Ineligible players fielded in January 31 win over Fylde
Old Albanian’s bid to stay in National League One has been thrown into disarray after NCA Rugby, the league’s governing body, deducted five points for fielding ineligible players.
The incident occurred in the January 31 win over Fylde. OAs selected two players who had not been re-registered with the club since returning from loan spells at Civil Service Rugby.
It is a huge blow for the Woollams-based outfit who looked to have all but secured their status in the league for another year after Saturday’s 50-26 win over Macclesfield, see inside for report and reaction, which lifted them 10 points clear of danger.
Instead, their closest rivals, Cinderford, have been given a lifeline in their efforts to avoid relegation to level four.
OAs blamed the mistake on an ‘administration error’. They did, however, successfully half the penalty, which was initially 10 points, five for each ineligible player.
The deduction means OAs are five points clear of the relegation zone with four games remaining.
Their run-in sees them travel to Esher and Darlington Mowden Park either side of a home tie against Hartpury College before the final game of the season at home to Tynedale.
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