Bartley to risk FA’s wrath after telling them he’s unavailable for hearing

Marlow manager Mark Bartley will risk the wrath of the FA and possible further sanctions - after stating he’s unavailable to attend tomorrow’s (Friday) hearing into his sending off in Marlow’s home match with Chertsey in October.

Both sides became embroiled in a unseemly melee after Jordan Brown entered the Chertsey dugout and clashed with coaching staff and players, having been unable to slow his momentum as he chased down the ball close to the touchline.

Bartley - along with almost every other player and coach was caught up in the altercation (above), with Bartley claiming he was acting as a peacemaker in the situation.

Despite this, the Marlow manager and Brown - as well as Quincy Rowe and a

Chertsey coach on the other side - were sent off as the Blues fell to a narrow 1-0 defeat.

After more than six months of waiting and delays, Bartley was told his FA hearing would take place at short notice on Friday (April 21), however, with the possibility of a touchline ban hanging over him which could be imposed for the Blues crucial play-off matches next week, Bartley has told them he is not available.

“First and foremost, officially for them, I’m unavailable on that date,” he said. “On the basis that they’ve taken so long to bring this hearing, they must respect the fact that I might not be available at the drop of the hat. We’ve all got lives outside of football. Their response has been that they’re sympathetic to that, but tough luck really. If this was in isolation, but it feels like there’s something slightly off in the way that they’ve dealt with me. But there have been numerous things over the years. These things are meant to be processed in a matter of weeks, but I’ve had to wait six months for this to come through.

“They’ve made errors in terms of who they’ve pulled in and who they haven’t. Now they’re telling me I must be available at the drop of a hat.

“And then if it goes against me in the hearing, I could potentially be hit with a touchline or stadium ban that could impact my team in the playoffs or the Berks & Bucks Cup final. But they can pretty much do whatever they want. I feel like they’re trying to do something to me that will have maximum impact on me and the team. There’s radio silence, we hear nothing from them, and then they say we need to do this now, before the playoffs. I am the only person who is set to lose here.”