Ian Holloway Gets Two-Match Ban Before Chesterfield Visit

Ian Holloway will not be in Swindon Town’s dugout for their final game of the season after receiving a two-match touchline ban for misconduct following his red card against Colchester United. The punishment removes him from Saturday’s home match with Chesterfield, where Swindon are chasing the last play-off place in League Two.

Holloway and Colchester United

The ban follows Holloway’s dismissal in the 83rd minute of Swindon’s 3-0 loss at Colchester United on 10 April. He was sent off for allegedly using offensive, insulting or abusive language toward the fourth official and then allegedly acting in an improper manner after the red card.

That defeat came during a three-game winless run for Swindon, a sequence built on two losses and one draw. By the time the ban landed, the club had dropped out of League Two’s top seven and Chesterfield had moved a point above them into the last play-off spot.

Swindon Town and Chesterfield

Holloway said earlier this month that he was appealing against the red card and had been receiving support from the League Managers Association. The Football Association commission still imposed a £1,000 fine alongside the two-match ban, and Holloway admitted the charges against him.

For Swindon, the immediate concern is practical: the manager who led them into the run-in will be absent from the dugout for a match that can shape the final League Two play-off place. Chesterfield arrive holding that spot, and Swindon now have to chase it without Holloway on the touchline.