EFL Cup Draw - Who do you want?

[Oilroyal]

at home to Gillingham

[The Informant]

at home to Gillingham

Oh christ

[Sutekh]

Well in true Football League fashion this draw has apparently been an utter farce. Seems the the Facebook live feed started broadcasting but with no sound and then promptly crashed as soon as the first club (Birmingham) were drawn. Then the graphics that were available showed Charlton away at Exeter and then at home to Cheltenham (but that is perhaps understandable when you see the draw given that you can't swear at this time of day in the media...)

Anyway the full draw is :

Southern Section

Birmingham v Crawley
Exeter v Charlton
QPR v Northampton
Newport v Southend
Bristol City v Plymouth
Cardiff v Portsmouth
Millwall v Stevenage
Oxford United v Cheltenham
AFC Wimbledon v Brentford
Norwich v Swindon
Bristol Rovers v Cambridge
Peterborough v Barnet
Wycombe v Fulham
Colchester v Aston Villa
Wolves v Yeovil
Reading v Gillingham
Forest Green v MK Dons
Luton v Ipswich

Northern Section

Coventry v Blackburn
Nottingham Forest v Shrewsbury
Bradford v Doncaster
Mansfield v Rochdale
Grimsby v Derby
Barnsley v Morecambe
Crewe v Bolton
Oldham v Burton
Wigan v Blackpool
Bury v Sunderland
Sheffield Wednesday v Chesterfield
Accrington v Preston
Fleetwood v Carlisle
Sheffield United v Walsall
Scunthorpe v Notts County
Rotherham v Lincoln
Leeds v Port Vale.

[genome]

See 2nd from top and 2nd from bottom. Nailed it.

[elrey]

So, apparently we get to play Charlton, who have changed their name this season from Charlton Athletic to Charlton the Village Bike, and everyone gets a turn with this one.

[The Cap]

Cardeef v Pompey should be lively. One of them at home would have been lively for us as well.

[Sutekh]

Game should be played at 8pm on Tuesday 8th August 2017.

Of course it might also be the first home game of the new season but one thing's for certain it should be a chance to see Watson, Dickie, Meite, Jules, Stacey, Jaakkola etc.

[Sutekh]

See 2nd from top and 2nd from bottom. Nailed it.

I also note that Sw*nd*n are away at Wimbledon whereas they're actually away at Norwich.

[Jackson Corner]

Hate these games early in the season always the chance of an embarrassing upset we were lucky to beat Mk Dons last season. Mind you Huddersfield lost Shrewsbury didn't do them any harm.

[AthleticoSpizz]

...the League Cup early round team will not be our first team.....nor our oppositions.....JC


all a bit of fun tbf

[CountryRoyal]

Think the league cup is a good time to get extra games, a couple of wins could do a lot for confidence and help players to get back match fitness after the summer.

The FA cup, despite being a fantastic competition (imo), is potentially more problematic as games come at a time with an already congested fixture list. Injuries and fitness levels the issue. While you can pick out examples where one might suggest that a cup run could have a positive impact on league form I think that's probably the exception not the rule.

I don't think it's a coincidence that two of our best league finishes have coincided with getting eliminated at the first round. Strong probability I'm chatting shit but hey ho.

As to the draw, I suspect we feel pretty similar to them - meh. Oh well, home tie against beatable opposition.

[AthleticoSpizz]

Long-winded, but think that aligns nicely wth what I just said

[KC Royal]

Can't believe the draw we got. Have thought about us playing Gillingham away for many years, this year hadn't given it any thought at all and we actually draw them, but it's a home tie!

Could have gone to a tie at Gillingham this year as well, something which wasn't the case for the first couple of rounds last year.

[CountryRoyal]

Can't believe the draw we got. Have thought about us playing Gillingham away for many years, this year hadn't given it any thought at all and we actually draw them, but it's a home tie!

Could have gone to a tie at Gillingham this year as well, something which wasn't the case for the first couple of rounds last year.

Hahaha gutted.

I haven't been to the Priestfield so might try and see if I can coincide a game there with visiting people at some point next season.

[KC Royal]

Can't believe the draw we got. Have thought about us playing Gillingham away for many years, this year hadn't given it any thought at all and we actually draw them, but it's a home tie!

Could have gone to a tie at Gillingham this year as well, something which wasn't the case for the first couple of rounds last year.

Hahaha gutted.

I haven't been to the Priestfield so might try and see if I can coincide a game there with visiting people at some point next season.

Not too disappointed atm as not really in football mode (only found out about Rakels leaving when I came on here today) and won't be for another month. It will probably bother me more nearer the time (though I will be able to hear commentary of the game for a change - don't have Reading World but BBC Radio Kent will presumably be doing commentary).

If you do go to Priestfield my advice would be don't expect too much! I've been to pretty much a game a season on average for the last 8 years I think and have often been thankful I don't go regularly.

[John Smith]

Can't believe the draw we got. Have thought about us playing Gillingham away for many years, this year hadn't given it any thought at all and we actually draw them, but it's a home tie!

Could have gone to a tie at Gillingham this year as well, something which wasn't the case for the first couple of rounds last year.

Hahaha gutted.

I haven't been to the Priestfield so might try and see if I can coincide a game there with visiting people at some point next season.

Not too disappointed atm as not really in football mode (only found out about Rakels leaving when I came on here today) and won't be for another month. It will probably bother me more nearer the time (though I will be able to hear commentary of the game for a change - don't have Reading World but BBC Radio Kent will presumably be doing commentary).

If you do go to Priestfield my advice would be don't expect too much! I've been to pretty much a game a season on average for the last 8 years I think and have often been thankful I don't go regularly.

I went once in the uncovered away end which was shit. That new stand on the side looks quite decent to be fair. Parking was horrific also

[Forbury Lion]

Reading v Gillingham, my first ever Reading game circa 1987.

[KC Royal]

Hahaha gutted.

I haven't been to the Priestfield so might try and see if I can coincide a game there with visiting people at some point next season.

Not too disappointed atm as not really in football mode (only found out about Rakels leaving when I came on here today) and won't be for another month. It will probably bother me more nearer the time (though I will be able to hear commentary of the game for a change - don't have Reading World but BBC Radio Kent will presumably be doing commentary).

If you do go to Priestfield my advice would be don't expect too much! I've been to pretty much a game a season on average for the last 8 years I think and have often been thankful I don't go regularly.

I went once in the uncovered away end which was shit. That new stand on the side looks quite decent to be fair. Parking was horrific also

Yea that away end is shit, not helped by the fact that most of the time it's largely empty and at the back it doesn't look finished. Not been into the new stand that much but was impressed, and you also don't get the morons that you get in the stand opposite. Went by car for the 3 second-tier games (not sure it was called the Championship for all of them) we had there in the 2000s and parking wasn't a good experience! Can't imagine doing it now, go by train these days and actually going by train is possibly slightly quicker for me anyway if you take into account time to get parked.

[Royal With Cheese]

Reading v Gillingham, my first ever Reading game circa 1987.

11 V 11 has it at either 1986 or 1988. I remember vividly the 2-0 defeat (it says in 1985) which was played with the entire center circle waterlogged as well as swathes of the pitch. If it hadn't been at the end of the season they would have definitely abandoned the game.

Anyway - no defeats this millennia in 8 games so the omens are favourable.

[Sutekh]

Reading v Gillingham, my first ever Reading game circa 1987.

11 V 11 has it at either 1986 or 1988. I remember vividly the 2-0 defeat (it says in 1985) which was played with the entire center circle waterlogged as well as swathes of the pitch. If it hadn't been at the end of the season they would have definitely abandoned the game.

Anyway - no defeats this millennia in 8 games so the omens are favourable.

Did not play Gillingham in 1987, so was probably the 2-1 defeat to them at Elm Park on 1st Jan 1986. The next time Reading played them at home after that was a 2-1 defeat in April 1989.

Reading have recovered fairly well since then though and not lost any of the 13 games played against Gillingham since that defeat.