Sheffield Wednesday could play Rotherham in the Carabao Cup second round - but what about the Bury tie?

The draw for the second round of the Carabao Cup was completed last night, handing Sheffield Wednesday fans the prospect of a trip to south Yorkshire rivals Rotherham later this month.
Sheffield Wednesday's future in the Carabao Cup is shrouded in mystery.Sheffield Wednesday's future in the Carabao Cup is shrouded in mystery.
Sheffield Wednesday's future in the Carabao Cup is shrouded in mystery.

But with their first round match against Bury yet to be played due to the Shakers’ ongoing financial difficulties, there remain more questions than answers as to Wednesday’s fate in the competition.

Why haven’t they played Bury yet?

Bury, promoted from League Two last season, are in severe financial difficulty and have been prevented from playing any competitive football this season until they are able to prove to the EFL that they are financially able to complete the 2019/20 season.

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After the suspension of the match against Wednesday, scheduled to take place last night, the EFL gave Bury a deadline of August 23 in order to do this or face exclusion from the league. This week Bury owner Steve Dale said he was ready to sell up after potential buyers made themselves known.

So what happens next?

If the worst happens and Bury are excluded from the league, it is understood that Wednesday would be awarded a bye into the next round and would line up against Rotherham on August 27.

The EFL are yet to confirm an outcome in the event of Bury turning their fortunes around, however, and in this case – though a bye might be awarded anyway – it is possible that Wednesday will be asked to play against Bury on an alternative date.

When would they play Bury?

This is where it gets tricky. There are less than two weeks to go until second round matches are set to take place and finding a suitable date for any match against Bury – if they are able to turn their situation around – will be very difficult, with both teams set to feature in midweek games next week.

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A potential option could be to play the Bury game during the week the second round is due to be played, postponing the Rotherham fixture to a later date before the third round, due to be played during the week commencing September 23.

When will we know?

The EFL strive to give clubs affected by any fixture change a notice period of seven days, meaning we could expect a decision by Tuesday (August 20), a week before the Rotherham fixture is due be played.

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