How much compensation did Doncaster Rovers received for cancelled Bolton Wanderers fixture as panel rules Trotters ‘could have done more to avoid it’

According to The Athletic, the panel took a dim view of Bolton’s actions, which saw them take the unilateral decision to cancel the August 20 fixture with less than 36 hours’ notice.

And it has also been revealed that Rovers were awarded £4,000 in compensation for the cancellation.

The Athletic has seen the yet-to-be-published ruling of the panel which heard the appeal made by the EFL into what it termed the lenient punishment handed down to Bolton for non-fulfilment of fixtures with Rovers and Brentford.

The appeal panel - headed by former High Court judge Sir Wyn Williams - ultimately upheld the original punishment handed down by an independent disciplinary panel which saw Bolton handed a five point deduction, suspended for 18 months, and a £70,000 fine, half of which was suspended for 18 months.

The panel was critical of Bolton’s handling of the Rovers fixture, however, saying ‘the misconduct is more serious and the club more blameworthy’ than in the Brentford situation at the end of last season.

Bolton - who were in administration at the time - sought to postpone the clash with Rovers at the University of Bolton Stadium due to concerns over the welfare of the academy youngsters which had been used to bolster a squad with only six senior players and were set to be called upon for a fourth game in 11 days. A request had been made to the EFL to postpone the game, only for Bolton’s administrators to then cancel the game.

According to The Athletic, the panel suggested Bolton could have rotated their squad and/or cancelled U23 matches to prioritise first team football.

Sir Wyn suggested he would have been more comfortable with a seven point penalty for Bolton for the Rovers and Brentford fixtures, rather than the five point deduction handed down.

However, as he felt that the original punishment was ‘not too lenient’ he could not overrule it.

Part of the disciplinary procedure was to determine the amount of compensation Rovers would be due to receive.

Under EFL regulations, clubs are granted the option of claiming compensation for expenses resulting from non-fulfilment of fixtures by scheduled opponents

The original independent disciplinary panel - chaired by top sports lawyer Robert Engelhart QC and featuring ex-Birmingham City secretary Julia Shelton - awarded Rovers £3,000 in compensation.

But as part of the appeal brought by the EFL, the panel headed by Sir Wyn upped the compensation figure to £4,000.

Sir Wyn also stated he believed had the EFL acted swiftly to punish Bolton for their failure to play Brentford in April last year, the ‘misconduct in relation to Doncaster might never have arisen.’