Wolves express disappointment at Checkatrade Trophy snub

Due to the involvement of Premier League clubs such as Manchester City, Spurs and Newcastle – who shunned the tournament last season – Wolves won't be able to take part as there are only 16 places for top flight and Championship clubs.

That's despite Compton Park possessing the third-best rated academy in the country.

Wolves embraced the competition last season, leading directly to several players including Harry Burgoyne and Morgan Gibbs-White being drafted into Paul Lambert's first team.

And Thelwell said today: “It’s an obvious disappointment because we took so much from the Checkatrade Trophy last year.

“We feel that the opportunity for our younger players to play in a senior environment against senior players at the relevant stadiums was a massive spike in their development and game experience.

“We took it very seriously and we were pleased that we did very well in the tournament.

“It’s a real disappointment not to get the opportunity to do that again and, more importantly, provide our younger players with that experience.

“Also, build that connection with the fans where they get to see the young players that are developing and coming through and have a glimpse of the future."

Only clubs with Category 1 academies (there are 24 Category 1 academy clubs) are invited but places are decided on the league position of their first teams.

The lowest-ranked club to take part will be Fulham, meaning if Wolves had finished above the Cottagers in the Championship last season they would have been able to play in the Checkatrade Trophy.

Thelwell added: “We’re always looking for opportunities to get (the under-23s) into tournament football where, again, they’ve got to try and learn to win.

“We’ll be finding different ways of filling that gap that the Checkatrade Trophy has left for our players.

“There are still good opportunities out there and we’ll endeavour to do our best for the players and give them a very similar experience.

“There was a lot of conversation about the Checkatrade Trophy and how it was being organised last year.

“We always spoke highly and really positively on it, we always thought it was going to be an outstanding experience for our players and it’s going to be a big hole to fill.

“From a a game perspective, there are a lot of young players who are going to get a lot of good experience from being a part of that competition.

“It's disappointing for us not being in it but I'm also delighted that it’s going to continue in its current form and that young players are still going to be given that opportunity to play at that level."