'I'm disappointed with EFL' - Portsmouth boss makes fixture request with fans set for another early start for gruelling trip to Sheffield Wednesday
Danny Cowley has called on the EFL to rethink their fixture scheduling next season as the Fratton faithful gear up for another gruelling away trip.
Only 12 days after trekking to and from Morecambe on Easter Monday, supporters are facing a potential nine-hour round trip to Yorkshire – for a 12.30pm clash with Sheffield Wednesday.
This has particularly disappointed Pompey’s head coach, considering the clash has been brought forward two-and-a-half hours to align with the league’s final-day fixture list.
The early wake-up call and travelling 468 miles could have deterred supporters from making the journey but this hasn’t been the case, as 1,000 more tickets have been made available at Hillsborough, after the initial 2,000 away allocation sold out.
Despite this, the Blues boss believes the EFL haven’t considered hard-working fans when deciding when matches have been played this season.
Cowley said: ‘I’m disappointed with the EFL that they don’t consider, not just our supporters, but supporters across the land.
‘No way should Morecambe away be played on a bank holiday Monday, that should be a Saturday fixture where supporters can come up, travel home, and have at least a Sunday to recover.
‘Most of our 800 supporters had to go to work first thing Tuesday morning. I do think as football as a whole, we have to be a bit more considerate and thoughtful to our supporters that is for sure.’
Throughout this term, Cowley has bemoaned the EFL’s decisions when it comes to setting the league schedule.
Most recently, he questioned the decision to give his side eight games in 25 days across April, after a Covid-hit campaign.
And the 43-year-old has praised the fans who have backed his team every step of the way across the busy fixture list.
He added: ‘The 800 fans that went up to Morecambe were just unbelievable. We stopped off on the way home in the services and saw two or three of the supporters’ coaches and had good fun with them.
‘I just want to thank all of those supporters because, wow, on a bank holiday Monday to travel the length of the country to support the team is just incredible.’