Portsmouth boss fires broadside at EFL and demands answers over run-in

And the Pompey boss raised the issue of the competition’s integrity being compromised by the league’s handing of the League One run-in.

Cowley believe the league have questions to answer over forcing his team to play three games in seven days - including over the intense Easter period.

That challenge comes amid a run of eight games in 25 days, as the Blues face a frenetic end to the League One campaign.

That continues as the Blues face the 600-mile round-trip to take on Morecambe on Easter Monday.

Even after a recent two-and-a-half week lay-off, Cowley felt his players looked leggy in the 3-2 win over Lincoln City yesterday after playing on Tuesday evening against Rotherham.

Cowley revealed he’s asked for games to be moved to manage the remaining fixture obligations better, but that request has fallen on deaf ears.

He said: ‘The league have put us in a really difficult position - that’s just a fact.

‘I’ve got a duty of care to the players and it’s my duty of care to try and protect and look after them.

‘We hear the league talk about player welfare, but ultimately their actions don’t reflect their talk.

‘For me, all that had to happen was the Friday game had to be moved to the Saturday. Then the Morecambe game had to be moved to the Tuesday.

‘It’s fair for the supporters, because the supporters want to see the players play at their best.

‘It’s fair for the league, because Lincoln were in a position where they were fighting for their lives and it was a real advantage for them to play us.

‘I just believe the league should make decisions first on player welfare, and then secondly to make sure the league is fair and balanced.

‘I don’t think I’m being unfair in anything I say, and I would be interested to know the answers.

‘We have asked the question, but we don’t seem to be getting any answers.’