Doncaster Rovers man bangs the drum for EFL Trophy as he recalls 'fantastic' Wembley win

The Doncaster Rovers midfielder has reached the final of this competition twice whilst at previous club Portsmouth, winning it in front of a crowd of more than 85,000 at Wembley. That 2019 showpiece victory over Sunderland shows what this often-maligned competition can lead to.

Of course, there's a sizeable road to get there and it involves navigating the group stages where games are often played out in front of sparse crowds amid a flurry of changes. That's likely to be the case on Tuesday night as Rovers make the short journey to League Two Grimsby Town for the second of three group fixtures. But Close still sees the value of the Trophy, especially the deeper a club goes.

"I think it's a good competition for several different reasons really," he tells the Free Press. "If you're not getting minutes in the league then it gives you a good opportunity to play.

"If you get through the group stage and start ticking off the knock-out rounds then you start realising you have a chance to not only potentially play at Wembley but also win a trophy.

"And those opportunities don't come around a lot in your career. I remember winning that competition and it was just a fantastic day. Whatever the starting XI is (on Tuesday) we expect to go and win the game with the players that we have. It's a different competition but we'll go there and try to win it."

Rovers saw off Everton under-21s in their first group outing and a win in Lincolnshire will see them take a big step towards qualifying for the last-32 stage. Sean Grehan and Charlie Crew are both missing for Rovers after heading away on international duty, whilst Harry Clifton and Jamie Sterry miss out with hamstring and shoulder injuries respectively.

Kick-off on Tuesday is at the earlier time of 7pm.