It’s enough to make you blow your top

IN A LAVA . . . Mel Whittle feels Oldham’s explanation should be accepted by the CLL.

Oldham’s frustration as as Keelan clanger set to cost 15 points

JUST when they thought they had turned the corner, Oldham have been rocked by a savage blow which looks likely to cost them 15 Lake Garage CLL points.

Two wins in their last three league matches had lifted the gloom at the Pollards, but now Oldham are in a worse position than ever following this latest decision by the league’s Management Committee in response to the club’s failure to register overseas amateur Keelan Gossayn.

Oldham delegate and first-team stalwart Mel Whittle is sickened by the prospect of a points deduction and said the club plans to appeal.

“It all goes back to the Icelandic volcano situation,” he said.

“Our overseas amateur was due to fly in from South Africa in April, but his flight was delayed by the volcanic ash clouds over Britain.

“We were going to register him once he arrived, but with him being two weeks’ late there was an oversight in doing so.

“We will be appealing because of the circumstances and also because I believe there have been other cases where there have been oversights in registering players.”

The CLL ruling does, at first appraisal, seem harsh and the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland was deemed to be no more than a mitigating factor in Oldham’s failure to register Gossayn.

But in a letter to Whittle, dated June 20, league secretary Alan Wright reveals the punishment could have been even greater.

He wrote: “As the club played your overseas amateur without registering him, the Management Committee decided under Rule 13 of the Rules Respecting Amateurs to deduct the points received in the First X1’s league matches in which he played from 1st May to to 12th June which amounts to 15 points.

“The Management Committe decided not to fine the club nor to award the points deducted, where applicable, to the team’s opponents although it had the power to do so under Rule 13.

“I confirm that I am now in possession of a completed registration form for Keelan whose registration took place before yesterday’s match (a home victory over Radcliffe).”

League chairman Neville Fletcher said Oldham had officially been advised of their error on May 29.

He said: “There was a clear-cut breach of rules, but the situation is appealable and their views will be heard by an appeals committee.”

For now, Oldham’s points remain in the league standings, but should their appeal be rejected, the 15 points will be deducted.

The Pollards team are currently 14th of the 16 teams, on 19 points, and would be rock bottom if they were to lose an appeal.