Why did it take so long?
EIGHTY THREE players used, all but one of them did a job – and don’t Greenwich Borough now know it.
The Londoners have been picked up for fielding an ineligible player more than two months ago and are three perhaps crucial points worse off for it. Tony Vance has no sympathy.
While one point at Sittingbourne will guarantee Bostik South East League safety for the Green Lions and even a defeat might see them stay in the division, Vance has revealed he had been adjusting his tactics for weeks knowing full well that their big relegation rivals were almost certainly going to be docked points.
He won’t say how he knew Greenwich were under scrutiny, but he did long before their big relegation rivals came to Footes Lane for the crucial game on 14 April.
‘The leak came from the Greenwich camp and everybody [in the league] was talking about it,’ said the GFC boss yesterday, who is unhappy it took so long for the league board to make a final decision.
It wasn’t until Wednesday evening, 40 days after the offence, that action was confirmed.
‘I don’t like it,’ said Vance, while adding he had little sympathy for Greenwich.
‘I haven’t got much sympathy for them, so when they sign players who are not eligible and win 2-0 they deserve it.
‘They have used 83 players this season and apart from one or two playing the odd game, we have used 19.’
GFC travel to Sittingbourne ‘going to get a result’ said Vance, while down in London Greenwich face third-placed Hastings United, who have to win for two very good reasons.
Victory will ensure they finish third and guarantee a home play-off, but also ensure they stay in the running for promotion even if they were to go on to win via the playoffs.
Apparently, due to the creation of a new league, two of the six play-off winners nationally won’t get promoted and it is decided by a points per average game co-efficiency.
Hastings have much hanging on tomorrow’s result themselves.
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