A VICTORY FOR PLAYER POWER!

STAUNTON has JOSH hailed the united player voices that has led to the Football Association revisiting the controversial changes to next season's Non-League Player Contracts.

- Matt Badcock

Yeovil Town skipper Staunton rallied the 24 National League captains following the news of planned alterations to next season's standard form contract.

The FA and other stakeholders had been in consultation about updating the existing contracts to comply with UK employment law.

While it addressed areas like holiday and paternity pay, players were unhappy about potential tweaks that included clubs, unless they agree to players ticking an opt-in box on their contract, having the ability to reduce wages of injured players to Statutory Sick Pay after 12 weeks for Step 1 players and six for Step 2 and below.

Other issues centered around a club being able to cancel a contract with three months' notice if the opinion of a club-instructed doctor was the player wouldn't return in four months.