Luton will face Cambridge and Barnet as two of their three rivals in a predetermined group stage of the Vertu Trophy this season, with the remaining under-21 Premier League team to be announced tomorrow via a live draw.
The Hatters are back in the Football League Trophy – previously named the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy when Town won it in 2009 – for the first time since 2018/19 after they were relegated to League One.
With the competition split into a northern and a southern section for the initial group stages, Luton will face relatively local rivals and will wait to see who completes Group H, with Arsenal, Aston Villa, Brighton, Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Fulham, Tottenham and West Ham in the hat for tomorrow’s draw at 2:30pm.
Vertu Trophy group stage matches will begin in early September, with dates to be confirmed following the EFL’s fixture release day at midday tomorrow, when Luton will learn their schedule for their return to the third tier.
The Hatters last played Cambridge in 2022, winning 3-0 in the FA Cup, while 2018 was the last time they turned out against Barnet in League Two, with a 2-0 win at Kenilworth Road, courtesy of goals from Danny Hylton and James Collins. Though, earlier that season, in October 2017, they did face the Bees in the Football League Trophy, with Town winning 4-3 on penalties.
In this season’s trophy, the top two from each group progress to the knockout stages, with Vertu Trophy fixtures remaining regionalised until the quarter-final stage.
Matches level after 90 minutes will be determined by penalty kicks up to the semi-final stage. A period of 30 minutes of extra time will be played in the final should the match be level after 90 minutes. If still level at the end of extra time, the winners shall be determined by penalty kicks.
There will be a total of £260,000 in prize money up for grabs if Luton can win every match.
