Checkatrade Trophy: What happened to mantra of '˜Real football for real fans'?

Twelve months earlier, a little under 60,000 fans had descended on the national stadium to watch Barnsley win what proved to be a thrilling showpiece occasion, but this time things are very different.

For a start, Olympic Way is very quiet. So, too, are the pubs that surround the stadium with estimates putting the likely attendance for that afternoon’s final of the Checkatrade Trophy at less than a quarter of the crowd that had seen Paul Heckingbottom’s side prevail against Oxford United.

Sounds far-fetched? Not if said final is between two of the Under-23s teams from the Premier League or Championship which are taking part this season following a revamp that the Football League insist is designed to refresh the competition, but the wider football public suspiciously views as a precursor to welcoming the B-teams of the elite to join the fold permanently.

Blackburn Rovers versus Reading is hardly the most enticing first-team fixture but if the two clubs’ Academy squads were to meet in the April 2 final then even the finest marketing minds would surely find tickets a hard sell. Ditto, the youngsters of Wolves or Derby triumphing in the last four to set up a meeting with their peers from Norwich or West Brom.

“Real football for real fans,” is how the League was marketing itself not so long ago, but this new format – which includes abandoning regionalised draws after round two – is anything but. No wonder the talk ahead of tonight’s opening ties in the group stage is of boycotts and protests, as opposed to taking the first steps along the road to Wembley.

For those taking part, it is very much a case of stepping into the unknown with Bradford City and Sheffield United, Yorkshire’s two clubs due to take on an Academy side, having little idea as to the make-up of the opposition or even who will be in the opposing dugout.

The Bantams host Stoke’s Under-23s in a group that also includes Bury and Morecambe, while the Blades also face under-age opposition in the form of Leicester City at Bramall Lane.

Blades assistant manager Alan Knill said: “We are not sure what type of team Leicester are going to put out, but we are taking it seriously.

“We have got the first win under our belts (after beating Oxford United last Saturday) and it is something we can, hopefully, build on. That is why we are taking the same attitude into this one.”

Chris Wilder is still pondering the make-up of his starting XI in a competition that carries a financial penalty for those clubs in Leagues One and Two who fail to include at least six regulars.

Leon Clarke missed the win over the U’s with a foot injury, but he could return tonight for United, who will also host Walsall on October 4 in Group H before travelling to Grimsby Town on November 8.

Doncaster Rovers complete the trio of Yorkshire sides in action tonight, though Darren Ferguson’s men will be on more familiar ground due to taking on fellow League Two club Mansfield Town in a group that also contains Derby’s Under-23s and Port Vale.

The top two from each group go through to the regionalised second round, which is scheduled to take place in early December.