Checkatrade EFL Trophy 2017-18: Draw, fixtures, results, & all you need to know
The 2017-18 Checkatrade EFL Trophy is into the knock-out stage as clubs strive to reach the final at Wembley in April.
A total of 64 teams entered the competition, which kicked off at the end of August, and the number has been whittled down following a competitive group stage.
It is not quite as prestigious or well known as tournaments such as the FA Cup or the League Cup, but in recent seasons it has featured some Premier League clubs.
Goal brings you all you need to know about the competition and the current state of play.
What is the Checkatrade trophy?
The EFL (English Football League) Trophy - known as the Checkatrade Trophy for sponsorship reasons - is an annual knockout competition involving teams from England's League One and League Two.
It was first established in 1983 and it was initially known as the Associate Members' Cup before rebranding as the Football League Trophy in 1992.
Traditionally only clubs from League One and League Two were eligible to participate, but non-league teams have occasionally competed and, in recent years, academy teams from Premier League and Championship clubs have also been invited to take part.
Bournemouth won the first edition in 1984, with the likes of Wolves, Swansea City and Wigan Athletic among the clubs to raise the trophy.
Bristol City are the most successful club in the history of the competition with three titles, while Coventry City are the most recent champions.
Checkatrade EFL Trophy Quarter Final
Unlike the other rounds, the quarter-final of the Checkatrade EFL Trophy was an open draw, rather than regional.
Chelsea's Under-21s host Oxford United, while Lincoln City take on Peterborough United. Yeovil Town face Fleetwood Town and Shrewsbury Town will play either Oldham Athletic or Leicester City Under-21s.
The draw was confirmed on January 11 and Games are scheduled to take place on January 23.
Date | Match |
|---|---|
Jan 23 | Chelsea U21 vs Oxford United |
Jan 23 | Lincoln City vs Peterborough United |
Jan 23 | Yeovil Town vs Fleetwood Town |
Jan 23 | Shrewsbury Town vs Oldham Athletic |
Checkatrade EFL Trophy Round 3
The second knock-out round - or the third round - sees eight ties take place and there have been some interesting results.
Three games have gone to penalties, while Chelsea's Under-21 team progressed after beating Portsmouth at Fratton Park.
Leicester City's Under-21s, meanwhile, were beaten by Oldham Athletic in the final game of the round.
Northern section:
Date | Match |
|---|---|
Jan 9 | Rochdale 0-1 Lincoln City |
Jan 9 | Bury 2-3 Fleetwood Town |
Jan 10 |
|
Jan 17 |
|
Southern section:
Date | Match |
|---|---|
Jan 9 | Yeovil Town 2-0 Forest Green Rovers |
Jan 9 | Portsmouth 1-2 Chelsea U21 |
Jan 9 | Charlton Athletic 1-1 Oxford United (0-3P) |
Jan 9 | Luton Town 0-0 Peterborough United (6-7P) |
Checkatrade EFL Trophy Round 2
The first knock-out round - or Round Two - was also divided regionally along north-south lines and features 32 teams.
A Leicester City team featuring the likes of Leonardo Ulloa and Kelechi Iheanacho progressed with a win over Scunthorpe United, but West Ham and Swansea were knocked out. Chelsea also went through as a team containing Michy Batshuayi, among others, thrashed MK Dons.
Northern section:
Date | Match |
|---|---|
Nov 28 | Rochdale 1-1 (5-4P) Doncaster Rovers |
Dec 2 | Walsall 1-2 Bury |
Dec 5 | Bradford City 0-1 Oldham Athletic |
Dec 5 |
|
Dec 5 |
|
Dec 5 | Port Vale 1-2 Shrewsbury Town |
Dec 5 | Scunthorpe United 1-2 Leicester City U21 |
Dec 6 |
|
Southern section:
Date | Match |
|---|---|
Dec 2 | Portsmouth 2-0 Northampton Town |
Dec 5 | Gillingham 1-2 Oxford United |
Dec 5 |
|
Dec 5 | Swansea City U21 2-3 Charlton Athletic |
Dec 5 | Swindon Town 0-1 Forest Green Rovers |
Dec 5 |
|
Dec 6 | MK Dons 0-4 Chelsea U21 |
Dec 6 |
|
Checkatrade EFL Trophy group stage
In 2017-18, for the first time in history, teams from Manchester City, Newcastle United and Tottenham took part, joining the likes of Chelsea, West Ham and Everton.
Premier League clubs Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United declined their invitations to participate.
The 64 teams - 24 from League One, 24 from League Two and 16 academy teams from the Premier League and Championship were divided into two sections (Northern and Southern) with each section containing eight four-team groups.
The winners and runners-up of each group can be seen below. Those teams progressed to Round Two.
Northern section:
Group | Winner | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|
A | Fleetwood Town | Leicester City U21 |
B | Blackpool | Accrington Stanley |
C | Rochdale | Bury |
D | Port Vale | Oldham Athletic |
E | Walsall | Shrewsbury Town |
F | Bradford City | Chesterfield |
G | Lincoln City | Mansfield Town |
H | Scunthorpe United | Doncaster Rovers |
Southern section:
Group | Winner | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|
A | Portsmouth | Charlton Athletic |
B | Gillingham | Southend United |
C | Swindon Town | West Ham U21 |
D | Yeovil Town | Chelsea U21 |
E | Swansea U21 | Forest Green Rovers |
F | Luton Town | Wimbledon |
G | MK Dons | Oxford United |
H | Peterborough United | Northampton Town |
The Premier League development/academy squads did not fare particularly well, and, of the 12 taking part, only West Ham, Chelsea, Leicester City and Swansea qualified from their groups.
Teams representing Manchester City, Tottenham, Everton, Stoke City, Newcastle, West Brom, Brighton and Southampton were all eliminated.
Notably, too, reigning champions Coventry City were also knocked out at this stage.
When is the Checkatrade EFL Trophy final?
MORE:
Mohamed Salah a different player to Luis Suarez - Milner
| FA Cup 2017-18: Draw, fixtures, results & guide to each round
| Wenger declares Walcott has Arsenal future
| Carabao Cup: Draw, fixtures, results & guide to each round
The 2017-18 Checkatrade Trophy final is set to take place on Sunday, April 8 2018 at Wembley.
Last season's final between Coventry City and Oxford United, which attracted a record-breaking 74,434 spectators, kicked off at 14:30 BST and it is likely that a similar time will apply in 2018.