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Plenty of greedy gets at the EFL will be hoping that the boycotts die. I believe a decision will be made at the end of this season about the future of the competition. If it continues like it is indefinitely then next stop B Teams in the League Cup and the league. Bye bye memories like Donovan’s volley and Wayne’s flick. Thankfully the majority of fans are not blind and can see what’s happening. Newcastle under 23s - it’s an insult to Dobbin and Beasant and Buckley and Whittle. Go if you want to go but don’t complain when the money making rollercoaster can no longer be stopped. It might be too late to save this competition but not others.

No thanks. Hope Town fans keep up the boycott. This is a format that threatens our existence and is an insult to our history.

Clearly dropped the price massive as a case of 'look attendances have risen this year let's give it another year'

I still wouldn't go even if we got to Wembley. It's just putting lipstick on a sow.

Hopefully we go sub 248 this season

Anyone attending these matches endorses and legitimises the view that Grimsby Town FC, and our 140 years of history, are on a par with Wolves and Middlesborough u21 reserve team. That’s a fact.

If you’re worried about the club losing revenue, take your fiver down to the club shop and hand it to them. Why stop there? Make it a tenner.

You may be happy in spending your life on your knees in front of Shaun Harvey while he tries to get his snout in the Premier League trough, but don’t think you’re any better than the people who wouldn’t give away our heritage, identity and pride so cheaply.

Quoted from WHYWONTYOULETMESIGNUP

‘Put the prices right down, we’ll cover any losses, then make the rise in attendances look like a success’ - the football league, probably

As much as that sounds like a conspiracy theory, it’s not that far from the truth is it? I mean, why has this even happened in the first place?

Look at it this way - the football league is a private, for profit business. It will instinctively follow the most lucrative path.

Premier League clubs have an abundance of money, but limited opportunities for their academy players to play competitive matches against senior professionals.

Meanwhile, league one and two clubs have senior players but little money. The solution? Premier League clubs fund a significant increase participation funds which by far offsets the drop in ticket sales the inclusion of ‘elite’ under-23 sides triggers.

Inevitably, clubs like Town vote positively in unanimous fashion, not due to interest in the development of young academy players, but because it makes the most financial sense.

Everyone’s a winner. Except of course, the fans. But as is becoming increasingly clear, we are to ever play second fiddle to the pursuit of money. Not that I apportion blame to clubs at this level who struggle to stay afloat - it’s just a sad indictment of the sickening amount of money at the top of the game.

The depressing irony of it all is that all this money is driven largely by fans who never attend games - the Super Sunday types and the millions (if not billions) in the Far East and beyond.

It’s sad, but it’s the future. And we need to get used to it because there’s little the ordinary fan can do do change it.

Quoted from ska face

Anyone attending these matches endorses and legitimises the view that Grimsby Town FC, and our 140 years of history, are on a par with Wolves and Middlesborough u21 reserve team. That’s a fact.

If you’re worried about the club losing revenue, take your fiver down to the club shop and hand it to them. Why stop there? Make it a tenner.

You may be happy in spending your life on your knees in front of Shaun Harvey while he tries to get his snout in the Premier League trough, but don’t think you’re any better than the people who wouldn’t give away our heritage, identify and pride so cheaply.

The bit in bold I was going to bring up. Lincoln made best part of half a mill in gate receipts from last season's competition. I think if people would go to these games if it wasn't for the format, and if they feel like it, maybe buy something in the club shop next time you're in there or maybe even drag a mate/spouse/mistress along to the next league game as a treat/punishment. I think we all want to show our disdain for this competition but also want to see Town as competitive as possible.

I ain't going and the ticket price makes not a bit of difference. What? Tickets are 10p you say? Stick it!
Good posts from Ska and Poojah.

I do not want to say what other people should do,

BUT

Think what Michael Jolley could do with an extra £100.000 or more,

You could boycott the under 23 games but attend the others,

It might be our best bet in having a cup run who knows.

At the end of the day it's your choice.

An extra 100 grand could make us more competitive for one season (although not if everyone gets a similar slice) but we’re a club with 140 years of history and a future that needs protecting.

Potential Short term gain exchanged for long term oblivion, no thanks

At the last and rather infamous fans forum, John Fenty claimed the Under 23's format isn't intended as a gateway for U23 sides in the football league. He said it must be voted for by a large majority of the FL clubs. And I actually believe him to be fair, but I've still no interest in seeing Academy sides, I think it's a urine take, they think they can send their kids to play our proud and historic club? Not for me, I'll give it a wide berth again. I loved the competition as well, the only realistic chance of silverware. Should have just left it as it was but they've gone for the relative pittance the Premier league have bribed the clubs with. Sad.

I wouldn’t go if they paid me I don’t care what they say, if this gets viewed as a succcess the next step will be b teams in the league.

That’s what I was told BP Vicar , that no league clubs would want them in the EFL.
Physically they are not up to it everyone knows it.
For sure the Prem put in the prize Money without that it would not be worth the effort.
The Caraboa cup is a joke prize money starts at the semi Finals and only 25k.
I enjoyed the games last season , a boycott means nothing to the EFL but costs your club money to host the games.

Quoted from Helgy

That’s what I was told BP Vicar , that no league clubs would want them in the EFL.
Physically they are not up to it everyone knows it.
For sure the Prem put in the prize Money without that it would not be worth the effort.
The Caraboa cup is a joke prize money starts at the semi Finals and only 25k.
I enjoyed the games last season , a boycott means nothing to the EFL but costs your club money to host the games.

Personally I don’t care one iota if my boycott means nothing to the EFL it is about my own principles. Nobody will ever convince me that an established football club like Grimsby Town should be playing in a competition against other clubs Development squads/Under23’s.
It is simply wrong and I will not condone it by attending

Wonder if people would go to a Wembley final against an under 23 squad?

A boycott to that would surely be a huge statement!

Quoted from MarinerBen

Wonder if people would go to a Wembley final against an under 23 squad?

A boycott to that would surely be a huge statement!

Can’t speak for ‘people’ but I 100% guarantee that I would not go to Wembley or anywhere else to go to a game in this competition

Quoted from 75

At the last and rather infamous fans forum, John Fenty claimed the Under 23's format isn't intended as a gateway for U23 sides in the football league. He said it must be voted for by a large majority of the FL clubs. And I actually believe him to be fair, but I've still no interest in seeing Academy sides, I think it's a urine take, they think they can send their kids to play our proud and historic club? Not for me, I'll give it a wide berth again. I loved the competition as well, the only realistic chance of silverware. Should have just left it as it was but they've gone for the relative pittance the Premier league have bribed the clubs with. Sad.

When you look at the state of the owners across the football league that doesn't fill me with much confidence. They voted for it in this competition because the money was right so why wouldn't they do the same again for a bigger purse.

Quoted from 75

At the last and rather infamous fans forum, John Fenty claimed the Under 23's format isn't intended as a gateway for U23 sides in the football league. He said it must be voted for by a large majority of the FL clubs. And I actually believe him to be fair, but I've still no interest in seeing Academy sides, I think it's a urine take, they think they can send their kids to play our proud and historic club? Not for me, I'll give it a wide berth again. I loved the competition as well, the only realistic chance of silverware. Should have just left it as it was but they've gone for the relative pittance the Premier league have bribed the clubs with. Sad.

That's one of my biggest concerns. He's made a big thing of this point, saying on numerous occasions that it'd only take 8 clubs in the entire FL to
oppose their introduction to block it....but at no point has he ever said that HE or the club would vote against it. Would he be one of the brave 8? Absolutely not. He's already publicly supported the idea of B-Teams in the football league.

The thing is, it was only 4 or 5 years ago when the idea of Premier League B-Teams playing in any football league competition was absolutely unthinkable. Fast forward a few boozy FL Portugal Holidays and here we are, playing against Championship nobodies' youth teams. How much did it cost the Prem to get their way? £1m, or £50k from each team. It's absolutely nothing, a thousand tickets? 750 shirts? Chicken feed.

We're rapidly moving to a model where clubs at our level are becoming reliant not only on the annual solidarity payments, but now on money from competitions like this designed to benefit the Premier League clubs. Andy Holt at Accrington Stanley, a chairman who knows the value of a club's fans and community, spends a lot of his time on twitter defending the decision to allow PL teams into this competition purely because they can't afford to turn the money down. The PL have us over a barrel and the more we accept it, the deeper into their pocket we go.

I'm proud of the strength that town fans have shown so far and it's disappointing to see so many abandoning their principles that the held last season.

Quoted from Vance Warner

When you look at the state of the owners across the football league that doesn't fill me with much confidence. They voted for it in this competition because the money was right so why wouldn't they do the same again for a bigger purse.

You make a great point which I hadn't considered.

Quoted from Helgy

a boycott means nothing to the EFL but costs your club money to host the games.

That's just completely untrue.

The EFL underwrite any losses incurred by clubs in this competition, which is why clubs like ours have knocked prices down to a quid or a fiver.

The Premier League and EFL don't really need any money, this is an operation in control and soft power. A few million quid means nothing to either, but massive reputational damage from being seen for the overbearing, competition-killing, money-hungry corporations that they are WOULD stop them forcing it through. Little clubs like Accrington and Rochdale sticking it up the Premier League would be one in the eye for them.

Quoted from MarinerBen

Wonder if people would go to a Wembley final against an under 23 squad?

A boycott to that would surely be a huge statement!

If we got to the final against Man Utd, and the club offered to pay for my travel, beer and food money, accomodation, sit me in the Royal box and gave me a VIP tour of Wembley, including meeting all the players, i still wouldn't go.

As Ska said, the money put into this by the Premier League is chicken feed. And the people running football league clubs like GTFC are supposed to be business men (and women, not forgetting Mansfield). Well if they are, it's no wonder the country is going to the dogs. If you're going to be hard-nosed about this, and say knickers to history and tradition, you should at least know the value of your 'product' and negotiate a decent price. I have no confidence in our chairman and most of the others to do this right, even on their own money obsessed terms.

With the exception of B teams I like the format. If B teams enter the pyramid I suspect that they will seek to split League 2 north and south so that the turkeys (chairmen) don't feel like they are voting for Christmas.

I get that it is the Football League Trophy but I think teams from the top half of the Conference should be invited in the place of B teams whilst regionalising the groups.

So if you have a crowd of 500 and you need 4,000 to break even the EFL will compensate you for that loss?

I was once wisely advised to do a + and - comparison when faced with a major decision. ( pros and cons etc.)
Now apply this to fenty and that scummy competition being discussed.
Jf , to state the blindingly obvious isn't terribly popular, and supporting the Checkatrade ain't exactly helping.
So imagine a scenario where he accepted the fans argument and said right, I understand 'my constituents' concerns and I will vote against the present format. In the meantime, whilst I can't condone the boycott, could I please ask fans to buy £10 of gtfc merchandise even if they don't attend a game.
I don't see too many minuses in that scenario and 1 helluva lot of plusses

Quoted from Helgy

So if you have a crowd of 500 and you need 4,000 to break even the EFL will compensate you for that loss?

Imagine it’s slightly more technical than that and will relate to your operating costs (i.e. stadium costs, staffing, etc) when hosting games, but yes. Won’t be a case of the EFL finding Akinde’s weekly £4K and pen bonus as that’s not a cost directly related to the competition.

There was a big hoohah about it because the EFL had kept this a secret between themselves and the clubs until one of our directors blurted it out at the fans’ forum last year to save his bottom.

After that hit the press, the EFL sneakily updated their rules and regs on their website to reflect what they had never acknowledged before.

[img]https://s33.postimg.cc/i1inxt5un/52_AF5_B01-_B7_EB-4867-_B9_D1-0_B185_F1_B7104.jpg[/img]

If the costs of hosting the game / any loses are covered they why should I be bothered about giving my money to the club for this match. The EFL can cover the loss of my non attendance. I'll be having an extra 5 tickets in the half time bonanza draw the following match instead.

If the club had voted against this, and still fulfilled their fixtures, they would have got more sympathy and probably more fans though the gate. I can see why lower league clubs accept the money on offer, as it must be a daily grind keeping a small club afloat, but they must realise that this is how people with serious dosh get their way, by slowly chipping away at the edges. The unacceptable eventually becomes acceptable, and then they will up the ante at some point. Lower league clubs are vulnerable and say they will never vote for the inclusion of 'B' teams on a more permanent basis, but there will be an amount of money that would eventually start to change their minds. The big clubs have that money and more.

Quoted from ginnywings

Lower league clubs are vulnerable and say they will never vote for the inclusion of 'B' teams on a more permanent basis, but there will be an amount of money that would eventually start to change their minds. The big clubs have that money and more.

Like that old story about Winston Churchill/GB Shaw (it's always one or the other) at a dinner party.

WSC/GBS to attractive woman: My dear will you sleep with me for a million pounds?
Woman: Erm, why yes Mr Chruchill/Shaw
WSC/GBS: Would you sleep with me for a shilling?
Woman: Certainly not! What kind of a woman do you take me for?
WSC/GBS: We established what kind of woman you are with my first question. Now we're just haggling over the price.

Its the thin end of the wedge ...
GTFC didnt consult with the trust and sneaked the YES vote in..
Shaun Harvey LIED to the clubs and changed the format after the vote
Its not even Under 23's ...FFS there were 30-40 yr old reserve players playing
For the benefit of developing the next wave of English talent ...again high numbers of foreign players in those squads
We havnt won a fking game in the competition yet
The anti competition view is BULLYING
A good chunk of Premiership teams (who this format was supposed to be for) dont even enter a team anyway

Oh whats that ? Its only £5 .... well in that case ....

FCK OFF !! I have a long memory and some principals.

Here's a challenge then; can we get more fans at Clee Town's FA Cup replay on the same night?

The thing that makes me laugh about all the boycott crap about the Checkatrade Trophy that over the last few years theyve changed the format a few times over the years why haven't ppl spat their dummies out before now!!!
Just to finish I'll be there home and away watching Town play in whatever competition it is!!

Regarding the argument that League clubs would have to vote in favour of including 'B' teams to enable it, well, they had to vote in favour of the Elite Player Performance Plan as well. They did so because otherwise, they would lose all support for their academies. Simple blackmail on the part of the Premiershite clubs and the League clubs capitulated.

Now, if Town's academy unearths a future world-beater, one of the big academies will swoop in to nick him for pennies. A maximum of 20-odd thousand I seem to recall?

The Premiershite care about nothing but the bottom line - their ideal would be a Premiership 1 and 2 comprising the biggest clubs (i.e. those with the most revenue potential) with no promotion/relegation into these teams and screw the rest of us. In fact, it is the prospect of a PL2 which means that the League rolls over and tickles and shows its belly to give them everything they ask for. The League can survive with the Championship under their purview. If the biggest Championship join a PL body, we'll all be at non-league level before long.

Quoted from MrFisherman

The thing that makes me laugh about all the boycott crap about the Checkatrade Trophy that over the last few years theyve changed the format a few times over the years why haven't ppl spat their dummies out before now!!!
Just to finish I'll be there home and away watching Town play in whatever competition it is!!

The boycott’s been in place since they let Prem and Championship teams in (i.e. 2016-17 and 2017-18). That’s the whole point. Before 16-17 Town we’re not eligible to play in it anyway because we weren’t in the League.

Now what planet have you been on whilst all this has been going on and discussed?

Obviously didn't notice there were only 247 other people at the last match ;D

The situation as it stands, is what it is. We're in the competition, playing Wallsend Boys Club and whoever else, and that's not going to change. I think there needs to be an easy way for fans to contribute without attending matches (a gofundme page?), which might even attract donations from people who would've never been able to attend the matches anyway (like exiles), but that's not for me to decide.

What we need to be pressing for is a full, transparent review of the last three years of the competition looking at what the competition has achieved against the aims outlined by Shaun Harvey at the outset. These include developing young talent and increasing attendances. This has already been done by The Ugly Game ([url]https://theuglygame.wordpress.com/2017/03/03/harvey-headbanger-the-efl-chief-presses-on-even-though-his-plans-lie-in-ruins/[/url]), so we need the board to outline to fans exactly why they intend to vote the way they do based on this criteria, and not the bullshit & bluster that comes out of the EFL Marketing Department.

Quoted from ska face

The situation as it stands, is what it is. We're in the competition, playing Wallsend Boys Club and whoever else, and that's not going to change. I think there needs to be an easy way for fans to contribute without attending matches (a gofundme page?), which might even attract donations from people who would've never been able to attend the matches anyway (like exiles), but that's not for me to decide.

What we need to be pressing for is a full, transparent review of the last three years of the competition looking at what the competition has achieved against the aims outlined by Shaun Harvey at the outset. These include developing young talent and increasing attendances. This has already been done by The Ugly Game ([url]https://theuglygame.wordpress.com/2017/03/03/harvey-headbanger-the-efl-chief-presses-on-even-though-his-plans-lie-in-ruins/[/url]), so we need the board to outline to fans exactly why they intend to vote the way they do based on this criteria, and not the bullshit & bluster that comes out of the EFL Marketing Department.

JF was quite clear why we voted yes....money.  End of.

Now i understand why ,in black and white, as the clubs major shareholder he thinks about the balance sheet but its the sheer bloody mindedness of how they go about it.
No empathy with supporters, bullying, cutting out the trust over the decision, the awful half @rsed attempt of an expanation once they finally put their hands up and admitted to voting yes,  "we still made money despite the boycott" and all that jazz.

There are ways that the club can still be in the competition, still make the money but get supporters back on board...vote no for a start like the small number of clubs that did originally....being in the competition against our will is alot different to suckling up to Shaun Harvey.  Be at the forefront of alternative ideas for the comp...ie keep the regionalised element but kick out the u-23 teams.

Agree 100%.

My personal view is that Fenty should put his money where his mouth is - he's either interested in the long-term future of this club, or he's interested in getting his loans back.

I'd want him to commit to ensuring the club vote against any proposals involving B-Teams, or he writes off his loans.

How much did Lincoln make through winning the comp, going to Wembley and selling out their ground for most of the competition, £250k? With the stroke of a pen, he could remove 8 times that amount of debt from the balance sheet. Benign or not, he wants it back at some point. That's the equivalent of winning the thing 8 seasons on the bounce and having every penny given to Fenty rather than being invested back into the club. We saw that last season when some revenue went to service shareholder debt.

i see this season's competition continues to wow the fans ,who can't keep away

stevenage - swansea last night probably had to start late so they could cope with the 470 who turned up

if only we didn't have a bullying problem i'm sure we could get up to that sort of level

I think this is the last year before Checkatrade review their sponsorship, I believe it's a 3-year deal with the option of a further 2.

Further low interest in this competition will put that option in serious doubt, which in turn effectively kills the competition dead in the water. Can't imagine any serious businesses coming forward wishing to sponsor this car crash or the FL funding the prize shortfall from their own coffers.

they've ruined the competition and they've made it a club V Fan occurance, wouldnt go if they paid me. intercourse the EFL and especially Shaun harvey

Quoted from Hagrid

they've ruined the competition and they've made it a club V Fan occurance, wouldnt go if they paid me. intercourse the EFL and especially Shaun harvey

I dont disagree but owners and Chairnen voted for it despite knowing of fan opposition. They voted for a potential short term gain rather than respect for fans and the game

Quoted from Cloudy

I dont disagree but owners and Chairnen voted for it despite knowing of fan opposition. They voted for a potential short term gain rather than respect for fans and the game

Thats very true

Quoted from Cloudy

I dont disagree but owners and Chairnen voted for it despite knowing of fan opposition. They voted for a potential short term gain rather than respect for fans and the game

Whilst on a trip to Portugal....

Quoted from moosey_club

JF was quite clear why we voted yes....money.  End of.

Now i understand why ,in black and white, as the clubs major shareholder he thinks about the balance sheet but its the sheer bloody mindedness of how they go about it.
No empathy with supporters, bullying, cutting out the trust over the decision, the awful half @rsed attempt of an expanation once they finally put their hands up and admitted to voting yes,  "we still made money despite the boycott" and all that jazz.

There are ways that the club can still be in the competition, still make the money but get supporters back on board...vote no for a start like the small number of clubs that did originally....being in the competition against our will is alot different to suckling up to Shaun Harvey.  Be at the forefront of alternative ideas for the comp...ie keep the regionalised element but kick out the u-23 teams.

Yeah, him and the rest of the board are too thick or short-sighted to realise that the club would have been better off financially voting no, taking the EFL money anyway and getting maybe a few more through the gate or more goodwill solidarity spending in the club shop. But hey, what do we know, we're just ordinary people who are fans not extraordinary people who run football clubs..

https://twitter.com/uglygame/status/1034717665934356480?s=19

Quoted from ginnywings

If we got to the final against Man Utd, and the club offered to pay for my travel, beer and food money, accomodation, sit me in the Royal box and gave me a VIP tour of Wembley, including meeting all the players, i still wouldn't go.

I would but then at the end of the game I would be able to tell Harvey to his face what I think. :)

I would imagine Checkatrade are delighted to sponsor the competition, the advertising due to the noise it created because of the format has been immense and their name banded about.
It doesnt really matter that no one goes to the games to them. the name is getting advertised every single time one of us write it and read it.

Quoted from Garth

Going to give it a go this time

Why? What's changed?

Quoted from ska face

How much did Lincoln make through winning the comp, going to Wembley and selling out their ground for most of the competition, £250k? With the stroke of a pen, he could remove 8 times that amount of debt from the balance sheet. Benign or not, he wants it back at some point. That's the equivalent of winning the thing 8 seasons on the bounce and having every penny given to Fenty rather than being invested back into the club. We saw that last season when some revenue went to service shareholder debt.

It was a lot more than that, around 600-700k I believe. We voted not to allow any changes to the competition but without that additional money we got from it I doubt we would have been able to afford the extra players we have managed to sign.

Quoted from Impish2

It was a lot more than that, around 600-700k I believe. We voted not to allow any changes to the competition but without that additional money we got from it I doubt we would have been able to afford the extra players we have managed to sign.

In total but minus the usual tax deductions,yep in signing those players we are going for it.

Hiya guys. Thanks for getting involved but nobody’s really that fussed about your accounts - it was an off-the-cuff example to have a go at our shithouse board. By all means, if you want to have a dig at our board please feel free, but we’re not after another discussion on your club. Ta.

Quoted from Impish2

It was a lot more than that, around 600-700k I believe. We voted not to allow any changes to the competition but without that additional money we got from it I doubt we would have been able to afford the extra players we have managed to sign.

I understand the opinion against the competition but £700k extra goes a long way at this level! Would you prefer for us to play a weakened team and exit quietly or play a strong team and win some significant prize money which could boost the playing budget? Couple that sort of money with a decent tie in the FA Cup or League Cup and you've earned well over £1m or half the benign loan.

Weakened team and exit quietly please.

Quoted from jamesgtfc

I understand the opinion against the competition but £700k extra goes a long way at this level! Would you prefer for us to play a weakened team and exit quietly or play a strong team and win some significant prize money which could boost the playing budget? Couple that sort of money with a decent tie in the FA Cup or League Cup and you've earned well over £1m or half the benign loan.

nice sentiment but remember.....the 700k was for winning the competition....we havnt managed to win a single fking game in the 2 yrs of the format so lets not walk before we can even crawl.

Whatever the fans choose to do and say is one thing, the managers and major shareholder have stated their intentions to take the competition seriously, chance for "football fortune" etc ...but then gone and pretty much put a reserves team out in every game !!!

Slag the fans off for boycotting a game and then treat it like a reserve game themselves...double standards, more terrible PR and just another reason to increase the boycott IMO.

Quoted from jamesgtfc

I understand the opinion against the competition but £700k extra goes a long way at this level! Would you prefer for us to play a weakened team and exit quietly or play a strong team and win some significant prize money which could boost the playing budget? Couple that sort of money with a decent tie in the FA Cup or League Cup and you've earned well over £1m or half the benign loan.

You're missing the point that that sort of money only came from winning it, and only one team will do that per season. Sorry to state the bleeding obvious, but you seem to have overlooked it.

One of the stated aims of the EFL and this competition is the "furthering of the England National team".

This season, the number of English players currently in first team squads has dropped from 33% last season to 30% this season, and among the top six teams in the Prem, there is only 21% of English players in their squads.

It's a compete sham and needs to be restored to what it was, or scrapped.

Quoted from jamesgtfc

I understand the opinion against the competition but £700k extra goes a long way at this level! Would you prefer for us to play a weakened team and exit quietly or play a strong team and win some significant prize money which could boost the playing budget? Couple that sort of money with a decent tie in the FA Cup or League Cup and you've earned well over £1m or half the benign loan.

And so if the Premier League teams offered enough to have 'B' teams in the lower leagues, that would be okay then? How much would you it take for Arsenal, Man Utd, Man City, Chelsea etc 'B' teams to buy Town's place in the football league?

Make no mistake this is just testing the waters, seeing how much lower league clubs will take to fund their own execution. Your post shows they are making progress... what they think is "after a while people will just accept it as the norm". Just don't go to the games, you may think you are just supporting your club but you aren't, you are supporting the Premier Leagues attempts to get 'B' teams into the lower leagues.

Don't compare us to Lincoln either. Town have a much bigger hard core support who have followed the club for decades and see the Checkatrade Trophy for what it is. Most of Lincoln fans have only started properly supporting their team in the last few season on the back of their success. Their gates in this competition is purely on the back of that success. This is not a dig at Lincoln either, fair play to Lincoln City Football club for making the most of that and there is much our own board could learn from them. Most of their fans just don't know better.