Football
ESPN staff 7y

Checkatrade Trophy games attracts record low crowds

At least 16 of Tuesday's 24 games in the Checkatrade Trophy drew attendances of less than 1,000 and only Chelsea and Luton drew more than 1,500.

The competition was revamped before 2016-17 in order for 16 under-23 sides to participate alongside the usual entrants from League One and League Two, but several high-profile teams, including Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool and Manchester United, declined meaning the invite was extended to sides with a Category One academys outside the Premier League.

Northampton's penalty shootout loss to West Ham saw the Cobblers set a record for their worst-ever attendance, with only 762 present, and Portsmouth's 1-0 win against Bristol Rovers at Fratton Park drew a post-war low of 1,200.

Luton Town's 3-1 defeat against Millwall and Chelsea's 13-12 penalty shootout win against Oxford United were the only two games to draw a crowd of more than 1,500.

Middlesbrough's 3-0 loss to Shrewsbury managed a crowd of 308 and Peterborough's 2-1 win at Barnet drew less than 400.

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