Joey Barton has blasted the EFL Trophy as a "nonsense competition" after Bristol Rovers' 2-0 win over Crystal Palace under-21s on Tuesday, saying "the sooner we're out of it, the better". The Gas secured a comfortable victory at the Mem, with Alfie Kilgour and Trevor Clarke getting the goals, but the manager has made his opinion of the competition clear.
Barton was irked by the performance of referee James Oldham and his decision to send Glenn Whelan off for violent conduct – with Rovers set to appeal – while only producing a yellow card for Kofi Balmer for a "horse collar" foul on Clarke, pulling him to the ground from the collar of his shirt. The Gas manager was also angered by other fouls his players took from the team level on points at the top of Premier League 2 Division 1 with Manchester City.
It led Barton to speak of his "disdain" for the tournament, admitting Rovers do not "take it seriously". He believes the format of the competition, which brought in under-21 teams from Premier League academies in 2016 as well as quotas requiring at least four senior players in the starting XI – a move that has been widely unpopular across the EFL – is not helping EFL clubs.
