Altrincham appeal failed

At an Appeal Board hearing today, Altrincham FC's appeal against a disciplinary decision by the Football Conference was rejected.

Altrincham were deducted 18 points and fined £1000 by the Conference in April for fielding an ineligible player, James Robinson. The sanction was based on the points won by the club in the 13 matches Robinson played. This sanction was upheld by the Appeal Board today.

During the hearing, the club dropped all grounds for appeal other than that the penalty imposed by the Football Conference was excessive. The Appeal Board therefore had no option but to reject the appeal as Football Conference rules do not allow discretion on the matter of sanctions for specific breaches of rules.

Robinson joined Accrington Stanley from Iceland without gaining international clearance and subsequently moved to Altrincham in November. He has since joined Australian club Richmond Eagles.