Flackwell boss Ayres accuses Berks & Bucks FA of brushing appeal 'under the carpet'

Photo credit: Glenn Alcock

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Flackwell Heath boss Chris Ayres has accused the Berks & Bucks FA of brushing their appeal over Bracknell Town fielding a potentially ineligible player in last week’s Berks & Bucks Senior Cup final ‘under the carpet.’

The Heathens were deservedly beaten 3-1 by their step 3 rivals, who came from a goal down to lift the cup for a second time in three seasons at Arbour Park.

However, the Heathens were made aware that the Robins’ half-time substitute Remy Coddington - a player Ayres felt had a considerable impact in turning the tide against his side - had previously played against them in this season’s competition for Binfield.

They’ve since raised the matter with the Berks & Bucks FA but have been told that the fault lies with Binfield, who shouldn’t have played Coddington in their quarterfinal defeat to the Heathens.

Having been registered to play for Bracknell - and having done so against Amersham Town in the second round this season - the FA insist the Robins broke no rules by playing him at Arbour Park last week. 

However, Ayres and Flackwell - who were forced to pay to appeal the situation - believe this makes a mockery of the competition’s rules as a player shouldn’t be able to represent two clubs in the same cup competition.

Whilst having no complaints about Bracknell's win, Ayres did say the incident had left a sour taste in the mouth and he claims the club have been angered by it enough to consider whether they’ll participate in the cup next season.

“We were made aware that a player who had come on for them at half-time, and who had a very big impact on the game, had played against us for Binfield in the quarterfinals,” said Ayres.

“All we wanted to do was make them aware of the situation and let them deal with it, but they told us we had to put an appeal in, which cost the club money. I felt that was awful because we were raising something they should have known about.

“We did that and got an email back saying our appeal had been unsuccessful. The FA have said it was Binfield’s fault for playing him in the quarterfinals against us.”

He added: “We’re deciding where to go with it, but we’re probably going to just leave it. They’re not going to budge from this position now. They’ve handed out the cup, and it’s probably gone too far, or is too embarrassing to reverse it now.

“They’re looking to save face and avoid embarrassment but the whole thing is a mockery.”

The incident is one of several competition issues Flackwell have been frustrated by this season, and Ayres believes the cup has lost some of its ‘prestige’ in his eyes because of that.

He’s disappointed there was no prize money on offer to the finalists, or a share of the gate receipts - with more than 600 supporters paying to watch the final at Arbour Park.

Flackwell also received only 16 runners-up medals, meaning many of the players who’d represented them earlier in the competition missed out on a medal.

Finally, Ayres feels the showpiece final should be regularly held at one of the professional clubs in the Berks & Bucks region - namely Reading, Wycombe Wanderers or MK Dons. He added that only pressure from the two finallists and their supporters on social media led to this season’s final being moved from Didcot Town’s ground to the more suitable venue of Arbour Park.

“On the night, Bracknell deserved to win, I have no problem with that,” he said. “But we had players that we couldn’t play that I’d have liked to have brought on.

“We didn’t play those players because those are the rules. So yeah, it’s disappointing but I’m not surprised it’s been brushed under the carpet.

“Teams have been kicked out of the competition for this. What they’ve said is that he’s a registered Bracknell player and is allowed to represent them in the competition but shouldn’t have been able to represent Binfield.

“But it makes a mockery of the rules, because you can’t play for two teams in the same competition. It’s a shambles to be honest. But I’m not surprised.”

He added: “For me the competition has lost a lot of its prestige and we’re contemplating whether we’ll enter it next season. That’s how strongly we feel about it. Partly that’s because of this incident, but it’s also because of the way they handled the final.

“It felt like a quick get in, get out, give out the cup and take 600 people’s money for their own coffers. There was no prize money or even a small donation to both clubs.

“The final was a big thing for us but there were only 16 medals for our players, what about the other lads who’ve played in previous rounds?

“The FA also only moved the final due to pressure from social media. They moved it from Didcot because nobody was going to be able to attend it. But if you look at the other county cups, the Sussex Cup is held at Brighton and the Bedfordshire one is played at Luton Town. It’s the biggest competition they host, and the final should be staged at a professional club.”

A spokesperson for Berks & Bucks FA said: "Berks & Bucks FA received a formal protest from Flackwell Heath challenging the result of the Men's Senior Cup Final concerning the fielding of a potential ineligible player.

"In line with competition rules, this protest was investigated fully where no breach of rules relating to the Final was identified."