Swindon Town were knocked out of the EFL Cup with Luton Town advancing to the quarter-finals

Swindon were excluded from the Verto Cup by the EFL for fielding ineligible players against Luton Town, meaning the Hatters instead qualified for the quarter-finals.

The Robins were charged by the Premier League and the Football Association following their 2-1 win over Luton last month.

Captain Ollie Clarke started the match while already serving a suspension and Aaron Drennan was used as a substitute despite not appearing in the team sheet.

Luton will now face Plymouth Argyle at Kenilworth Road in a quarter-final tie, but not on Tuesday 10 February as originally scheduled.

The English Premier League said that the new date for the match will be confirmed within the next 48 hours.

Swindon were also fined £40,000, with £20,000 suspended, of which will be paid automatically if they field an ineligible player or have their name on the team sheet before the end of the 2026-27 season.

Swindon said they were “extremely disappointed” by the decision.

A club statement said: “We strongly believe this result is unfair and do not agree with the results.”

“However, we respect the disciplinary process and the authority of the committee.

“For now, our focus must be on moving forward together as a football club. We will take time to reflect and learn from what has happened, and ensure we continue to meet the highest standards in everything we do.”

“Above all, our priority remains our players, staff and supporters. We will continue to fully support them as we move forward and compete with everything we have in our remaining matches this season.”