by Clyde1998 »
14 Jun 2023 18:07
Orion1871 Stranded Sutekh
Woopeedoo! We get to see Reading get that money spinning first round league cup tie at Cardiff and sharing a Trophy group with the likes of Arsenal's u21s and Sutton United
The stupid thing is if we get Cat 1 status back then we could be in a situation next year where our U21s face Aston Villa or Spurs in the league on Saturday, then our first team play them in the Papa Johns a few days later.
Unless there is a rule against it, then I suggest that it will just be our U21s playing them once in the U21 league and then in the Pizza Trophy.
With our injury record over the last couple of years, we would be stupid to risk first team players in such a pointless competition.
There are rules against it, but they seem fairly lax:
https://www.efl.com/contentassets/c7e25 ... r-2021.pdfEFL Trophy rules 7.3 Each EFL Club shall play its Full Available Strength in and during all Matches.
Guidance: ‘Full Available Strength’ means the EFL Club must include at least four Qualifying Players in the ten outfield Players named in the starting eleven on the Team Sheet.
7.4 Qualifying Player means any Player who:
7.4.1 had started the immediately preceding First Team Fixture (as defined below);
7.4.2 subsequently starts the immediately following First Team Fixture;
7.4.3 is in the list of ten Players at the Club with the highest number of starting appearances in First Team Fixtures in the same Season;
7.4.4 has made forty or more starting appearances in First Team Fixtures or international equivalents (and not limited to the same Club or Season); or
7.4.5 is on standard loan from a Premier League Club or any EFL Club operating a Category One Academy.
7.5 First Team Fixture means the League Competition, Premier League, EFL Cup or FA Challenge Cup (but shall, in the context of Rules 7.4.3 and 7.4.4 only, also include this Competition).
7.6 Any EFL Club failing to meet the requirement to play Full Available Strength will be required to pay a fine of up to £5,000.
