Jones pleased that with EFL's 'sensible' decision to reinstate five substitutions rule

Town chief Nathan Jones has hailed the ‘sensible’ decision made by the EFL this week to allow the return of five substitutions per game for the remainder of the Championship season.

When lockdown finished last term, clubs could make five alterations in the final nine games of the campaign, with Jones himself raiding the bench 34 times out of the 45 permitted to him.

The ruling was then scrapped at the start of the current season, an action that left Jones increasingly exasperated, labelling it ‘bonkers’ at one stage.

However, on Wednesday, it was confirmed by the EFL that the decision had now been reversed, meaning Town can name a 20-man squad for their game with Blackburn Rovers at Kenilworth Road on Saturday.

On the U-turn, Jones said: “It pleases me because it’s sensible.

"At no point during my tenure as a manager or a coach have I ever wanted extra substitutes, but there was one thing after lockdown that really worked as it’s just too much of a stress on players.

"Now I’m one that was old school, in terms of how I trained, I trained like a lunatic at times, I always wanted to play games.

"Some years you played 60 games, and never moaned about it, but nowadays, it has to be sensible in terms of what we do.

"To play them over such a quick period of time is really stressing them physically, travelling, the level (Championship), so it’s just a sensible thing to do."

Jones also didn't think that it will see the bigger teams in the division have any extra advantage over sides will a smaller pool of players, as he continued: "I don't think it gives anyone a massive edge over others as if you've got a strong squad, you've got a strong squad, regardless.

"If you've got a stronger squad then your 11 is going to be invariably stronger anyway, so it's about the longevity, keeping as many players as you can fit over a period of time and then it makes the competition authentic and that was my problem.

"I think sense has prevailed, I don't think it gives too many an edge over other people as everyone will be able to freshen up their squad, make changes, be able to keep even more people happy, so I think it’s a sensible decision."

The ruling might also see Town be able to blood some of their younger players as the season progresses with injury and suspension inevitably hitting.

On whether he could opt to do that, Jones added: "Yes, and I never understand some of these clubs who don't pull a full quota of subs on the bench as some people say, 'we've only got 15 fit pros,' well okay, but give a kid a chance.

"We've done it in the past, if we’ve at any point been stretched then we'll just promote a youngster and one that deserves it, not just a gratuitous one and I've never understood that.

"I think that's more managers making a statement to say 'we're struggling,' but for me, it's all about give a youngsters a chance.

"If you can't fill a bench, yes it’s not ideal and you need to tell people, but for me, it allows you to maybe put a youngster on the bench to maybe bed people in.

"But we’ve got a fully fit squad at the minute, that means 25 players fully fit, ready to go, so I can pick 20 of them on Saturday means I have a lot less difficult decisions to make.”