A short time ago the EFL finally announced who would be playing which Academy side in this year’s EFL Trophy.
Quite why we needed two group stage draws this year is beyond me, and the generic fan reaction from those calling for a boycott – well what was presumably meant to create ‘tension’ succeeded in making it a farce – especially as it appears nobody knew when the draw would actually take place today.
Maybe it’s me but we are still waiting for the fixtures and we’re now going on almost an hour since it was supposed to begin.
Anyway, for those interested in the Trophy for this season, here is the full draw for the group stage and you’ll have to discover your own fixture dates whenever they might be announced.
Northern:
Group A
Carlisle United, Fleetwood Town, Morecambe, Leicester City
Group B
Accrington Stanley, Blackpool, Wigan Athletic, Middlesbrough
Group C
Blackburn Rovers, Bury, Rochdale, Stoke City
Group D
Crewe Alexandra, Oldham Athletic, Port Vale, Newcastle United
Group E
Coventry City, Shrewsbury Town, Walsall, West Bromwich Albion
Group F
Bradford City, Chesterfield, Rotherham United, Manchester City
Group G
Lincoln City, Mansfield Town, Notts County, Everton
Group H
Doncaster Rovers, Grimsby Town, Scunthorpe United, Sunderland
Southern:
Group A
Charlton Athletic, Crawley Town, Portsmouth, Fulham
Group B
Colchester United, Gillingham, Southend United, Reading
Group C
Bristol Rovers, Swindon Town, Wycombe Wanderers, West Ham United
Group D
Exeter City, Plymouth Argyle, Yeovil Town, Chelsea
Group E
Cheltenham Town, Forest Green Rovers, Newport County, Swansea City
Group F
Wimbledon, Barnet, Luton Town,
Tottenham Hotspur
Group G
MK Dons, Oxford United, Stevenage, Brighton
Group H
Cambridge United, Northampton Town, Peterborough United, Southampton
