Dates confirmed for Palace Under-21s' EFL Trophy matches

Announcement

16 Jul 2026

Crystal Palace Under-21s will face the first-team sides of Swindon Town, Plymouth Argyle, and Newport County in Group E of this season’s Vertu Trophy – with fixture dates now confirmed.

Now rebranded as the Vertu Trophy, Darren Powell and his young Eagles will once again be tested against senior opposition from League One and League Two.

Matches will take place on the following dates:

Tuesday, 15th September (19:00 BST, Eady County Ground): Swindon Town v Crystal Palace U21s
Tuesday, 22nd September (19:00 BST, Home Park): Plymouth Argyle v Crystal Palace U21s
Tuesday, 3rd November (19:00 BST, Rodney Parade): Newport County AFC v Crystal Palace U21s

All of Palace’s games in this competition will be played away from home. Ticket information for each fixture will be confirmed in due course.

All matches in this season’s Vertu Trophy will be broadcast live on Sky Sports+ in the UK, from the group stage through to the final.

Plymouth Argyle narrowly missed out on the League One play-offs last season despite a final-day win at Northampton Town.

Under head coach Tom Cleverley, who arrived following relegation from the Championship, Argyle endured a difficult start but recovered strongly, losing just two of their final 16 matches to finish eighth in the table.

The Pilgrims also reached the quarter-finals of the Vertu Trophy last season, before being beaten 2-1 by eventual winners Luton Town at Kenilworth Road. They previously faced Palace’s U21s in the competition during the 2022/23 campaign, running out 1-0 winners at Home Park thanks to a late goal from Niall Ennis.

Newport County secured their Football League status on the final day of the 2025/26 season, finishing 20th in League Two following a challenging campaign. The Exiles spent much of the season battling near the bottom of the table but ensured survival with a 2-1 victory at Barrow.

Newport narrowly missed out on progression from their Vertu Trophy group last season, finishing third, with their only group-stage win coming against Cardiff City.

Swindon Town, meanwhile, spent much of the campaign inside the League Two play-off places before falling away in the closing weeks to finish outside the top seven. It will be the Robins' sixth consecutive season in the fourth tier – the longest such spell in the club's history.

The Robins have crossed paths with Palace's Academy in recent years, with the Young Eagles securing a 2-0 victory in the 2022/23 Vertu Trophy thanks to a John-Kymani Gordon brace.

They will also provide the first opposition of Palace's 2026/27 pre-season campaign, as Pierre Sage takes charge of the Eagles for the first time in a behind-closed-doors friendly at the Academy on Saturday, 18th July (12:30 BST). The match will be streamed live on Palace TV+ – find out more by clicking here!

The Vertu Trophy is contested by the 48 clubs in League One and League Two, alongside 16 Category One Academy sides, making a total of 64 teams.

Palace have been placed in the Southern section of the competition, with regionalised groups designed to reduce travel distances for supporters. The top two from each group progress to the knockout stages.

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