Saints are one of 10 Premier League clubs who have accepted the offer to compete in the EFL Trophy in 2016/17.

Several of the big name Premier League clubs found it beneath their dignity to enter an academy team in this seasons EFL Trophy a competition that Saints of course won with their first team back in 2010 under its former name.

Saints have avoided Portsmouth in their group with the competition starting with group stages rather than gong into a straight knockout.

Saints have been drawn alongside Charlton Athletic, Colchester United and Crawley Town, with two matches being played away from home and one at St Mary's.

Sadly for Saints fans who hoped to have had the chace to travel to a ground that we have yet to visit in first team competition, the away games are at Charlton and Colchester with Crawley coming to St Mary's.

Matchday 1: Charlton Athletic vs Southampton — w/c 29th August 2016
Matchday 2: Colchester United vs Southampton - w/c 3rd October 2016
Matchday 3: Southampton vs Crawley Town - w/c 7th November 2016

I see this as an opportunity for the so called big clubs to put something back into football and although perhaps Saints won't be a big draw at Colchester and Charlton having played them both fairly recently, in general this is an opportunity for the smaller clubs to see Premier League players of both now and the future and in doing so put a bit of money in their coffers.

Cheltenham V Everton, Hartlepool V Sunderland, Newport County V Swansea City, Exeter City V Chelsea, Wycombe V West Ham are just several fixtures that stand out and will surely attract a bigger crowd and therefore more income for the home club than a fixture against just about any other team from League 1 or 2 in the competition.

For me this is about trying to spread the wealth a little and add a little glamour to the competition, we down here have a view of it that is perhaps tinted by the fact that it is seen as a part of our resurgence, but the reality is that the final apart it attracts little interest to the clubs from League 1 competing in it and indeed could also cost them to play a game rather than provide much needed income.

The only disadvantage i could see is if the final is staged between two academy sides, that would not be a good scenario in any way shape or form.

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