Town boss Paul Lambert has named his expected very young side for this evening’s EFL Trophy tie against Gillingham with 17-year-old central defender Elkan Baggott (pictured) handed his senior debut, midfielder Liam Gibbs and Tyreece Simpson, also both 17, their full first-team debuts and six other youngsters on the bench.

David Cornell is in goal and skippers with Janoi Donacien and Corrie Ndaba the full-backs, and Baggott, who was recently at an Indonesian U19 training camp, and Luke Woolfenden the centre-halves.

In midfield, Gibbs looks set to be joined by Brett McGavin and probably Armando Dobra. Up front, Jack Lankester, making his first start since January 2019, is likely to be on one flank, Folami on the other with Simpson the central striker.

On the bench, the Blues include former Gill Tomas Holy, 19-year-old right-back Dylan Crowe, a former England U18 international, left-back Tommy Smith, 18, and summer signing from Bury Town Ross Crane, a winger or midfielder.

Striker Zak Brown, 17, the brother of Charlie Brown, who joined Chelsea from the Blues in 2016, is also among the subs along with forward Zanda Siziba, also 17, who was with the Tottenham academy before joining Town last summer, and French midfielder Alan Viral, 18.

Having selected only two qualifying outfield players, the Blues will be fined £5,000 for fielding an understrength side, unless two of tonight's starters other than Donacien and Woolfenden are in the XI at Blackpool on Saturday, which appears a very unlikely prospect.

Gillingham make nine changes from the 1-1 weekend draw at Shrewsbury with the team not as youthful as anticipated, while former Town loanees Jordan Graham and Dominic Samuel are on the bench.

Town: Cornell (c), Donacien, Baggott, Woolfenden, Ndaba, McGavin, Gibbs, Dobra, Lankester, Folami, Simpson. Subs: Holy, Crowe, Smith, Crane, Brown, Siziba, Viral.

Gillingham: Walsh, Tucker, Medley, Willock, Coyle, McKenzie, Akinde, MacDonald, Woods, Maghoma, Drysdale. Subs: Bonham. Jackson, Ogilvie, Samuel, Graham, Eccles, Oliver. Referee: Charles Breakspear (Surrey).

Photo: TWTD

Mark added 18:49 - Oct 6 The fine is a disgrace to the football league. Fining cash-strapped League One and Two clubs while super-rich Premier League clubs field their U21 teams in the same competition! The EFL Trophy should be scrapped.
17

Len_Brennan added 18:50 - Oct 6 Giving Corrie Ndaba a shot at playing himself into contention for the first XI left back role perhaps.
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VanDusen added 19:07 - Oct 6 Well done Paul! Though what double standards that the showbiz league have to out out a reserve side and we get fined £5k cos of it. Anyway - at least some balls if we're not going to boycott altogether and hopefully we can dispense with this wretched joke of a cup going forward after tonight.
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BtreeBlueBlood added 19:15 - Oct 6 Can we just off set it to the salary cap - so only have £2,495,000 to spend on salary? Are the gills in the same boat
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BtreeBlueBlood added 19:15 - Oct 6 Can we just off set it to the salary cap - so only have £2,495,000 to spend on salary? Are the gills in the same boat
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AK74 added 19:28 - Oct 6 Why did Lambert play almost a full strength team against the Arsenal kids but has now gone to the other extreme? I'm fine with the first team regulars being rested but Huws, Jackson, Bennetts, Kenlock & Judge have all played very little if at all in the last few weeks & would have benefited from a game. I think a few older heads would also have benefited the kids that play otherwise it will just feel like an U23 game for them.

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jas0999 added 19:33 - Oct 6 This competition should have been scrapped.
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Wacko added 19:41 - Oct 6 Surprised the President of China is allowed to play for us. Plus he's not exactly "young"!
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deano85 added 21:01 - Oct 6 should only get fined if you lose, because if you win, its obviously not a weakened side... its just offensive to the opposition if you think about it...
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IPSWICHMOUSE added 21:12 - Oct 6 Dobra...what a a little gem he may turn out to be.....Like to see him running a few league 1 boys ragged given the chance.........
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Europablue added 21:45 - Oct 6 deano85 I was about to say exactly the same thing. There should be a little bit of common sense involved
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algarvefan added 22:15 - Oct 6 I think Lambert should have played this side or very near it all the way through, great experience for the young players.
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