East Stirling

[ChookterDon]

From BBC Sport

East Stirlingshire face expulsion from the Scottish Cup after fielding an ineligible player in their fourth-round win over Buckie Thistle.

 

Michael Andrews featured despite the Scottish FA not receiving registration documents for his loan extension.

 

The Scottish Football League also say they were not informed of the agreement for Falkirk goalkeeper Andrews.

 

The Third Division club insist they sent the relevant paperwork to the SFA and SFL before Christmas.

 

"All the documentation was sent through on 21 December," said Shire chairman Les Thomson.

 

We have acted 100% correctly as far as we are concerned

 

East Stirlingshire chairman Les Thomson

 

"It is nothing to do with the SFA and ourselves - it's the middle man who delivers the documents. They were put in the post as we normally do.

 

"Everybody knows what happened at Christmas time - there was a backlog of mail. Some of it reached its destination, some of it didn't.

 

"We have acted 100% correctly as far as we are concerned. Both Falkirk and myself sorted the paperwork."

 

An emergency meeting has been convened for Thursday afternoon where the SFA board members will decide the club's fate.

 

Shire progressed to the fifth round of the Scottish Cup with a 1-0 win over Highland League champions Buckie Thistle.

 

And Jim McInally's side are due to play Brechin City - a team that was thrown out of the tournament for fielding two ineligible players in 2008, when Hamilton Accies were reinstated.

 

Last year, Dunfermline Athletic were expelled for fielding a suspended player but were reinstated after an appeal.

 

This prompted the SFA to tighten the competition rules in May, meaning any team fielding an ineligible player will automatically be ejected.

 

Each club now has access to an extranet facility where they can view a full updated list of registered players.

 

Any action by the SFL, which could impose a points deduction, will come some time after the SFA's meeting.

 

SFL operations director David Thomson said: "We will write to the club and ask them for their comments and give them an opportunity to come back to us.

 

"It will be discussed by the SFL board at a future meeting. They usually get an opportunity to attend a meeting and put forward their case.

 

"It's early stages and we'll go through the due process."

 

 

EDIT since this article was produced they have now been expelled from the competition.

What are your views and should this have ceased since last years fiasco with Dunfermilne?

[tutankamun]

Go Buckie!

[Nealey]

An ineligible player for whatever reason should, I reckon, mean removal from the competition(if it's a knockout competition) If it's a league then points awarded to the opposition in whatever game/s the player featured. Changing it every time it happens is no use.

[ChookterDon]

Yeah but this keeps happening, surely there are rules or regulations which aren't stated in black and white which clubs keep tripping up on and it comes back to haunt them, especially in cup competitions where they are playing for sheer pride.

[Foster14]

Yeah but this keeps happening, surely there are rules or regulations which aren't stated in black and white which clubs keep tripping up on and it comes back to haunt them, especially in cup competitions where they are playing for sheer pride.

 

Each club should have a secretary monitoring this type of thing. If it becomes obvious straight after a game then a club should have someone capable of realising this prior to the game.

 

It is unfortunate, but rules are rules.

[oilcat]

Buckie confirmed as through

 

East Stirlingshire have been expelled from the Scottish Cup after fielding an ineligible player in their fourth-round win over Buckie Thistle.

 

The Highland League side, who lost 1-0 at Ochilview, will now host Brechin City on 5 February.

 

Michael Andrews featured despite the SFA not receiving registration documents for his loan extension

[Nealey]

Yeah but this keeps happening, surely there are rules or regulations which aren't stated in black and white which clubs keep tripping up on and it comes back to haunt them, especially in cup competitions where they are playing for sheer pride.

 

These things are never as cut and dried as they should be. I know it's slightly irrelevant however a couple of years back we were docked points and fined fairly heavily(for a Junior team at least) for playing someone(as a substitute for the last 10 minutes when already 3-0 up) who we were sure had served his suspension. He'd been sent off 2 weeks before and was rested from the previous game as we'd assumed that he was suspended for that game with it being the same competition but we were wrong and were made an example of. They always find a way of f**king folk over.

[Maniac Cop]

They blame the post office for the documents 'going missing' but surely something as important as that would be sent at least by registered mail or a courier?

[King Street Loon]

They blame the post office for the documents 'going missing' but surely something as important as that would be sent at least by registered mail or a courier?

Or in this day and age, scanned and sent in PDF form via e-mail.

[ollie1903]

They blame the post office for the documents 'going missing' but surely something as important as that would be sent at least by registered mail or a courier?

Nothing is done by post. It is all done by fax and email. A desperate clutch at straws by the ES chairman who knew their fate was sealed.

Delighted for Buckie.

[E-P-K]

Well chuffed for Buckie.

 

Will be near 2000+ at Viccy park next week for the game against Brechin.

[fatshaft]

Yeah but this keeps happening, surely there are rules or regulations which aren't stated in black and white which clubs keep tripping up on and it comes back to haunt them, especially in cup competitions where they are playing for sheer pride.

It is in black and white following the Dunfermline fiasco last year. Ineligible player = gtf.

[steems]

Nothing is done by post. It is all done by fax and email.

 

Of course registration forms are sent by post - how else do you get the original signed copy (as required) to the SFA?

[ollie1903]

Of course registration forms are sent by post - how else do you get the original signed copy (as required) to the SFA?

Well if that's the case, I know many people, including my father in law, who have operated illegally, then in turn played completely unregistered squads for the last 10-15 years. The SFA must have surely picked up on it by now you'd think?

[Nealey]

Well if that's the case, I know many people, including my father in law, who have operated illegally, then in turn played completely unregistered squads for the last 10-15 years. The SFA must have surely picked up on it by now you'd think?

 

My old man is secretary of Stonehaven Juniors and although it's been a couple of years since I stayed with my parents I'm pretty sure that it's still the case that the original forms are sent by Recorded/Special Delivery and the duplicate copies kept on file and letters follow from the SFA saying such and such a player has been registered for the club. I stand corrected if I'm wrong though