Football is loser after 7-player farce ends
FOOTBALL'S image was dealt another blow with Priaulx champions Sylvans fielding only seven players for their away game with North on Saturday and the match being abandoned after half-an-hour when they went down to six.
FOOTBALL'S image was dealt another blow with Priaulx champions Sylvans fielding only seven players for their away game with North on Saturday and the match being abandoned after half-an-hour when they went down to six. Sylvans, who were 3-0 down at the time, had requested the game be re-arranged last Wednesday.
In one of his final acts as GFA sceretary, Matt Fallaize had agreed to the westerners' request.
Thursday's council meeting supported that decision by five votes to four, only for North to appeal against the decision and for an independent appeals committee chaired by former Rangers and Muratti star Roy Martin, to overturn the decision and insist the game should be played.
Sylvans had provided a list of 15 players unavailable for the match due to a variety of reasons.
Two more made themselves unavailable in the hours leading up to the match and the situation was compounded by the club having a home Railway League fixture over visiting Bavaria Nomads.
Sylvans fielded 13 players for that game.
Mike Bachelet, the Sylvans secretary, could scarcely hide his anger as he watched the proceedings from next to the dugout at Northfield.
'GFA were made aware of the situation, so if they want to play that game it's up to them,' he said.
'We had 15 away this weekend with holidays, injuries, cricket, you name it. Matt Warren cried off injured last night and Alex Chick this morning,' he added.
Player-coach Joel Avery was among those out of the island.
First-team regulars, Richard Davey and Matt Drillot, were injured bystanders as North took eight minutes to score through Jon Veron and then add two more through Dave Rihoy and Veron again, before reserve defender Clive Bateman pulled a hamstring and was helped off.
Referee Mark Le Tissier then had no option but to abandon the match.
North president Dave Finn threw a chocolate-and-blue coloured light on the proceedings leading up to the match.
'Matt Fallaize put it off and I brought it up at council that it should not have been put off.
'Council voted 5-4 in favour that it should be put off.
'We appealed against council's decision.'
The three-man appeals committee comprised Martin, another former Muratti great in Alan Hunter and John Marley.
Finn and North first-team coach Phil Corbet put forward the club's argument, Jeff Vidamour, as vice-president of the GFA, the association's.
In one Priaulx game that did go ahead on Saturday Rangers came from 2-1 down at the break to beat Vale Rec 4-2 at St Andrew's.
The game went pear-shaped for Chris Hamon's men after they got off to a flier. Junior Mark Ramsden put them ahead with a screamer and David MacNab made it 2-0 with an overhead kick.
But with Matt Patch sent off Rangers hit back to take the points with three second-half goals.
