City team up with rivals for missing points (From York Press)

City team up with rivals for missing points

9:57am Saturday 20th March 2010 in

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YORK City have joined nine other Blue Square Premier clubs in a bid to regain the points lost due to Chester City’s expulsion.

The Minstermen were deducted the three points from their 3-2 win in November against Chester after the Conference board expunged the Deva Stadium outfit’s record from the table. But an appeal has been lodged with the FA to overturn that decision and there is a precedent to suggest the nine clubs will be successful.

In 2005, Spennymoor United failed to fulfil their final nine fixtures and, despite the Northern Premier League deciding that their record would be expunged, the FA later ruled three points should instead be handed to the sides still to play Spennymoor although no changes were made to those clubs’ goals for and against tallies.

It led to the controversial situation of Farsley Celtic celebrating the title on the final day of the season only for the championship to be later awarded to Hyde United.

The grounds of the appeal will concentrate on the fact that 80 per cent of the playing season had already been completed before Chester’s expulsion and the Conference had the ability to award points as well as deduct them under Rule 8.6 but that possibility was not given due consideration at the meeting of member clubs.

Bookings against Chester have also subsequently counted towards two-match bans for players accruing ten yellow cards during the season.

Stevenage, Oxford, Mansfield, Rushden and Diamonds, Barrow, Cambridge, Kidderminster, Tamworth and Crawley are the clubs who have joined City in making the appeal.

Should the Spennymoor precedent be followed, there would be no positional changes to the division’s top six but AFC Wimbledon, today’s visitors to fifth-placed City, would be seven points adrift of the Bootham Crescent club rather than four.

The Minstermen would also move to within two points of third-placed Luton, significantly closing the current six-point gap.

Unsurprisingly, neither Wimbledon nor Luton declared an interest in appealing against the point deductions.

Nor too did Gateshead, who would fall three places into the drop zone if their two defeats against Chester were to stand.

Said communications director Sophie Hicks said: “We believe the situation needs to be reviewed by football’s governing body.”

The Conference now has until April 8 to reply to the appeal after which the FA will announce the date for any hearing.

• City defender Andy McWilliams has joined Whitby Town on a month’s loan.