U-23's Friday Night Game | Vital Football

U-23's Friday Night Game

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For those of you that haven't been yet been or want to take your kid/grandkids - this is a great way to get in and savour our magnificant stadium......on the 'cheap!'







On Friday night (16 Aug) our stadium hosts our U23s in a Premier League 2 clash against Manchester City. Kick-off is at 7pm.

For many supporters, this represents their first chance to watch a live match at the stadium, so make sure you don’t miss out. All supporters can now buy up to six tickets for this fixture*.

Tickets are priced at £5 for Adults and £1 for Juniors (under 18) and Seniors (over 65) – there are NO booking fees on ticket purchases. Supporters under the age of 14 must be accompanied by an adult.

This is a great opportunity to watch our Under-23s take centre stage at our new home following some stand-out performances from our younger players during pre-season and their 4-0 win against Liverpool this past weekend.



*All tickets are subject to availability.

The stadium capacity will be capped at 9,999 for this fixture. Level 1 areas in our West, East and North Stands will be open with our South Stand and Premium areas closed. Read more

We strongly advise supporters to purchase their tickets in advance of Friday to avoid queuing on the day. We would also like to remind supporters that our stadium is completely cashless.​
 
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Slightly different question. Are we putting the youngsters back in the Checkatrade Trophy (from memory) and any of our matches selected for TV coverage?
 
Slightly different question. Are we putting the youngsters back in the Checkatrade Trophy (from memory) and any of our matches selected for TV coverage?


Given that the 'big six' are all entered, I'd be surprised if the later stages aren't televised - but no one seems to know how many games are going to be?


The 2019/20 season is set to be a landmark one for the EFL Trophy as the 'big six' clubs in the Premier League all compete in the competition for the first time.


Liverpool and Manchester United are entering academy teams into the competition for the first time this season, with the two clubs joining 14 other Category One academy sides in the EFL Trophy, including Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham.


Academy sides first featured in the knockout competition in the 2016/17 season, but Liverpool and Manchester United have not entered until now.

But with those two joining Manchester City, Arsenal, Chelsea and Spurs, among others, it means this will be the first season when the top six clubs in the Premier League have all competed in the EFL Trophy.


So how does it work and which other teams are involved? We take a look below.

format of the competition;

The competition features a total of 64 teams, made up of the 48 teams from League One and League Two (24 from each division) and 16 Category One academy sides.

The teams are split into 16 regional groups of four teams, with eight groups from the northern region and eight from the southern region.


Academy sides will play each of the other three sides in their group away from home, with the top two teams qualifying for the knockout stages, which remain regionalised until the quarter-finals.


The final of the competition is played at Wembley Stadium, and is due to be held on Sunday, April 5, 2020.


Academy sides involved;

There are 16 Category One academy sides invited to take part in the competition, with the invited teams selected based on the club's taking part in the competition in 2019/20 are as follows:


Arsenal, Aston Villa, Brighton & Hove Albion, Chelsea, Everton, Fulham, Leicester City, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Newcastle United, Norwich City, Southampton, Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham United, Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Rules for academy sides;

There are several rules for the academy sides entering the competition, which are as follows:

  • Academy sides must start at least six players aged 21 or under, as of June 30, 2019.
  • Academy sides can only include two players over the age of 21 who have made 40 or more senior appearances prior to the 2019/20 season
  • Academy sides will play all group matches away from home.


How it works;

In the group stage of the competition, clubs are awarded three points for a win, and one point for a draw, like in their respective leagues.


However, when a game in the EFL Trophy finishes in a draw after 90 minutes, the two sides will compete in a penalty shootout, with an additional point on offer for the winners.


The teams finishing first and second in each group progresses to the knockout stages of the competition.


In the knockout stages, which are regionalised until the quarter-finals, all games are one-off ties, which will be decided by penalties if the score is level after 90 minutes, with no extra time.