Wanderers to face Barrow and Fleetwood in EFL Trophy group stage

Wanderers will face Barrow and Fleetwood Town in the group stage of the Bristol Street Motors Trophy.

The full draw will take place on Thursday afternoon when a Premier League Under-21 side will be added to the group and venues will be confirmed.

It will be a Barrow reunion for Ian Evatt, who guided the Bluebirds to promotion into the Football League before taking charge at the Toughsheet Community Stadium.

The side finished eighth in League Two last term, narrowly missing out on the play-offs, and Stephen Clemence has since been named as the new manager at Holker Street.

Meanwhile, Fleetwood were relegated from League One last season. Charlie Adam, one of Evatt's former team-mates at Blackpool, took charge at the Highbury Stadium in January but was not able to change the Cod Army's fortunes.

Wanderers won the competition in 2023 but were knocked out in the quarter-final by Blackpool last term following a penalty shoot-out defeat at Bloomfield Road.

Here is a full list of groups in the northern section and the U21 clubs still to be drawn

Group A

Accrington Stanley

Stockport County

Tranmere Rovers

Group B

Port Vale

Salford City

Wrexham

Group C

Carlisle United

Morecambe

Wigan Athletic

Group D

Barrow

Bolton Wanderers

Fleetwood Town

Group E

Blackpool

Crewe Alexandra

Harrogate Town

Group F

Barnsley

Doncaster Rovers

Huddersfield Town

Group G

Chesterfield

Grimsby Town

Lincoln City

Group H

Bradford City

Mansfield Town

Rotherham United

U21 ball numbers

1 Aston Villa U21

2 Everton U21

3 Liverpool U21

4 Manchester City U21

5 Manchester United U21

6 Newcastle United U21

7 Nottingham Forest U21

8 Wolverhampton Wanderers U21