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Birmingham City and the Vertu Trophy, ball numbers and possible opponents in last 16 draw
Birmingham City have progressed into the next round of the Vertu Trophy, and in doing so have taken another step towards a date at Wembley later in the season. Blues defeated League One rivals Exeter City on Tuesday night, their second win at St James Park in quick succession, with both victories making up part of an overall five-game winning streak spanning three competitions.
Overwhelming favourites Blues, who won at the home of the Grecians thanks to goals from Luke Harris and Keshi Anderson, are into the last 16 of the competition, which has now very much opened up for them. Of the seven possible opponents they could face, only three of them are actually in League One, with the other four sides who have progressed into the next round coming from League Two.
When will the draw be?
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The draw takes place on Saturday, 14 December, before midday, on Sky Sports. The draw will be conducted before the Championship clash between Preston North End and Leeds United and the balls will be drawn by Stuart Dallas and Portsmouth striker Colby Bishop. The EFL say that the draw will take place at approximately 11:50am.
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How is the draw working?
The competition remains regionalised at this stage. In the Midlands, Blues, in the southern section, will be either hosting or heading south of the country depending on who they face and whether or not they're drawn at home. There are eight balls in each section, although ball number 8 of this draw represents both Peterborough and Northampton - they're yet to play their tie.
Who is in Blues' draw?
As mentioned, either Peterborough or Northampton will progress and they'll join Stevenage, Leyton Orient and Blues in making up the League One clubs on this side of the competition. The League Two teams are Cheltenham Town, Colchester, Swindon Town and Walsall. The ball numbers are below...
Birmingham City
Cheltenham Town
Colchester United
Leyton Orient
Stevenage
Swindon Town
Walsall
Peterborough United or Northampton Town
Who is on the northern side of the draw?
It is perhaps worth paying attention to how the northern section unfolds too, if you're a Blues supporter, even though the quarter finals are regionalised too. Blues will have be prioritising their league campaign but they'll want to go as deep as possible into this competition, too.
Bolton Wanderers
Bradford City
Chesterfield
Lincoln City
Port Vale
Rotherham United
Wrexham
Blackpool or Aston Villa U21
When will the games be played?
Round of 16: W/C 13 January
Quarter-Finals: W/C 3 February
Semi-Finals: W/C 17 February
Final: 13 April
