Admin error costs Town dear (From Free Press Series)

Admin error costs Town dear

CHEPSTOW Town have revealed an "administration error" was to blame for their temporary expulsion from the Welsh League.

The Division Three club was suspended last week by league officials for failing to answer correspondence and also attend a management committee meeting.

The club's league game away at struggling Albion Rovers that Saturday was subsequently cancelled as have been their matches against Tillery and Caerau Ely next month.

Despite wishing to keep the finer details behind the suspension private assistant manager Wayne Samuel did say that the error in question dated back to last November.

"There has been a slight issue with the fixtures. It's to do with the second team's game against Pontypridd last November being cancelled," said Samuel.

The Welsh League is said to have made correspondence with the club to determine why the fixture was cancelled. The club was also invited to its management committee meeting, but due to a "clerical error" at the club officials there never knew.

"This why the action has been taken by the Welsh League. The match was cancelled for legitimate reasons and if we'd have known the Welsh League wanted to know this we would have explained that. Unfortunately due to an administration error on our behalf we never knew of the Welsh League's correspondence," said Samuel.

A new fixture secretary - Mr Ian Davies - has been appointed.

The error has proved costly though because Town now face a back log of fixtures when they are readmitted to league action in the middle of February.

All three games cancelled will have to be re-arranged as Town's relegation headache gets bigger by the day.

"To be honest the Welsh League have been very clear about everything, but I can't understand the logic. The other club's are also losing out from things like bar revenue. Our players are very frustrated, but they are fully behind the club and will give their all," he said.

Samuel added that he had drawn a sigh of relief when learning the cancelled matches wouldn't be counted as automatic defeats.

"That would have been it for us - hook, line and sinker," he admitted.

Town will use their league break to run some extra training sessions with both their first and second team. Both are effected by the ban.

The club remains 12th in Division Three.