Peterborough Rangers FC appeal against 'harsh' multi-layered punishment which includes the boot from a cup final

The Peterborough League Division Three leaders have been kicked out of the competition’s Junior Cup after reaching the final.

They have also been docked six league points and fined £60 with a further £180 suspended.

The ‘suspended’ player, their top scorer Cameron Guest, has now been suspended for seven matches.

The club claim the confusion was a result of an admin error by the Hunts FA who nonetheless confirmed the punishments on Tuesday morning.

A Peterborough Rangers spokesman said: “A player of ours was booked for his Sunday team in Huntingdon (Huntingdon FC) in January. They (his club) told him the fine, was paid but clearly it wasn’t, so after 28 days he was banned due to non- payment.

"At no stage were we notified of his ban, and it wasn’t loaded on to the full-time website (which we have proof of, thanks to some screenshots we took of fixtures during that period). We continued to play him, not knowing he was banned, and it was only in early March that we were told he was banned - which was when we were charged.

“We gave this evidence to the board, and asked them to prove otherwise, which they couldn’t do. We were notified this morning that the charges were upheld and then the punishment was detailed – 6 points deducted, kicked out of a cup final, 7 game ban for player and £240 fine - all down to the Hunts FA making an admin error!

“It’s unheard of for a ‘banned’ player to play 4 games across 4 weeks before the FA notice and then decide to bring charges. If he was banned from the time they said, and they’d notified us (which they haven’t confirmed they did) then why did it take them over four weeks to charge us with fielding an ineligible player?”

As thing stand, Uppingham Town Reserves, who lost to Rangers in the semi-final, have now been re-instated to the Junior Cup and will play Netherton United A in the final on April 21.

A six-point deduction would leave Rangers level on points with Park Farm Pumas at the top of Division Three.

A Peterborough League spokesperson said: “Hunts FA charged them (Rangers) with fielding a suspended player and found the player and club guilty.

“Therefore, we had to charge them for fielding an ineligible player in the League and Cup games the player participated in, and following a league discipline meeting, they have been removed from the competition, to be replaced by Uppingham Town Reserves, and the points from the League games to be removed as well.”

Hunts FA have yet to comment.