Home to Margate or Bowers & Pitsea (or even Egham) in the Trophy!

Beau Nash wrote:
Why does an individual player have TWO records? This appears to be a big problem in the FA administration system.  

Human error

What an almighty mess. I had assumed that the problem was caused by the player sitting out the replay which had the floodlight failure and then playing in the rescheduled match. I think we were caught out like this years ago - even if a match is called off in the 89th minute it doesn't count in a suspension. But he was named for the postponed game, which never started anyway.

Bowers presumably think they have a strong case to drag this out, but a lot of people are being inconvenienced and I guess they'll pay costs if they lose the appeal. Perhaps Margate and City will be reimbursed by them!

But as Junior suggests, surely the player should have known.

BenE wrote:

Beau Nash wrote:
Why does an individual player have TWO records? This appears to be a big problem in the FA administration system.  

Human error

Nah, it's definitely Government corruption. Apparently Theresa May is a big fan of the FA Trophy

From the Margate website...

Margate Football Club have this afternoon received correspondence from the Football Association that Bowers & Pitsea have exercised their right to appeal the decision made on Wednesday.

The next hearing will be heard at Wembley on Wednesday 22nd November 2017 meaning any scheduled tie between ourselves and Egham has now been postponed.

The Blues will now face Tooting & Mitcham on Tuesday 21st November 2017 away from home with kick off at 7:45pm.

The Football Association have indicated that they will look to play our scheduled 2nd qualifying round at Hartsdown Park on Saturday 25th November 2017 with kick off at 3pm.

So when is our game going to be played? This is a farce and the biggest losers are probably Margate - if they win it seems likely they’ll travel to us on a Tuesday night.

Tuesday 5th December I assume, which allows for a replay between Margate and whoever.

I assume it will be 7 days earlier (28/11) and will be moved back a week if Margate draw next Saturday. Apart from City and Margate, there will be other clubs affected...

Needham Market (Margate's scheduled opponents on 25/11)
Thurrock (Margate's opponents on 28/11, so will miss out if Margate win or draw next Saturday)
and potentially...
Chalfont St Peter (Egham's's scheduled opponents on 25/11)
Fleet Town (Egham's opponents on 28/11, so will miss out if Bowers lose appeal and Egham win or draw next Saturday)
Sudbury (B & P's scheduled opponents on 25/11)
Maldon & Tiptree (B & P's opponents on 28/11, so will miss out if Bowers win appeal and win or draw next Saturday)

This is starting to sound like one of those nightmare house move chains...

This is all working in my favour as I am due to be working on Saturday!

So it's all your fault!

Mwahaha!

Yesterday's results (we need to check the form of our possible opponents...)

AFC Dunstable 6-1 Egham
Bury 0-0 B & P
Lowestoft 0-2 Margate

So it’s Margate v Egham in Saturday

Margate seem in decent form, they would relish Saturday and Tuesday Trophy games I would imagine.

http://www.echo-news.co.uk/sport/15672654.Small_Talk__I_feel_for_Margate_as_FA_Trophy_plight_drags_on/?ref=twtrec

Another article which highlights anger from the Bowers & Pitsea camp, this before they knew the outcome of the appeal.

Egham lost 6-2 last night. With the number of goals they seem to leak I'll be amazed if they cause an upset.

Thank goodness this has finally been resolved. From the Margate website...

Margate Football Club has received correspondence from the Football Association this afternoon confirming that we will now play Egham Town on Saturday 25th November 2017 in the second qualifying round of the Buildbase FA Trophy.

Egham have been reinstated after Bowers & Pitsea lost their appeal after being removed from the competition for fielding a player under suspension in their 1st qualifying tie against Egham Town.

The winners on Saturday will then travel to National League South side Bath City on Tuesday 28th November 2017 with kick off at 7:45pm.

Should the tie finish level then the replay will take place at Egham Town on Tuesday 28th November 2017 with kick off at 7:45pm and the 3rd qualifying round tie will take place at Tuesday 5th December 2017.

Pleased to see that we will host the winners on Tuesday provided there is no need for a replay.

What a surprise that Bowers & Pitsea didn't win their appeal against the FA. The FA had the player's details saved twice, one with 4 bookings and one with 2. Bowers & Pitsea were not guilty, but the FA were. But, hey, what can you do about it?

Adding to junior's link, here is another - http://www.echo-news.co.uk/sport/15677469.Bowers_feel__let_down__by_FA_after_Trophy_expulsion - further comment "We feel let down by the FA and it's a warning for other clubs" due to the system failure at the FA.

So what would the punishment have been if he had not played in a trophy game but in the league? They would have been deducted points. It seems like a heavy punishment in either case for fielding an ineligible player. The punishment appears to seriously outweigh the crime, even if intentional.

Presumably it is designed to prevent clubs bringing in ringers. But when it is a middle of the road player it seems excessive. Do the FA see it as the thin end of a very thick wedge?

More responsibility needs to be taken by the player. He will know how many bookings, how the banning sytem works, when he should be suspended, regardless of a computer system. That would enable clubs to be on the front foot.

Hard to see what else they can do. If the punishment were just a fine the richer clubs would play the players anyway and just pay up. If you added another game to a suspension clubs would just pick the players anyway if it was an important game, not sure if there are too many other options.

Either the player is at fault here or, more probably, the FA for having two entries for the player. Either way, it isn't the club's fault and they have missed out on some cup money. I know a trip to Margate or even Twerton don't seem like a great prize but, to a club at this level, it could mean a useful cash bonus as well as, more importantly, progression in the Trophy.

Ashley wrote:Hard to see what else they can do. If the punishment were just a fine the richer clubs would play the players anyway and just pay up. If you added another game to a suspension clubs would just pick the players anyway if it was an important game, not sure if there are too many other options.

But they hand out fines for much more serious stuff.