Sourced from Daily Echo article
Saints sign-up for the Checkatrade Trophy
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SAINTS have signed up to compete in next season’s Checkatrade Trophy – after what they felt was a highly beneficial first sortie for the club’s under-23s in the competition last campaign.
The Checkatrade, which Saints won as a League One club during its days as the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy in 2010, opened its doors to Category One status academies for the first time last season.
Saints were very pleased with the experience for their young players, as Martin Hunter’s side took valuable lessons from playing League One and Two teams on a competitive stage.
After beating Crawley and Colchester United - and drawing with Charlton Athletic, the club’s under-23s reached the knockout stages, before losing out to Reading’s academy on penalties.
And after seeing Josh Sims and Sam McQueen break into the first team, after impressing in the Checkatrade Trophy, Saints decided to accept an invitation to next term’s tournament.
Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City, Newcastle United and Fulham have joined Saints in the competition as newcomers for the 2017/18 season.
EFL Chief Executive Shaun Harvey said: "I was delighted when EFL Clubs collectively backed the competition following a full and comprehensive review of last season’s pilot format and we can see from the increasing interest from Category One Academies that the Checkatrade Trophy has genuine appeal.
“The competition provides a unique challenge to young players and seasoned professionals alike. I strongly believe players from League One and League Two clubs will look forward to taking on some of the country’s brightest prospects, who will themselves learn a lot from participating in a first team competition.”
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