STRATFORD Town chairman Jed McCrory has slammed the Southern Football League’s decision ordering the club to replay their abandoned Easter Monday game against Alvechurch.
The fixture was abandoned late in the second half with Stratford 3-0 up after two players and a supporter required hospital treatment.
Bards forward Jack Storer suffered from chest problems with around 15 minutes left to play plus injury time at the Arden Garages Stadium.
That came after Church’s on-loan defender Isaac Godwin sustained a broken leg early in the second period with the youngster stretchered from the field.
Godwin’s grandfather collapsed in the stands and also required hospital treatment.
Victory would have moved the Bards two points outside the Southern League Premier Central play-off places with one game left to play.
However, Stratford now sit eighth and must win the rearranged game, which takes place tonight (Thursday, April 24), to have any chance of finishing in the play-offs.
And Bards chairman McCrory questioned the league’s decision to replay the fixture in its entirety, having believed the initial result would stand.
McCrory also confirmed the club submitted an appeal to the league regarding the decision to replay the game.
McCrory told BBC CWR: “It’s utterly disgraceful, totally mishandled.
“We had a guy in the stands who had three potential strokes because his grandson playing for Alvechurch breaks his leg on the pitch.
“We had to call an ambulance for him and thankfully he’s well, the young lad has unfortunately broken his leg.
“While that’s going on, Jack Storer had a potential heart attack on the pitch.
“At this point the game has stopped, they take Jack to hospital and he’s well and recovering.
“We’re three-nil up, the game stopped at 87 minutes, the game wasn’t abandoned.
“The word abandoned means you revert to a rule to replay a game.
“The game was stopped on 87 minutes by agreement between the two chairmen, the referee, the players and the two managers.
“The referee said ‘are we all happy to end the game on this result?’
“We all agreed, not once was the phrase abandoned game used.
“It’s quite a harrowing day, we think that result stands and the cowardly part is, I get an email telling me we have to replay game.
“Myself and the Alvechurch chairman never got a phone call asking us to explain what had happened on the day and what had been agreed.
“They sent that email out with no respect to what had happened to both clubs and both sets of players and they questioned the integrity of the game.
“We’re talking about a football club that deserves a phone call to at least explain what you’re talking about.
“When they make this decision, they send an email and state three points of what it is and they took into account the play-offs.
“If they said to replay the minutes that we never played, we’re fine with that, we totally understand that.
“But to take the game back to nil-nil for 90 minutes is disgraceful.”
The league released a statement confirming the club’s will have to replay the fixture in full following an emergency committee meeting between Southern League officials.
The statement reads: “Following the abandonment in the second half of Monday’s Pitching In Southern League Premier Central match, an emergency committee met to consider the matter under Standardised League Rules.
“The committee decided that owing to the amount of playing time remaining in the fixture, that the match is to be replayed.
“Reasonings of the decision have been sent by emails to both clubs for their information.”
Stratford play Alvechurch in the rearranged fixture tonight.
Only a win will keep the Bards play-off hopes alive.
Stratford then finish the season against St Ives Town on Saturday, April 26 with kick-off at 3pm at Westwood Road.
