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Ian Holloway launched one of the great managerial rants as he claimed it was "absolutely disgusting" that his Swindon captain was banned for a match just 24 hours before kick-off by the FA.

Ollie Clarke was suspended the day before Saturday's League Two meeting with Barrow, which the Robins went on to win as they maintained their spot in the League Two play-offs.

Swindon were fined £1,000 for fielding Clarke in an EFL Trophy tie at Luton, and thought that the seven-game ban he was subject to at the time did not apply to that competition. Holloway was then told on Friday that his captain had been given a one-match suspension for Saturday's game.

The former QPR boss was incensed that he was given next to no time to prepare or make alterations and his raised, angry voice during an interview made it clear he was fuming with the powers that be - and challenged them to ban him.

He said: "They want to fine me? Good! They want to ban me? Good! Do it. Have a look at yourselves every single one of you. It's absolutely disgusting.

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"And whether I get another game or not, I don’t really care anymore. I care about my team. I care about my captain, I care about my players, and I should be allowed to prepare professionally.”

Holloway's fury only ramped up given that Swindon have been warned they could be punished for using Aaron Drinan as a substitute when his name had not been on the team sheet.

The veteran manager added: “If anybody wants to say, ‘Oh, you should have been professional?’ Well, I’ll tell you what’s professional. She [the club secretary, Alisha Henry] looked on the portal – she made one mistake by pressing the wrong button and the wrong name went down on these horrible computers that will take over the world in the end.

"So I forgive her that mistake, but the referee and the fourth official let her down at half-time, and the portal let her down, and apparently she should have checked with the handbook. Sort your lives out, every single stinking one of you. That’s how I feel, right.”

The club says that officials should have clarified selections before kick-off, but they could now be thrown out of the EFL Trophy. "It's a siege mentality in my head now, absolutely totally and utterly," Holloway added. "And if Luton go through, good luck to you. We beat you fair and square."

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