Sunderland's group stage opponents in the EFL Trophy have been revealed, with a brace of encounters against League Two opposition facing Jack Ross' side.

Whilst the invited Under 21 sides are not revealed until Friday, all League One and Two clubs know who they'll be facing, with Lincolnshire duo Scunthorpe United and Grimsby Town waiting for the Black Cats.

The competition led Sunderland to Wembley last season, where they lost on penalties in an exciting final against Portsmouth. That Wembley agony was compounded two months later as they went back to the national stadium and lost in the play-off final against Charlton.

They faced Grimsby in the group stages of the 2016/17 competition, albeit the Under 21 side who were invited to participate. It's their senior side involved this time around, although Ross will surely add plenty of Under 23 talent to the squad for the early stages.

Many Black Cats' fans feel that their commitments in the EFL Trophy helped to derail their efforts to earn promotion, and much of the feedback to the draw has been negative based on that belief.

Few fans want to see the club have another good run if it jeopardises their attempts to win promotion back to the Championship, as you can read in the responses below.