EFL confirm five substitutes per game will be allowed

EFL clubs have voted to allow teams five substitutions per match once more, starting on Friday in the Sky Bet Championship game between Coventry and Birmingham.

The news will come as a great relief to Luton boss Nathan Jones who had been a big advocate of keeping the rule change that was brought in following lockdown last term, branding the decision to do away with it as bonkers.Speaking back in September, Jones said: "You can make decisions, you have game-changers and it keeps the whole squad involved.

"We were big advocates of that, regardless of how big the squad is.

"If you’ve got a 20-man squad you can fill a bench and I think it was a wonderful opportunity to give younger players experience.

"I really believe we have an excellent bench, a hungry, motivated bench which isn’t always the key in some teams, so I’m really, really disappointed to see that go.”

Jones will now be allowed to name a 20-man match day squad for the remainder of the season, as a statement on the EFL website said: "Following consultation with Clubs, the EFL Board has agreed to increase the permitted number of substitutes to five in all Sky Bet EFL fixtures taking place from 12 noon on Friday 20 November for the remainder of the 2020/21 season.

"Regulation 33.4 has been amended to permit: Championship Clubs to name up to nine substitutes in their matchday squad, with five permitted to take to the pitch in any fixture."

The Hatters face Blackburn Rovers this weekend and then entertain Birmingham City on Tuesday night, as they begin a run of 11 games before the turn of the year.