LDV Get Sold, Leaving Behind Trophy

It never really attracted great attendances, until the late stages, but it was always threw up some entertaining matches and gave the lower league teams a chance to get to Wembley or the Millennium Stadium. LDV Vans sponsored the trophy for 5 years and till the area final stages this season.

But don’t worry, its not going totally, but it no longer has a sponsor and is going to be re-named the Football League Trophy after LDV has been sold off after going into administration last year and the new owners aren?t interested in sponsoring the trophy.

It also means a lack of prize money at this years final between Carlisle and Swansea. Swansea chairman Huw Jenkins reckons that he will lose out on around about £75,000 if they win on Sunday against Carlisle.

He told BBC Wales Sport that the players are on bonuses if they reach the final, and those bonuses come from the prize money. However with no prize money given through out each of the rounds, so the club will have to pay up themselves.

However, both clubs do get 45% of the total gate receipts and between them so they have sold around 35,000 tickets so far.

County have played some memorable LDV Vans Trophy games aswell. The first one that comes to my mind was a couple of years ago at Edgeley Park against Wrexham. Wrexham were leading 4-2 going into the last 15 minutes, and County got two late goals back to make it 4-4 after normal time. County got a penalty in Extra Time and Jim Goodwin scored to make it 5-4 to County.

County got to the final of the trophy twice in succesive years when it was named the Autoglass trophy, but County failed to win any of them.

Do you have any memories of any LDV Vans Trophy matches? If so click the link at the top right to e-mail the editor, or alternatively leave a comment underneath the article.