CITIZENS GET PLAY-OFF BOOT
Ironton upset over City expulsion
MANAGER Nick Ironton admits his future at Welwyn Garden City is in doubt after a “really upsetting” last-ditch omission from the play-offs.
A successful appeal against failing the ground grading for Step
4 – heard the day before the last game of the season – saved the Citizens from relegation and led them to believe they could still achieve a shot at promotion.
A 7-1 win at Kidlington saw Ironton’s men move into the Southern League Division One Central’s top five at the expense of North Leigh only to be told less than 24 hours later, following a meeting of the FA’s Alliance Committee, that they would not be eligible.
Having finished directly below the line, North Leigh got put forward for the play-offs and won Tuesday’s semi-final at runners-up Berkhamsted to set up Monday’s play-off final at Ware while Ironton sat at home watching Manchester City in the Champions League, wondering how and why he had not learned of his side’s fate earlier.
“Everyone was euphoric, then I got the phone call at 12.30pm on Sunday to say there had been a meeting at the FA and we had been thrown out,” said Ironton.
“Because we are not yet graded for Step 4, we cannot go to Step 3 but they obviously knew that on Friday when they granted us the appeal. I think they might have been hoping we didn’t get into the top five so they wouldn’t have to make the decision.
“It was really upsetting. I am just so disappointed for the players who have worked tirelessly over the past three years. Basically, it is a waste of those three years and very disheartening.”
Asked whether he would carry on, Ironton replied: “I don’t know yet. I will take a few weeks off to think about it and talk to my assistant and backroom staff who have been magnificent. The majority of the people at the club have been superb, particularly the volunteers who do whatever is needed week in week out, but I don’t know the true complexity of what was known or not known. There is a grey area.
“Obviously someone at the club is culpable, along with the FA, but I am not sure to what extent.”
Baffled
The FA’s rules are clear, “to be considered for promotion to Step 3 or included in play-off matches, clubs must meet the requirements of Grade D and City’s ground has yet to be passed fit. Ironton acknowledged not being fully versed in the situation but said that the FA had “admitted they had made some mistakes” with “ambiguity over the work that should or should not have been done”.
“I am a little bit baffled,” he added. “Someone must have known before it happened that there would be a meeting on Sunday.”
An FA spokesperson said that “the only order from the appeal board was for it to be remitted back to the Alliance Committee for a redecision” and that the green light had never been issued for City to feature in the play-offs.
The FA’s Alliance Committee then met on Sunday and “decided the club would not be relegated provided (it) complies with ground grading requirements by May 24 but would be barred from play-offs as the regulations are explicit in this area”.
The FA confirmed City would not be appealing the second decision.
A statement from Garden City’s vice-chair Dave Coates said the appeal had been “successful but the process was not concluded” and that the club had received correspondence from the FA on Sunday over the final outcome. The NLP contacted Coates to try to establish how much the club had been told prior to that but he was unavailable for comment.