League make a ruling on axed games

By Jon Couch

CLARITY: Andy Butler

THE National League have ruled that the match between Eastleigh and Scunthorpe United – abandoned in the 110th minute on Tuesday, September 2 following a serious injury to two players – is to be replayed in full.

But Scunthorpe’s visit of Wealdstone last Saturday – called off with eight minutes to play following an injury to Wealdstone’s Daniel Nkrumah – will stand with Scunthorpe awarded a 2-1 victory.

The Iron’s visit of Eastleigh was cut short deep into stoppage time following a nasty clash of heads involving home defender Archy Taylor and Scunthorpe’s Jean Belehouan with the score at 1-1.

And it was a case of deja-vu for Andy Butler’s side last Saturday when an 82nd-minute shoulder injury sustained by Nkrumah prompted Wealdstone players to allegedly refuse to play on while 2-1down at Glanford Park.

In last week’s NLP, Butler called on the National League to provide clarity of the rules to match abandonments, and the league responded by issuing a statement on Tuesday afternoon confirming the decisions.

Wealdstone say they agree with the ruling to award Scunthorpe the points and had communicated that to the National League in advance.

A club statement said: “The Wealdstone FC Board of Directors were in direct contact with the National League in the aftermath of Saturday’s events.

“We made clear our view that the correct outcome was for Scunthorpe United to be awarded the three points.

“This position was taken to demonstrate the values of sporting integrity and fair play that underpin our football club.

“While disappointed that the match was unable to be completed, we believe it is important to uphold the principles of the game and support an outcome that reflects the spirit of competition.”