King. SHREWSBURY TOWN LINE-UP
FULL-TIME: Shrewsbury Town 1-1 Wigan Athletic (4-1 Shrewsbury Town on pens)
Details for the Northern final clash will be announced in due course.
However, McAtee smashed in the winner to send Town into the Youth Alliance Cup Northern final.
Wilson made it 3-0 but Callum Lang got it to 3-1.
Gallagher then fired in the second Town penalty and Bannister again saved straight after - this time from Merrie.
In the shootout, King stepped up first to score for Town before Bannister saved Wigan's opening spot-kick.
FULL-TIME: Shrewsbury Town 1-1 Wigan Athletic
But after six minutes of added time, neither side could find a winner and the game went straight to penalties.
McAtee also saw an effort fly wide after being found from Ethan Jones' low cross.
Midfielder Tom King saw a free-kick from the edge of the box drop onto the roof of the Wigan net.
There was two chances for Town in the final ten minutes of the match.
Fortunately the defender got back to his feet although he was unable to continue - Matthew Rimmer was his replacement.
The biggest concern was when Wigan captain Burke stayed down for an extended period of time following a collision with Gallagher.
There was little in the way of chances for either side in the final half-hour of the cup tie.
Ethan Jones made a powerful run into the inside left of the penalty area, leaving his marker for dead before he fired a fierce low cross into the six-yard box which fellow strike partner Wilson tapped in from the centre.
However, Shrewsbury found an equaliser through Wilson three minutes later.
Ian Dawes' side then thought they had an equaliser in the 53rd minute when defender Ryan Sears rose highest in the box to meet Gallagher's corner from the right, but his downward header went into the side netting.
There were changes for either side at the break, with Joel Carta replacing Jack Butts for Town - a move which saw Chris Gallagher move out to right wing back.
HALF-TIME: Shrewsbury Town 0-1 Wigan Athletic
It meant the Latics held just a one-goal advantage going into the second period.
There was one more chance for Wigan to double their lead before the break but Gregory shot over inside the box from Lingard's cross.
At the other end, Town's first effort saw Wilson's high shot from the inside right of the penalty area beaten away.
Merrie then shot low against the near post for the Latics in the 33rd minute after being fed down the inside left by Christopher Sang.
Wigan then thought they had a second with 27 minutes on the clock when Merrie shot low towards the bottom right corner from the edge of the box, but Shrewsbury defender Joel Bonner got back to block superbly on the goal line.
The young Latics were the team creating all of the chances and Bannister again saved with his legs, this time from James Barrigan.
And the on-loan Villa keeper was called into action the 11th minute as he saved with his legs from Merrie's volley on the edge of the box.
Bannister had to remain alert two minutes later to turn a dipping, 25-yard strike from Joshua Gregory around his near post.
Wigan got the game underway and took the lead in the eighth minute when Alex Lingard crossed from the left, Luke Burgess headed the ball back across the six-yard box at the far post and Merrie headed in from close range despite Bannister almost pulling off a spectacular stop.
But referee Josh Warren ordered the match to go ahead with an 11.30am kick-off, and it was Town's first competitive youth match since late November 2015.
Frosty conditions meant the match was in doubt before kick-off, with a pitch inspection called at 10.30am before a second one took place at 11am.
FIRST HALF
Town goalkeeper Charlie Bannister, who is on loan from Aston Villa, then proved to be the hero in the shootout with two saves before John McAtee fired in the winning spot-kick.
There were two pitch inspections prior to the match, with kick-off delayed by 30 minutes, but once the game got underway Jordan Wilson's second-half tap in cancelled Wigan's early opener through Christopher Merrie.
After a 1-1 draw in normal time at Shrewsbury Sports Village, the young Shrews emerged as 4-1 winners in the shootout to set up a Northern final clash with either Carlisle United or Preston North End.
Shrewsbury Town reached the Football League Youth Alliance Cup Northern Section final after victory on penalties over Wigan Athletic on Saturday.