Luton Town have been reinstated into the EFL Trophy after Swindon Town were removed from the competition for fielding two ineligible players.
Plymouth Argyle were awaiting the decision to see who they would face at the Quarter-Final stage of the competition, with the remaining three ties scheduled for next week.
But given this conclusion was only reached on Wednesday, coupled with the short turnaround to next week, the final tie of the round between Luton and Plymouth has been pushed back.
It will now take place on Tuesday, 24th February, which has ramifications for another League One side. Doncaster Rovers were due to host the Hatters that evening, a game which had already been rearranged once, after a frozen pitch at the Eco-Power Stadium in January caused the fixture to be postponed.
But with seemingly no other alternative date for the game to take place before the Semi-Finals, believed to be in March, that league fixture has been chalked off again. That was a decision that didn’t go down well in South Yorkshire, with Doncaster releasing a statement, saying this was made ‘despite our strong objections’.
The revised date for this game is yet to be confirmed, but Donny have put forward Tuesday, 24th March. That throws up further complications, as it falls inside the international break window for March. Rovers are also set to host Lincoln City four days later.
Doncaster aren’t the only club to feel aggrieved by this. Swindon boss Ian Holloway, for those of you who have somehow not yet seen it, went on an incredible rant following his side’s League Two victory over Barrow last Saturday. Speaking ahead of their match against Oldham Athletic this weekend, he was still feeling aggrieved by the footballing authorities.
“In my 46 years of being in this wonderful game, that Tuesday night was probably the worst I’ve ever seen.
“I believe the tournament now is tarnished.”
Why Have Luton Progressed?
With all of the fallout, it’s important to get back to the basics of this story. Ollie Clarke had been given a seven-game ban by the FA following an incident in a League Cup tie against Cardiff City in August. That came into effect at the end of last year, and covered the period of the Vertu Trophy Round of 16 tie on 13th January.
But Swindon believed the ban didn’t affect his involvement in the EFL Trophy, with the Robins skipper playing 77 minutes before being substituted. Separately, Aaron Drinan was also brought on at half-time, despite not being named on the teamsheet. On the night, which has now been expunged from the history books, Jerry Yates had given the Hatters a seventh-minute lead. But the League Two side staged a comeback, scoring in either half to win.
That is now all irrelevant. An Independent Disciplinary Commission deemed that Swindon should be thrown out of the competition for fielding these two ineligible players. Luton were the beneficiaries, progressing to host the Pilgrims in less than three weeks’ time.
Plymouth are another innocent party. Having been originally drawn away to Swindon, there were calls for the Pilgrims to be given a bye to the next round. But that has not transpired, and Tom Cleverley’s outfit will have to earn their spot in the final four on the pitch. Perhaps after all these shenanigans, that will be a relief.