Portsmouth top; Bristol Rovers join Sheffield Wednesday close to bottom of Fair Play table after sendings off

Bristol Rovers find themselves towards the bottom of the League One Fair Play table.

Rovers have endured a tricky start to their first season back in the third tier, currently sitting just one point above the relegation zone.

Joey Barton’s men extended their winless run to six games across all competitions on Tuesday night with defeat at Portman Road.

Rovers were defeated 2-0 by League One leaders Ipswich Town, and two players were sent off during the clash.

Bobby Thomas and Alfie Kilgour were both send off, and only seven minutes apart, albeit the clash was already settled by that point.

Rovers boss Barton was left unhappy with the sending off of the latter, in particular, saying after the game: “He (Chaplin) just threw himself onto the floor.

“Maybe we need to get a bit cuter and utilise the opportunity to take the opponent down to 10 men… I’m not one to advocate diving and cheating but at this level you benefit from it.”

The defeat knocked the Pirates further down the League One table, and it also saw them drop significantly in the League One Fair Play table.

Rovers are now as low as 22nd in the table, which is based on yellow and red cards.

The Gas have had one straight red card, one sending off via two yellow cards and 15 yellow cards, racking up 23 fair play points - keeping in mind the aim is to get the lowest number of points.

Cheltenham Town are bottom with 24 points, while Sheffield Wednesday sit in between, locked on 23 points with Rovers.

At the other end of the table, Portsmouth, who are second in the real table, sit top.

Pompey have just eight fair play points, all arrising from yellow cards.

Port Vale have the same total, while Exeter City and MK Dons follow with nine points.

As far as the cards situation, no team has had more than two sending offs, with only three clubs managing that total.

Rovers’ 15 yellow cards puts them joint ninth in terms of the most yellow cards, with Forest Green Rovers (22) and Cheltenham (21) racking up the most.

The full Fair Play table, via Transfermarkt, can be found below, along with the respective points totals.

1. Portsmouth - 8

2. Port Vale - 8

3. Exeter City - 9

4. MK Dons - 9

5. Shrewsbury Town - 11

6. Morecambe - 11

7. Derby County - 12

8. Bolton Wanderers - 12

9. Charlton Athletic - 12

10. Ipswich Town - 14

11. Peterborough United - 15

12. Cambridge United - 15

13. Plymouth Argyle - 16

14. Accrington Stanley - 16

15. Lincoln City - 17

16. Barnsley - 18

17. Oxford United - 19

18. Wycombe Wanderers - 21

19. Burton Albion - 21

20. Forest Green Rovers - 22

21. Fleetwood Town - 22

22. Bristol Rovers - 23

23. Sheffield Wednesday - 23

24. Cheltenham Town - 24