National League Cup: Why are Rochdale and Forest Green making first-minute substitutions?

Last month, Forest Green Rovers manager Robbie Savage made headlines after making a quadruple substitution during a match against Wolves’ under-21s in the National League Cup.

Savage stated that while he wants to win the competition, he sees it primarily as a chance to give minutes to young players, and the club’s main focus is on fixtures in the National League.

“I know it’s raised eyebrows and some people are saying it’s not right, but the competition’s great for our youngsters, but also our lads need minutes and there’s competitions we want to win,” said Savage.

“For me, the most important thing is to be ready for the Saturday [league games].

“It’s [the National League Cup] a competition that we’ve entered and we want to win and it’s a competition for our young players.”

A downside to Savage making early changes is that he is then limiting his substitutions later on in matches, blocking further chances for young players.

“Where it becomes a bit frustrating is that because you’ve made four subs in the first minute – when I’m giving minutes to the young lads who haven’t played regular football – I’ve only got one sub left for 89 minutes,” Savage added.

“So I think it’s [the regulations] stopping my young players play.”

This article is the latest from BBC Sport’s Ask Me Anything team.