Portsmouth handed welcome reminder of new Championship status as Bolton, Birmingham and Huddersfield get League One heads up

That’s because the EFL announced details on the 2024-25 Bristol Street Motors Trophy on Monday - a competition Pompey have contested over the past 12 campaigns as a result of their lower leagues status.

Reserved for League One and Two teams, the Blues have taken part in 52 Trophy games since their relegation from the Championship in 2012. During that time, the much-maligned cup competition has come under many different guises, including the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy, the Checkatrade Trophy and the Papa John’s Trophy. It has also adopted several different formats, with Premier League under-21 teams introduced in 2016.

But as of April 20, 2024, when Pompey were officially crowned League One champions, it’s one less competition for John Mousinho & Co to worry about given their new Championship standing.

For some members of the Fratton faithful, that’s not a bad thing. After all, who needs the distraction of a minor cup competition when second-tier survival or Premier League promotion is at stake? Historical attendances at these games also raised eyebrows, with the Blues often only opening up one stand for spectators as the majority stayed away. Meanwhile, some viewed competing against other clubs’ under-age teams as another sign of the depths Pompey had fallen over the past decade or so.

Despite that, it’s a competition that has brought the club much enjoyment over the past 12 years. More than 85,000 Pompey and Sunderland fans packed into Wembley in 2019 to see Kenny Jackett’s side beat the Black Cats on penalties - a crowd figure that remains the competition’s highest and one that ranked among the highest in Europe that weekend. It has provided some spectacular highlights - including Sean Raggett’s 35-yarder against Fulham under-21s last season and the scenes of joy that greeted Cameron McGeehan’s 90th-minute winner against Exeter at Fratton Park in the 2019-20 semi-final.  It has also presented the Fratton Park outfit with the opportunity to hand its youngsters valuable match experience and the honour of representing their hometown club.

In that respect, it’s a competition that will be sorely missed. It’s also worth noting that Pompey won 34 of the 52 games they played, losing 17 - including the delayed 2020 final against Salford that was played behind closed doors at Wembley.

But whatever your standpoint on the EFL Trophy, the Blues’ non-participation this year is another sign that the club is progressing in the right direction. And that can only be a good thing.