Sunderland draw Villains kids and Hull City in cups
Sunderland will be joined by Aston Villa Under-21s in the group stages of the EFL Trophy.
The Villains’ second string will join the Black Cats, Fleetwood Town and Carlisle United in Group A of the EFL Trophy – previously known as the Checkatrade Trophy and Leasing. com Trophy.
Full fixture details will be confirmed in due course, but the first round of fixtures will be played on September 8/9 and will be Sunderland’s second competitive game of the 2020/21 campaign following the Carabao Cup first-round tie at home against Hull City – which was also also drawn yesterday – currently scheduled for September 5.
The League One season is set to start on September 12, with fixtures to be released at 9am on Friday.
Sunderland have enjoyed a mixed record in the EFL Trophy since their drop into League One in 2018.
Under Jack Ross, the side reached the final of the competition in 2019 before being defeated on penalties by Portsmouth.
Last season, the Black Cats crashed out of the tournament during the group stage after defeats to Scunthorpe United and Leicester City Under-21s.
Sunderland will receive a fee of £20,000 for participating in the competition, plus an additional £10,000 for each game they win in the group stage – £5,000 is paid to clubs who draw a groupstage game after 90 minutes.
As in previous seasons, any group-stage games that are drawn will be followed by a penalty shoot-out – with the winner receiving a bonus point.