Redditch United fearing points deduction

SOUTHERN Premier promotion hopefuls Redditch United are fearing a points deduction after unknowingly fielding suspended duo Jazz Luckie and Jim Mutton against St Neots Town.

The pair were sent off in the 1-0 defeat at King’s Lynn Town on Saturday, February 6 and were handed three-match bans scheduled to start on February 20.

Redditch, however, claim a problem with the Football Association website meant that both players were not showing up as suspended.

Mutton started against St Neots on February 20 while Luckie came off the bench as Redditch won 3-1 in Cambridgeshire.

The club were only made aware of the bans last Friday ahead of the home win against Hitchin Town and the duo will be back available for Monday’s game against Kettering.

The Reds’ goalless draw at home to leaders Poole Town on Tuesday night left them three points behind the Dolphins with a game in hand heading into the weekend and a points deduction would be a big blow.

Manager Liam McDonald told the Redditch Advertiser: “This is not the fault of anyone of the club, it’s just one of those things.

“Because the game against King’s Lynn was such a shambles, the referee went off injured, we wanted to appeal their sending offs.

“But while the yellow cards came through from that game, there was nothing about James and Jazz on the FA Birmingham County website.

“Apparently there was a system problem at the FA and the suspensions did not appear, so we thought it was absolutely fine to play them against St Neots.

“It meant I had to change the team at short notice for Hitchin. We are talking to the FA and at this stage I don’t know if we’re facing a points deduction or not.”