Our under-21s have been drawn into Southern Group F for the 2026/2027 EFL Trophy group stage, and our first three fixtures in this season's competition have now been confirmed.
We'll start our campaign with a short trip to The Hive Stadium to face Barnet on Tuesday, August 18 (7:45pm).
The Bees missed out on the League Two play-offs last season by just two points to seventh-placed Grimsby Town, and were similarly close to reaching the EFL Trophy knockout stages, finishing one point behind Luton Town and Cambridge United in Southern Group H.
Our second tie of the campaign will see us swap north London for east with a trip to face Leyton Orient on Tuesday, September 15 at BetWright Stadium (7pm).
Orient won all three group matches in last season's competition before bowing out in the first knockout round with a 1-0 defeat to Plymouth Argyle. The O's were locked in a relegation battle towards the end of the League One season, but finished three points outside the drop zone, securing another campaign in the third tier.
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We'll be in London once again for our third game of the group stage, this time facing AFC Wimbledon at the Cherry Red Records Stadium. We'll be in south London on Tuesday, October 27, with the action getting underway at 7pm.
The Dons had a deep run in last season's EFL Trophy, beating Cardiff City and West Ham United under-21s to reach the quarter-finals. In the league, Wimbledon finished one point above Leyton Orient to remain in League One for the upcoming season.
The top two teams from each of the 16 groups advance to the knockout stages, with the tournament split into two sections (north and south) until the semi-finals.
Last season, despite an opening win against Newport County, we were eliminated after defeats to League One sides Exeter City and Cardiff City.
OUR EFL TROPHY FIXTURES
Tuesday, August 18
Barnet (A) | 7:45pm
Tuesday, September 15
Leyton Orient (A) | 7pm
Tuesday, October 27
AFC Wimbledon (A) | 7pm
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