Northampton Town are set to lodge a formal complaint to the EFL around Scunthorpe United team selection for their 7-0 defeat at Bristol Rovers, claiming it ran contrary to the integrity of the league as the Gas secured automatic promotion on a dramatic final day of the League Two season.
Rovers beat the already-relegated Iron by a seven-goal margin that enabled them to advance into League One on goals scored, after Northampton won 3-1 at Barrow to finish fourth in the table.
Scunthorpe manager Keith Hill’s starting XI comprised seven teenagers, including 17-year-old Owen Foster in goal, having made only three changes from the 1-1 draw with Hartlepool United the previous weekend. The Guardian report that the Cobblers have subsequently raised concerns with the Football Association and the EFL.
Should a formal written complaint be made, as expected, it is understood all parties involved would then be asked for observations and consideration given to see if any regulations breaches have occurred.
The FA, meanwhile, are reviewing referee Charles Breakspear’s post-match report and will be seeking observations from both clubs. That review will also surround the pitch invasion on 85 minutes after Elliot Anderson’s goal, which forced a 20-minute postponement and an alleged incident involving a Rovers fan and Foster.
Hill vehemently defended his selection in his post-match press conference, stating: “It’s the way that I’ve decided to go with the young players to try and give them the experience. I wanted them to enjoy the experience of playing in front of a big crowd against a good side, but from a football perspective they were miles better than us.”
Northampton and Rovers both finished on 80 points and with a goal difference of +22 but the Gas finished with 71 goals to the Cobblers’ 60, hence why they earned promotion in third place.
The pitch invasion that occurred after Anderson’s header led to a significant delay imposed by Breakspear as he took both sets of the players off the pitch, with Northampton then completing their fixture at Barrow. That meant that when the Gas returned to the pitch for the final 10 minutes, they knew the 7-0 scoreline was sufficient.
Breakspear had threatened to abandon the fixture due to concerns over player welfare with both owner Wael Al-Qadi and manager Joey Barton taking to the microphone to appeal to fans to stay off the pitch.
Northampton face Mansfield Town in the first leg of their play-off semi-final this Saturday with Swindon Town taking on Port Vale in the other tie.
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