BLACKPOOL have escaped any punishment from the Football League after fielding a weakened side in a league match last season.

Blackpool boss Steve McMahon fielded a team comprised largely of youth team players against Brentford at Bloomfield Road on 19 March.

The game was days before Pool played Cambridge in the LDV Vans Trophy Final at the Millennium Stadium.

Blackpool argued that McMahon selected a weakened team on medical grounds - and the league have accepted the club's explanation.

At the time of the match Brentford were competing with Reading and Brighton for automatic promotion.

And the league investigation was conducted after a complaint from Royals boss Alan Pardew.

"It is good news," Blackpool chairman Karl Oyston told the club's official website.

"I think the reason it was brought was wrong, I'm just glad following the information we have given to the Football League, that it has been dropped, it was the sensible result really."

"I think it's unfortunate but it needs saying - it was the Reading manager who drove it.

"He was sitting in pole position to be Champions of the second division, he dropped away and I think they were trying to shift blame where he possibly could at the time and really deflect attention from himself."