Suspension bridge

You have to feel sorry for Droylsden.

They have been kicked out of the FA Cup for fielding a suspended player, Sean Newton, in their 2-1 win over Chesterfield in the second round. Newton scored both the goals in the FOURTH match between the two sides as Droylsden became the umpteenth side to be confused by bizarre FA suspension regulations.

A similar thing happened to Bury in 2006 when they fielded an unregistered player so there appears little chance that the Bloods' appeal will be successful tomorrow.

But one thing is clear: the FA's suspension system and the way they adminster it is bizarre to say the least.

Players are supposed to be suspended seven days after collecting five, 10 and 15 yellow cards for the season. This is in contrast to a sending off whereby players are immediately suspended for the next game. I cannot understand the inconsistency here.

If you look at the FA's own website, the list of players suspended are very confusing - http://www.thefa.com/TheFA/Disciplinary/SuspensionLists. Presumably this info is relayed to club's but is very unclear.

I think two things should happen as a result of this sorry saga:

1. The FA's suspension system should be re-organised and made clearer for clubs and fans alike.
2. Is it really that bad for a player to collect five yellow cards across half a season (and potentially 30 matches)? Especially as players now get booked for breathing too heavily during games! Make it 10 yellow cards until action is taken - that would be much easier for the FA to adminster and make everyone's lives easier - especially the poor Droylsden secretary!