Home draws for Cheltenham and Forest Green

CHELTENHAM Town and Forest Green Rovers have both been drawn at home in the opening round of the 2022/23 edition of the Carabao Cup, writes Keith Watson.

Bristol City, Bristol Rovers and Swindon Town, meanwhile, will start their cup campaign on the road.

Forest Green appear to have the easiest task on paper, as the League One new boys host Leyton Orient, who finished 13th in the fourth tier last term, although both League encounters ended 1-1.

Cheltenham, meanwhile, will play host to an Exeter team that came up from League Two alongside Forest Green.

Swindon, meanwhile, face an allLeague Two contest at Walsall. The Reds won there on the last day of the regular season to secure their place in the fourth-tier play-offs.

Bristol Rovers visit Crawley in their first-round tie, with the Sussex side having finished 12th in League Two last term as the Pirates went up on the final day of the season.

Elsewhere, Bristol City will contest an all-Championship affair with Coventry, meaning they will be in line for a swift reunion with attacking midfielder Kasey Palmer, who swapped clubs this week.

Carabao Cup first round draw – Southern section: Norwich v Birmingham, Coventry v Bristol City, Northampton v Wycombe, Cardiff v Portsmouth, Charlton v QPR, Crawley v Bristol Rovers, Walsall v Swindon, Ipswich v Colchester, Luton v Newport, Reading v Stevenage, Plymouth v Peterborough, Wimbledon v Gillingham, Cheltenham v Exeter, MK Dons v Sutton, Forest Green v Leyton Orient, Cambridge v Millwall, Oxford v Swansea. Northern section: Blackburn v Hartlepool, Harrogate v Stockport, Bolton v Salford, Morecambe v Stoke, Blackpool v Barrow, West Brom v Sheffield United, Sheffield Wednesday v Sunderland, Grimsby v Crewe, Mansfield v Derby, Accrington v Tranmere, Middlesbrough v Barnsley, Bradford v Hull, Rochdale v Burton, Doncaster v Lincoln, Huddersfield v Preston, Shrewsbury v Carlisle, Port Vale v Rotherham, Fleetwood v Wigan. Ties scheduled to be played the week commencing Monday, August 8.

■ The under-21 sides from Crystal Palace, Southampton and West Ham will be heading to the West Country in the Papa John’s Trophy following yesterday’s draw of invited sides.

Bristol Rovers and Swindon will be joined by Crystal Palace in Group E, while Southampton will visit Forest Green as part of their campaign in Group F. Cheltenham, meanwhile, will face West Ham in Group C.