The EFL have today announced the initial Northern and Southern groups for the 2022/23 Papa John's Trophy.
The Valiants have been placed into Group C with fellow League One side, Shrewsbury Town and League Two newcomers, Stockport County.
A further draw will take place on Thursday 23 June at 11:30 where one of the invited U21 teams will complete our group.
All EFL Clubs will play two of their three matches at home in the Group Stages, with the opening ties to take place week commencing 29 August.
The full draw can be seen below
Northern Groups
| Group A | Group B | Group C | Group D |
| Harrogate Town | Bolton Wanderers | Port Vale | Accrington Stanley |
| Hartlepool United | Crewe Alexandra | Shrewsbury Town | Rochdale |
| Morecambe | Tranmere Rovers | Stockport County | Salford City |
| Group E | Group F | Group G | Group H |
| Barnsley | Derby County | Barrow | Bradford City |
| Doncaster Rovers | Grimsby Town | Carlisle United | Burton Albion |
| Lincoln City | Mansfield Town | Fleetwood Town | Sheffield Wednesday |
Invited Clubs:
Everton U21, Leeds United U21, Leicester City U21, Liverpool U21, Manchester City U21, Manchester United U21, Newcastle United U21, Wolverhampton Wanderers U21
Southern Groups
| Group A | Group B | Group C | Group D |
| Charlton Athletic | AFC Wimbledon | Cheltenham Town | Peterborough United |
| Colchester United | Crawley Town | Milton Keynes Dons | Stevenage |
| Gillingham | Portsmouth | Walsall | Wycombe Wanderers |
| Group E | Group F | Group G | Group H |
| Bristol Rovers | Exeter City | Oxford United | Cambridge United |
| Plymouth Argyle | Forest Green Rovers | Leyton Orient | Ipswich Town |
| Swindon Town | Newport County | Sutton United | Northampton Town |
Invited Clubs:
Arsenal U21, Aston Villa U21, Brighton & Hove Albion U21, Chelsea U21, Crystal Palace U21, Southampton U21, Tottenham Hotspur U21, West Ham United U21