Presteigne St Andrew's reprimanded

PRESTEIGNE St Andrews FC have been reprimanded and fined by the Football Association of Wales (FAW) after ending bottom of the Mid Wales League fair play table for a second successive season.
The club attended a personal meeting in Welshpool last week when the FAW issued a £325 fine which has been accepted by the club, which pleaded guilty and promised to take action.
Committee member Trevor Owens said : “From the outset, we would make it clear that we felt we had a very fair hearing and the panel did genuinely listen to what we had to say.
“The players need to know that it is very difficult for committee members having to attend such hearings and argue the club’s case when our record was as bad as it undoubtedly was.
“We had to plead guilty to the charge. A look at the Fair Play League would tell you it would have been impossible not to do so.”

The club’s mitigation centred on the fact that it had enforced its own voluntary code of conduct with players fined 50 per cent more for dissent bookings, than for fouls or violent conduct.
“The panel did accept we were trying to improve the situation and that our record had improved over the second half of last season,” added Owens. “We managed to reduce our caution count from 33 prior to the turn of the year to only eight after.
“We will never know if our turning up at the hearing did us any good, in terms of having the fine reduced, but we were at least able to demonstrate we are taking the issue seriously.
“As a club, we cannot afford, in every sense, to finish bottom of the Fair Play League again this season and the committee will be impressing this upon the management team and the players in the strongest possible terms.
“What we have to cut out at all costs is the stupid bookings for dissent and back-chatting referees.
“At the risk of stating the obvious, if players want a bus to an away game or a new kit, they have to play their part by not landing the club in hot water through their own stupidity.
“Fundraising is a continual battle and we can only spend the money once and would all rather not spend it on Football Association of Wales fines.”