Our final EFL Trophy group stage fixture against Cardiff City has been confirmed for Tuesday, November 11, 2025.
Our under-21s will first take on Newport County at Rodney Parade at 7pm on Tuesday, September 23, before heading to Exeter City on Tuesday, October 28.
The group stage will conclude at the Cardiff City Stadium in November, with the game scheduled to kick off at 7.45pm.
Also known as the Vertu Trophy, the competition began in 1981. Academy teams were introduced in 2016, with no under-21 side reaching the final to date.
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Our first taste of the competition came in 2018/19. Our best run came in 2021/22, when we got to the quarter-finals. Last year, we were eliminated in the group stages, finishing third behind Colchester United and Leyton Orient.
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.
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.
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