Evans: Conference will need sick buckets if Reds make play-offs

CRAWLEY Town boss Steve Evans reckons the Football Conference board will need sick buckets in April - if the Reds make it into the Blue Square Premier play-offs.

Evans believes his side's promotion hopes will not be dented despite the club being slapped with a four-point penalty on Monday for fielding an unregistered player.

The Reds had been riding high in a closely contested promotion race but now drop to sixth position after suffering their fourth points deduction in as many seasons.

But Evans said the players would not be affected by the news and vowed to steer Crawley into the top five positions by the end of the season, an achievement he says will make the Conference sick.

"The players have known about this for a while and so has our management team," he said.

"It's not a bolt out of the blue, we're still in this play-off race and that's the message.

"It's not going to stop us making the play-offs. If it wasn't for the deduction we'd be third so if the fans want us in the play-offs then come and support us.

"I went to bed feeling devastated on Monday night but having slept on it I would say by the end of the month we'll be back in the play-offs. That would give people connected with Crawley even greater satisfaction.

"Go to B&Q and buy a bucket for £2 and send it to the Conference, because when we're in the play-offs on April 26 (the last day of the season), they will need it to be sick in."

The Crawley player concerned is striker Isaiah Rankin, who was signed by Crawley in July 2008 but has since been frustrated by a series of injuries limiting him to just five appearances, four of those as a substitute.

It is understood that Crawley Town secretary Barry Munn sent Rankin's registration to the Conference and his contract details to the Football Association as normal. The FA received those details but for some reason the Conference did not.

It is believed that Rankin's unregistered status only came to light under the Conference's system of 'spot-checking' a handful of players after each match.

In addition to the points deduction, Crawley must pay a £500 fine, £250 towards costs of the hearing and have a £1,500 suspended fine hanging over them should they commit the same offence again between now and May 2010.

The club say they are "extremely disappointed" by the decision and will consider whether to appeal during the 14 days they are allowed to do so.

Crawley were not the only side docked points on Monday, with Oxford United and Bognor Regis Town also being hit with five and seven point penalties respectively for the same offence of fielding an unregistered player.

The Crawley News understands the Conference has since implemented a system of giving each Blue Square Premier player an individual registration number, a system that already existed in the Blue Square North and South divisions - and in most youth football leagues in Britain - and one which would have flagged up Rankin's ineligibility. The Conference would not comment on its registration system.

The Oxford case concerned Eddie Hutchinson, a player who has made 19 appearances and scored two goals this season. Rankin, by contrast, has only made five appearances, four of those as a substitute, and has not scored. The Conference board were asked to explain their rulings but refused to elaborate.

Reds chairman Vic Marley said: "This decision is extremely hard to take given the flawed registration procedures that the Football Conference Premier had in place in the early part of the season.

"I also have sympathy for Oxford United who like ourselves are a victim of this flawed process but there is no doubt we have been dealt with far more severely."

"I will meet with Steve Mansell, Sue Carter and my fellow board members at the earliest opportunity and in follow up to that meeting a full statement will be released."

The Reds have now been docked a total of 23 points in the last four seasons, although the previous 19 were all related to the financial rule-breaking of the previous owners, the SA Group.

Last season Crawley were deducted six points for "financial irregularities", in the 2006/7 campaign the Reds were stripped of 10 points for entering administration and in 2005/6 they lost three points for exceeding the Conference's agreed Annual Playing Budget.

Crawley Town's FA Trophy second round tie at Cambridge last Saturday was postponed due to a frozen pitch. The rescheduled game will be played at the Trade Recruitment Stadium tonight (Wednesday), kick-off at 7.45pm.

The winners will travel to Lewes or Havant & Waterlooville in the third round on January 31.

This Saturday will see Crawley return to league action two weeks after their last Blue Square Premier match.

The Reds travel to Nottinghamshire to face a Mansfield Town side still reeling from their own four-point deduction earlier in the season.

Midfielder Danny Forrest will be available for selection again after serving a three-match ban for his red card against Woking on Boxing Day.

And a defiant Evans said: "I came to Crawley for a fresh start but three months into that we had a six-point deduction. It was hard to take and this is no easier.

"But we will go to Mansfield and be professional knowing that a win will put us back in the play-offs. We play Mansfield, Oxford and Wrexham in the league in January - all former league clubs. It's going to be an important month."