National League chief executive Michael Tattersall has said that it is currently too early to say what action, if any, will taken against Solihull Moors, regarding the postponement of Saturday’s home fixture against Chester.
The opening day fixture was postponed just 24 hours prior to kick-off, with the National League making a statement that said concerns over the Automated Technology Group Stadium were the reasons behind the postponement.
Tattersall has since spoken to the Chester Chronicle, where he discussed the postponement.
‘Chester FC fans have every right to be aggrieved and we understand their frustrations.
‘We are all football fans and what happened was unacceptable as many of those fans would have paid good money on train tickets and also been looking forward to the season starting on August 5, as it should have.
‘We acted as soon as we could over this. Once we found out my first call was to Chester to explain the situation and we notified them at the earliest possible opportunity. Had we been given more notification ourselves then we could have looked into an alternative solution.
‘But given the lateness of the situation then Chester FC fans were let down and we fully understand their anger and their frustration over the matter.
‘It’s too early to say what, if any, action will be taken,’ Tattersall continued.
‘We are not in possession of all the facts and it wouldn’t be right to make any assumptions. We are in the process of speaking to the relevant people to ensure we get to the bottom of this and find out exactly what happened. Only then will we be able to discuss next steps. We hope to make progress this week.
‘Of the greatest importance at the moment is ensuring that Solihull Moors are able to host Barrow on August 15.’
Tattersall also stated that as part of the investigation, they will decide if the Moors are in breach of rule 8.37, which states:
‘Where a match has been postponed for any reason, the two clubs must agree within seven days of the postponement a new date (which shall, save in exceptional circumstances, be within 42 days of the original date) and in default the Board is empowered to order Clubs to play on a date it considers suitable. The Competition Secretary shall determine a new date.
‘Any Club without just cause to fulfil an engagement to play a Competition match on the appointed date shall for each offence be liable to expulsion from the Competition and/or such other disciplinary action the Board may determine, including the deduction of up to a maximum of three points from the offending Club’s record, any expenses incurred by their opponents, and a fine.
‘In the event of a Club being in breach of the previous paragraph of this Rule then the Board may award points to the Club not at fault as if the match had been played and the League table shall reflect the position as if the match had been played with the result awarded by the Board.’
The Moors now turn their attention to tomorrow night’s away clash at Leyton Orient.
Orient lost their first game of the season away at Sutton United on Saturday and will be looking to bounce back against Liam McDonald’s men.
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