This originally was a knockout competition for teams at levels 3 and 4 of the English league structure; currently it also includes level 5 teams and youth sides of clubs from the top two levels. (The original name reflected the fact that, when the league had four divisions, only the clubs in the top two divisions had the status of full members of the league; the others were associate members.)
It replaced the Football League Trophy which was derived from the Anglo-Scottish Cup and Texaco Cup.
1983/84 AFC Bournemouth 2-1 Hull City [at Hull]
1984/85 Wigan Athletic 3-1 Brentford
1985/86 Bristol City 3-0 Bolton Wanderers
1986/87 Mansfield Town 1-1 Bristol City [aet, 5-4 pen]
1987/88 Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-0 Burnley
1988/89 Bolton Wanderers 4-1 Torquay United
1989/90 Tranmere Rovers 2-1 Bristol Rovers
1990/91 Birmingham City 3-2 Tranmere Rovers
1991/92 Stoke City 1-0 Stockport County
1992/93 Port Vale 2-1 Stockport County
1993/94 Swansea City 1-1 Huddersfield Town [aet, 3-1 pen]
1994/95 Birmingham City 1-0 Carlisle United [asdet]
1995/96 Rotherham United 2-1 Shrewsbury Town
1996/97 Carlisle United 0-0 Colchester United [asdet, 4-3 pen]
1997/98 Grimsby Town 2-1 AFC Bournemouth [asdet]
1998/99 Wigan Athletic 1-0 Millwall
1999/00 Stoke City 2-1 Bristol City
2000/01 Port Vale 2-1 Brentford
2001/02 Blackpool 4-1 Cambridge United
2002/03 Bristol City 2-0 Carlisle United
2003/04 Blackpool 2-0 Southend United
2004/05 Wrexham 2-0 Southend United [aet]
2005/06 Swansea City 2-1 Carlisle United
2006/07 Doncaster Rovers 3-2 Bristol Rovers [aet]
2007/08 Milton Keynes Dons 2-0 Grimsby Town
2008/09 Luton Town 3-2 Scunthorpe United [aet]
2009/10 Southampton 4-1 Carlisle United
2010/11 Carlisle United 1-0 Brentford
2011/12 Chesterfield 2-0 Swindon Town
2012/13 Crewe Alexandra 2-0 Southend United
2013/14 Peterborough United 3-1 Chesterfield
2014/15 Bristol City 2-0 Walsall
2015/16 Barnsley 3-2 Oxford United
2016/17 Coventry City 2-1 Oxford United
2017/18 Lincoln City 1-0 Shrewsbury Town
2018/19 Portsmouth 2-2 Sunderland [aet, 5-4 pen]
2019/20 Salford City 0-0 Portsmouth [aet, 4-2 pen]
2020/21 Sunderland 1-0 Tranmere Rovers
2021/22 Rotherham United 4-2 Sutton United [aet]
2022/23 Bolton Wanderers 4-0 Plymouth Argyle
2023/24 Peterborough United 2-1 Wycombe Wanderers
2024/25 Peterborough United 2-0 Birmingham City
2025/26 Luton Town 3-1 Stockport County
Number of Wins (43; lost finals between square brackets)
3 [ 2] Bristol City
3 Peterborough United
2 [ 4] Carlisle United
2 [ 1] Birmingham City
2 [ 1] Bolton Wanderers
2 Blackpool
2 Luton Town
2 Port Vale
2 Rotherham United
2 Stoke City
2 Swansea City
2 Wigan Athletic
1 [ 1] AFC Bournemouth
1 [ 1] Chesterfield
1 [ 1] Portsmouth
1 [ 1] Sunderland
1 [ 1] Tranmere Rovers
1 Barnsley
1 Coventry City
1 Crewe Alexandra
1 Doncaster Rovers
1 Grimsby Town
1 Lincoln City
1 Mansfield Town
1 Milton Keynes Dons
1 Salford City
1 Southampton
1 Wolverhampton Wanderers
1 Wrexham
[ 3] Brentford
[ 3] Southend United
[ 2] Bristol Rovers
[ 2] Oxford United
[ 2] Shrewsbury Town
[ 2] Stockport County
[ 1] Burnley
[ 1] Cambridge United
[ 1] Colchester United
[ 1] Grimsby Town
[ 1] Huddersfield Town
[ 1] Hull City
[ 1] Millwall
[ 1] Plymouth Argyle
{ 1] Scunthorpe United
[ 1] Stockport County
[ 1] Sutton United
[ 1] Swindon Town
[ 1] Torquay United
[ 1] Tranmere Rovers
[ 1] Walsall
[ 1] Wycombe Wanderers
Prepared and maintained by Jeremy Hicks and James Ross for the Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation
Authors: Jeremy Hicks
and James Ross
Last updated: 14 Jun 2026
(C) Copyright Jeremy Hicks, James Ross and RSSSF 1998/2026
You are free to copy this document in whole or part provided that proper
acknowledgement is given to the authors. All rights reserved.