Reading handed home tie in League Cup first round

Beaten Championship playoff finalists Reading have been handed a home tie against Gillingham in the first round of the 2017-18 League Cup.

The Royals were only denied a place in the Premier League next season by a penalty shootout at Wembley last month, but they will begin their cup campaign at home to League One Gillingham in the week commencing August 7.

Reading, who reached the last 16 of the competition in 2016-17 before being eliminated by Arsenal, are one of a number of Championship teams to have been handed a home tie, alongside the likes of Wolverhampton Wanderers, Queens Park Rangers, Norwich City and Birmingham City.

Newly-promoted Millwall will host Stevenage at The Den, while Aston Villa and Fulham have been handed away ties against Colchester United and Wycombe Wanderers respectively.

In the Northern Section, two relegated teams will go head to head as League Two side Coventry City host League One's Blackburn Rovers, while there are home ties for Nottingham Forest, Sheffield Wednesday and Leeds United.

Recently-relegated Sunderland face a trip to League One side Bury and Bradford City will take on fellow League One outfit Doncaster Rovers in a Yorkshire derby.

League Cup first round draw in full:

Northern Section

Coventry City vs. Blackburn Rovers Nottingham Forest vs. Shrewsbury Town Bradford City vs. Doncaster Rovers Mansfield Town vs. Rochdale Grimsby Town vs. Derby County Barnsley vs. Morecambe Crewe Alexandra vs. Bolton Wanderers Oldham Athletic vs. Burton Albion Wigan Athletic vs. Blackpool Bury vs. Sunderland Sheffield Wednesday vs. Chesterfield Accrington Stanley vs. Preston North End Fleetwood Town vs. Carlisle United Sheffield United vs. Walsall Scunthorpe United vs. Notts County Rotherham United vs. Lincoln City Leeds United vs. Port Vale

Southern Section

Birmingham City vs. Crawley Town Exeter City vs. Charlton Athletic QPR vs. Northampton Town Newport County vs. Southend United Bristol City vs. Plymouth Argyle Cardiff City vs. Portsmouth Millwall vs. Stevenage Oxford United vs. Cheltenham Town AFC Wimbledon vs. Brentford Norwich City vs. Swindon Town Bristol Rovers vs. Cambridge United Peterborough United vs. Barnet Wycombe Wanderers vs. Fulham Colchester United vs. Aston Villa Wolves vs. Yeovil Town Reading vs. Gillingham Forest Green Rovers vs. MK Dons Luton Town vs. Ipswich Town