Blackburn Rovers suffer crucial blow in Ipswich Town dispute - EFL have made their decision | OneFootball

Blackburn Rovers and Ipswich Town's Championship clash was abandoned after 80 minutes

Blackburn Rovers’ clash with Ipswich Town will be replayed in full after a decision was made by the EFL.

As reported by journalist Alan Nixon, the match will be restarted, with the previous 80 minutes played last weekend deemed null and void.

Heavy rain saw the referee Stephen Martin abandon the fixture before the final whistle, which led to uncertainty over how an outcome would be determined.

Blackburn had taken the lead through a Todd Cantwell penalty, with Jacob Greaves having also been sent off for the visitors early on in the second half.

However, both incidents are now set to be chalked off as the game will be replayed in full at a date yet to be decided.

Blackburn Rovers and Ipswich Town replay decision made

It has been reported that Blackburn were pushing for the club to be awarded all three points for their 1-0 lead given 80 minutes had already been played.

Valerien Ismael made it clear earlier this week that this was the Lancashire outfit’s priority, suggesting the man advantage was also a significant factor.

However, it has been confirmed by the EFL that the fixture is now set to be replayed in full, despite Blackburn also suggesting that the game could be resumed from the 80th minute.

This decision will give the Tractor Boys some reprieve, as it gives them the chance to grab a result that they might not have gotten had the game been finished as originally intended.

Blackburn’s appeals were dismissed by the EFL board, who met to determine the outcome of the fixture on Thursday, with all three Championship representatives of the panel abstaining from the vote.

It remains to be seen when the fixture will be played, with both Blackburn and Ipswich set to compete this weekend and next midweek.

The next available date for a possible rescheduling might not be until 28 or 29 October due to the international break and other midweek fixtures scheduled next month.

EFL decision is a blow to Blackburn Rovers - Ipswich Town have been boosted though

Blackburn could go and win the rescheduled fixture between the two sides, and that would render any issue around fairness quite meaningless.

However, Rovers are likely to feel aggrieved with this decision as it undoes their hard work to get into a winning position, and also gives Ipswich a man back into the game.

However, it is perhaps the most logical outcome because they couldn’t declare a winner with only 80 minutes played either.

It also would’ve been quite a waste for Ipswich to travel all the way to Ewood Park to just play the remaining 10 minutes, so restarting in full is what makes most sense - even if it will pain a lot of Rovers supporters.