Some of Bolton’s first opponents for next season have been penciled in today, as the majority of the draw for the Papa John’s Trophy was made. Three of the four teams in each group have been confirmed today, with a further under-21 side to be added tomorrow.
Wanderers have placed in Group D of the Northern Section, where they’ll face two League Two sides in Port Vale and Rochdale. The ‘invited’ side hasn’t been decided yet, but that will be one of the academy sides from Man City, Man Utd, Everton, Liverpool, Leeds, Newcastle, Wolves or Leicester.
The top two from each group go through to the knockout sides, so on paper Bolton should make it through the group – but it all depends, and it will probably prove to be the case, whether Ian Evatt rotates the lineup for those matches.
We went out in the group stage last season, while the previous season, we did make it out of the group, before losing away at Accrington in the following round.