Darrell Clarke is looking forward to seeing how much his Bristol Rovers side has developed when they meet Birmingham City in the Capital One Cup.
The Gas return to the competition after a one-year absence and they have been handed a tough test in Round 1, with Sky Bet Championship side Birmingham City visiting the Memorial Stadium in the week commencing 10th August.Clarke's Rovers bounced back from relegation to the Conference at the first attempt, via a Play-Off Final win over Grimsby, and will now get to test themselves against second-tier opposition early on in the new campaign.
“All you hope for is a home draw and we are delighted to be facing Birmingham City at the Memorial Stadium,” Clarke told the club's official website.
“I think facing Birmingham will provide us with a good test of how the squad has progressed. They finished inside the top 10 in the Championship last year, winning their last three matches, so we know we are in for a tough one.
“Gary [Rowett, Birmingham manager] will be in the same boat as us after one League game and I’m sure he will want to be starting the season as well as possible."
Click here to see the Round 1 draw in full