Swindon manager Ian Holloway said he is expecting “some sort of action” after substitute Aaron Drinan was missing from their teamsheet in their 2-1 win away at Luton in the EFL Trophy.
Holloway brought on top scorer Drinan as one of three half-time changes, however Ryan Tafazolli had been listed in his place on the bench on the official match sheet seen by officials before kick-off.
It took until the 64th minute for Drinan’s presence to be questioned, leading to an eight-minute delay in play, with the forward eventually staying on the pitch.
Swindon’s win over their League One opponents means they are through to the last eight of the competition but the Robins will likely be subject to an EFL investigation over the matter.
“I offered to take Drinan off and Jack [Wilshere, Luton head coach] went, ‘well that’s not his fault is it just get on with it’,” Holloway told BBC Radio Wiltshire.
“There’ll be some sort of action because something’s gone wrong.”
The BBC has approached the EFL for comment.
Previously staff would submit a handwritten teamsheet to match officials before kick-off but they are now recorded electronically.
Holloway said the officials did not ask him to verify the team on a screen before kick-off, as he argued is usual protocol.
“When we used to write the teamsheet down it was never wrong, was it?” Holloway said.
“But when they get it on an iPad and it’s not shown to us, how can I say that is my team and I haven’t checked it?
“No one’s checked it and it’s too late to check it when the game’s gone on and they noticed it because one of their staff noticed it.
“It’s a major whoopsie I would suggest from the officials – is that us, is that them?
“They’ve got to have a right good look at themselves. Why don’t we go back to the written ones?”
Luton took a seventh-minute lead through Jerry Yates’ penalty, before Will Wright equalised 30 minutes later and then Filozofe Mabete put Swindon 2-1 up in the 53rd minute.
Wilshere said he trusted that the EFL will “come to the right decision”.
“Whatever the rules are the rules are,” he told BBC Three Counties Radio.
“I felt like the decision could have been made quicker – seven, eight minutes it’s either we’re carrying on or we’re stopping – but the EFL will investigate it and they’ll come to the right decision.”
