Our under-21 side have been drawn alongside Colchester United, Leyton Orient and Milton Keynes Dons in the group stage of the Bristol Street Motors Trophy.
16 Category One academy teams from the Premier League and Championship were added to the 48 clubs competing in League One and Two next season, and saw us handed some good tests against Football League opposition.
Colchester are in League Two, having finished 22nd last term and avoiding relegation by three points. Also in that division are MK Dons, who finished fourth but were eliminated in the play-off semi-finals by Crawley Town. Orient meanwhile are in League One, where they finished 10th in their first campaign in the third tier in eight years.
Also known as the Football League Trophy, the competition began in 1981 and has mainly been an opportunity for clubs in the third and fourth tiers to have a chance of Wembley glory, with academy teams introduced in 2016. Since then, no under-21 side has reached the final.
Our first taste of the competition came in 2018/19, and we have reached the knockout stages in all-but-one season, with our best run coming in 2021/22 when we got to the quarter-finals. Last year saw us reach the round of 32 before being eliminated by eventual winners Peterborough United.
Academy teams must start at least six players who are aged 21 and under as of 30 June 2024, and only two players over the age of 21 to have made 40 or more appearances in a first-team fixture. All their matches are also played away from home, handing valuable experience to Mehmet Ali’s players as they go up against established senior pros.
After the group stage, the top two teams from each group will progress to the knockout stages, which are held over single legs all the way through to the final.
Fixture dates will be announced in due course.
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