Holloway warns EFL to be 'very careful' as he defends Swindon over double charge
Robins manager doesn’t feel his side have done anything wrong
Swindon Town boss Ian Holloway believes the EFL should be ‘very careful’ over what they say about the decision to charge his club with two alleged breaches of EFL regulations and Trophy rules following their Vertu Trophy match against Luton on Tuesday night.
The game was stopped just after the hour mark for around eight minutes when it was brought to the officials’ attention that the visitors’ half time substitute, Aaron Drinan, hadn’t been named on the teamsheet which was submitted. After discussions with both Holloway and Town chief Jack Wilshere, referee Peter Wright agreed to plasy the contest to a conclusion, as Swindon ended up triumphing 2-1.
However, there was more controversy yesterday, with the when it emerged that Robins midfielder Ollie Clarke, who played 77 minutes on the night, is currently serving a seven game ban having admitted two Football Association charges of acting in an improper manner or using indecent behaviour to an opponent during a Carabao Cup clash with Cardiff City in August.
With Luton currently reinstated to the competition and both clubs included in this morning’s quarter-final draw, which will see whoever progresses entertain Plymouth Argyle, then speaking to the press yesterday about the incident, Holloway launched a passionate defence of his club’s part in proceedings, saying: “I think the EFL should be very careful about what they say, because we’ve got proof that we’ve got it right, and they didn’t. As Jack Wilshere said the other night, the people in charge of the competition will have to look at that, and our administration side of things will look at that, and I’m sure we’ll be able to put our side of it, and they’ll make whatever decisions they need to make.
"As far as I’m concerned, I’m in the next round. Well done to the lads. We played really well, and that’s the way it goes. I think you’re talking nonsense (about us being thrown out), because they’ve never taken anybody who’s got through out of the competition. They’ve always fined them and there’s been processes put in place to stop these mistakes by the referees. What they should have done at the start of the game, which they didn’t do, and they’ll all find out this.
“I wasn’t given a chance to look at my team, which I should have been, and they had a copy of it at the end, which they could have easily showed me, but Luton gave it to them at the end, not when I should have had a chance to. ‘Is that my team’, and the rest of it is all in the rules on the portal. When they’ve looked at it all, they’ve got no case.”
Prior to the game, Swindon’s official X page tweeted out a side that did contain Drinan on the bench, as just where the mix-up was, Holloway felt that was another error made by the match-day officials, continuing: “I can assure our fans that I think we made one slight typo that should have been sorted out by the processes which weren’t carried out by other people, including Luton. I wasn’t given a printed report of my team to check. Not until after the game were we given that. Yes, very convenient, isn’t it?
"The referee didn’t have that. He obviously should have checked at half-time. It’s not just a fourth official. So however you go into it, we’ll see, that will take care of itself. We just get on as the rest of it is drama. I don’t get caught in drama. What I do is get caught in football. If they’re looking to blame anybody, they should have a damn good look at themselves, the cooperation and coordination between them on a portal.
"They can’t do that after all these years, I’m sorry. We’re going to try and find that and report that as much as we possibly can, so we have proof of it. So at the end of the day, one typo shouldn’t lead to all of this, because there are things in the way, protocols in the way. And there are protocols for what other people who’ve got things wrong. And there’s some major mistakes here, right? And Swindon made one. On the socials, we put out the right team, right?
"And unfortunately, Alisha (Henry, club secretary) tapped the wrong name in on that one and I wasn’t given a chance to check. The game shouldn’t have gone on, and particularly at half-time. ‘Sorry, you shouldn’t be playing.’ And now they’ve looked up, should Ollie be playing? Well, it’s all on the portal, so we’ve followed that. Are you telling me we’re the only ones who made any mistakes that night? Are you? Because I can guarantee you we weren’t, I know who else has made them, and I’m going to be fighting tooth and nail from now, because I’m very proud of my lads, and we deserve to be in the next round.”
Discussing the fact that Clarke was allowed to feature despite being banned for Swindon’s League Two fixtures, Holloway again didn’t feel the club had made any error, adding: “That’s what I was told: he can play. I believe we’re right, and when it all gets looked at, we are right. And, at the end of the day, I have to trust where we’re going and what we’re doing. And don’t I trust that many people anymore, after what’s happened to Ollie Clarke and what’s been said about Ollie Clarke and how they did it.
“I’ve been in this however many years, and I’ve come to a time in my career where I’m not going to have any part of it. I’m ever so sorry. We’re going to do whatever we think is right. We’ve looked at this now, there’s been a word used that we were promised wouldn’t have been used against Ollie, which I think is so unfair, so unjust, and so unprovable, so I’m sick of it.
"I’m just going to get on with what I do, which is trying to get my lads to win the next game. I’m not a public face. I’m more than a public face. I should have some respect. 1000 games, none of this has ever happened, and you’re not trying to blame us. There you go. And I’m sure my club feels the same way, and I’m sure my fans feel the same way, you know? So let’s just get on with it.”