Luton Town’s Vertu Trophy quarter final at home to Plymouth Argyle has been have been scheduled on the same night they were due to travel to Doncaster Rovers, leaving the Yorkshire side unhappy at a second postponement of the League One fixture.
The Hatters had originally been eliminated from the competition by Swindon Town, losing 2-1 at Kenilworth Road, but the clash thrown into disarray when the Robins substituted Aaron Drinan onto the pitch, despite him not be named in the match-day squad.
It was then discovered that the League Two side had fielded another ineligible player in captain Oliver Clarke, despite him being in the middle of a seven-game ban for committing “highly invasive” and “violating” acts against two Cardiff City players in their match in August.
On Wednesday, the EFL expelled Swindon from this year’s competition and reinstated Luton, setting them up with a clash against Plymouth, which had been due to be played next week.
With a busy February calendar, The EFL has now agreed for the tie to be played on Tuesday 24 February, the same night Luton were due to travel to the Eco-Power Stadium, forcing yet another delay to the league meeting between the Hatters and Doncaster.
Luton confirmed the new cup date on this afternoon, saying: “We can confirm that our Vertu Trophy quarter-final against Plymouth Argyle will take place at Kenilworth Road on Tuesday 24th February, with a 7pm kick-off.
“As a result, our scheduled Sky Bet League One trip to Doncaster scheduled for the same night will be postponed, with a new date to be confirmed as soon as possible.”
The club also confirmed that ticket prices for the competition would remain unchanged, adding: “Tickets for the last eight fixture remain at the same prices as in previous rounds, with football for a fiver and kids for a quid continuing, along with the earlier kick-off time to appeal to families and younger supporters.”
Doncaster, who had already seen the fixture postponed once this season because of a frozen pitch on January 4, expressed frustration at the decision and confirmed their opposition to the timing of the rearranged cup tie.
A club statement read: “We can confirm that our scheduled fixture against Luton Town on February 24 has been postponed.
“Luton have been reinstated into the Vertu Trophy following the expulsion of Swindon Town for fielding two ineligible players in the previous round and will face Plymouth Argyle at the quarter-final stage.
“Despite our strong objections, the EFL has agreed with the two clubs to stage the tie on February 24, leading to the postponement of our Sky Bet League One fixture.”
Doncaster also revealed they have proposed a new date for the league game, despite it falling in an international window.
“We have informed the EFL of our intent to rearrange the game for March 24 with a commitment to play the game despite it falling during an international break,” their statement added.
“The date of the fixture will be confirmed in due course.”
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