CASUALS AND MET APPEALS ARE REJECTED
MET POLICE and Walton Casuals have had their appeals against their league allocation for next season rejected.
Last month, the FA Leagues Committee revealed the provisional club restructure for 2018/18 which has seen an extra division introduced at Steps 3 and 4.
The Met were placed in the Southern League South, ending a 40-year long association with the Bostik League.
Disappointed chairman Des Flanders said at the time: “We have previously been members of the Southern League as part of our rise through the ranks of Non-League football. The reason behind the transfer to the Isthmian League reflected some very long, demanding journeys caused by the composition of the then Southern League.
“Whilst next season will provide us some attractive fixtures which could be described as local derbies it will also cause some sharp intakes of breath as we set off for Wales, Dorset, Somerset and Devon.”
Long-standing manager Jim Cooper made the decision to resign from his position due to the restructure with him unable to commit to the extra travelling distances from his home in Essex. Gavin Macpherson has since taken over.
The hearing date was rescheduled for June 5 when Flanders was abroad which left the club feeling they were already at a disadvantage.
Following the twohour long meeting, Met received the verdict and will now await the reasons of the decision.
Walton Casuals were also defeated in appeal after being placed in the Southern League South following promotion via the Bostik North playoffs. It will be their first ever season at Step 3 and although disappointed with the allocation, manager Anthony Gale says the club remains defiant.
“We all love football and one thing we don’t want to do is whinge and moan, and come across negative because it was an amazing achievement getting promoted,” he told The NLP.
“The structure has been put in place to help travel, it’s just they’ve gone back on their word. With Taunton, Tiverton, Frome, Poole, Weymouth, Merthyr, the journeys are extreme to say the least, especially when you’ve got a lot of the boys that have successful careers away from the game.
“I’ve had a sit down with the boys and some of them had concerns about it. I work in coaching and run my own company; a lot of my days don’t finish until 4.30.
“I’m extremely lucky to have the group that I’ve got that very much believe in what we do and enjoy playing for me and the club. There isn’t much loyalty in football nowadays.
“I only hope when the fixtures are released, they are intelligent with what they’re going to put in place. Those games should be Saturdays, that would just be common sense. To be doing those games in mid-week would be a tough ask.
“Saying that, I’m committed, the players are committed and the staff are committed. We will make it work.”