Ipswich Town manager Paul Lambert will now be able to use five substitutes in games for the rest of the season.
The EFL board has agreed to increase the number from three following consultation with the 72 teams.
Championship clubs can name up to nine substitutes in their matchday squads, while League One and League Two clubs will stick with seven.
During last season’s June/July restart, FIFA gave clubs ‘temporary dispensation’ to make five subs in the wake of the Covid-19 outbreak. The world governing body then extended the use of the rule – but said it was up to individual competitions whether it was implemented.
Premier League clubs voted to return to three changes per game before the 2020/21 campaign got underway, but Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp and Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola have led calls for a return to the five subs rule.
Blues boss Paul Lambert said before this season started that he was in favour of managers being able to use five subs during the current circumstances.
“Five subs is definitely one to look at,” he said. “Players are in an incredible situation where they’ve been off for six months and are now trying to cram everything in and trying to get games in, and five subs would have been common sense.”
Ipswich played the last 34 minutes of a 1-1 draw at MK Dons with 10 men back in October after Flynn Downes went off injured, Lambert having already used all three subs.
Lambert has used all of his permitted subs in 13 of the 17 games played across all competitions so far.
On average he’s made his first change in the 63rd minute, though a 22nd minute injury to Stephen Ward at MK Dons does bring that number down.
The average time of his second sub is the 73rd minute and the average time of his third sub (not including the extra-time changes made in the FA Cup) is the 76th minute.
Keanan Bennetts has been Town’s most used substitute so far this season, coming off the bench seven times (for a total of 59 minutes of league action). He’s followed by James Norwood (five sub appearances), then Gwion Edwards, Flynn Downes and Jack Lankester (all have made four sub outings).
The ability to make more changes going forwards could see greater opportunity for the likes of Kane Vincent-Young, Downes, Cole Skuse and Aaron Drinan to be eased back into action following medium to long injuries.
TOWN SUBS SO FAR THIS SEASON
Bristol Rovers (h) W 3-0 (EFL Cup)
69 - Drinan for Hawkins
80 - Edwards for Bishop
81 - Ndaba for Chambers
Arsenal U21s (h) L 2-1 (EFL Trophy)
46 - Edwards for Sears
52 - Huws for Bishop
55 - Norwood for Drinan
Wigan (h) W 2-0
46 - Norwood for Drinan
73 - Edwards for Sears
76 - Huws for Bishop
Fulham (h) L 1-0 (EFL Cup)
58 - Downes for Dozzell
68 - Norwood for Hawkins
69 - Judge for Nolan
Bristol Rovers (a) W 2-0
63 - Lankester for Sears
68 - Downes for Bishop
68 - Hawkins for Norwood
Rochdale (h) W 2-0
67 - Downes for Bishop
75 - Lankester for Sears
75 - Norwood for Hawkins
MK Dons (a) D 1-1
22 - Kenlock for Ward
56 - Downes for Bishop
56 - Judge for Sears
Gillingham (h) W 2-0 (EFL Trophy)
82 - Crane for Dobra
89 - Siziba for Lankester
89 - Viral for Gibbs
Blackpool (a) W 4-1
57 - Jackson for Hawkins
69 - Bennetts for Bishop
Accrington Stanley (h) W 2-0
74 - Nolan for Huws
84 - Bennetts for Judge
89 - Simpson for Sears
Doncaster (a) L 4-1
60 - Bishop for Huws
69 - Hawkins for Sears
76 - Bennetts for Edwards
Lincoln (a) L 1-0
80 - Bennetts for Lankester
Gillingham (h) W 1-0
68 - Dobra for Sears
76 - Huws for Lankester
89 - Bennetts for Bishop
Crewe (h) W 1-0
69 - Jackson for Hawkins
80 - Lankester for Bishop
84 - Bennetts for Sears
Sunderland (a) L 2-1
76 - Hawkins for Jackson
89 - Bennetts for Lankester
Portsmouth (h) L 3-2
62 - Norwood for Hawkins
68 - Edwards for Bennetts
94 - Lankester for Sears
102 - Judge for Huws
Crawley (a) L 2-0
68 - Z Brown for Crane
68 - Manly for Viral
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here