: Fri Apr 17, 2009 1:05 pm  

If you allow a team to play a midweek fixture whether home or away to suit when they have their strongest squad available, where is the measure that then discourages teams from scratching fixtures all the way through the year.

Im going back a bit but we travelled to St Albans one year with 14 players (hardly a short trip from Gateshead!!) We finished the game with 9 players on the field but we fulfilled the fixture!!
We had at least 9 or 10 under 18s in the team that day!

As has been stated, the fixtures came out months ago, each team had the opportunity then to voice any concerns about fixtures and rearrange them. If they failed to do so, whether it be bad planning or whatever, the fault lies solely with them, not the other club!

Each situation needs to be addressed individually, as I dont think you can just say if you scratch a fixture then you concede the walkover as it does depend on the circumstances surrounding it, ie: mid way through the season if you have a side decimated by injuries, thats completely different to first 2 weeks in the season.

If players have other commitments that the deem more important, in my opinion you need to look elsewhere for new players....

: Sat Apr 18, 2009 4:03 pm  

minato wrote:

I ARGEE IN THE NORTH WEST COUNTIES JUNIOR LEAGUE IF YOU CANT PLAY THE AWAY FIXTURE YOU FORFIT YOUR HOME ADVANTAGE WHY CANT THIS HAPPEN IN THE SUMMER CONFERENCE

I'm with you Minato, it would be advantageous to a side to have say 13 home fixtures instead of just the 10 at the moment.

The downside is the pitch availability and advertisement problems re-arranging at such short notice.

Is this league not effectively "self-governing"?? I could see the majority of clubs plumping for a rule change that gives home field advantage away if a fixture has been "dodgilly" (sp) postponed