PROMOTION CHAOS HAS COST OUR CLUB DEAR

DOWNBEAT Fleet Town manager Darryl Evans has accused the Combined Counties League of “failing to take ownership” of the play-off debacle which he insists left his club out of pocket and at a huge disadvantage.

- Jon Couch

The Blues chief was given just three days to prepare his side for a last-minute cross-Channel dash to face Jersey Bulls in yesterday’s hastily-arranged play-off semi-final - a 1pm kick-off in which they suffered penalty shootout heartbreak.

The Hampshire club, who qualified having finished fifth in the table, say funding the delayed play off campaign has eaten into next year’s budget with player expenses and facility hire going into an extra month.

And it proved a step too far for many fans as well. With it being a Bank Holiday, the cost of a last-minute trip to Jersey topped a whopping £900, while busy flights meant that Fleet’s playing squad were forced to split into two groups to make the trip, spread over two separate days, again at a significant extra cost to the club.

Five first-team players had to miss out completely as they were away on a pre-planned holiday.