A Batley man jailed for crowd violence at a Huddersfield Town play-off final is at the centre of the issue which has controversially relegated a non-league football club.
Isthmian League Premier Division side Thurrock will drop to the North section after the FA rejected their appeal against a three-point deduction for fielding Joel Barnett, who was ineligible having played for a Sunday side in Wakefield which folded with unpaid fines.
Barnett, a former Scunthorpe United junior player, was jailed in October 2011 along with his father Paul and his brothers Jotham and Jordan after all four admitted affray during the League I play-off final against Peterborough at Manchester United’s Old Trafford stadium the previous May.
The quartet were subsequently banned for life by Huddersfield Town from watching games at the John Smith’s Stadium.
Thurrock – for whom striker Barnett played four times at the start of the 2012-13 season, most crucially in the 2-0 win against Lewes – argued that the player was not aware of his ineligibility because he was in prison at the time Wakefield team Wilton folded with outstanding debts to the West Riding Football Association.
Their failed appeal means a reprieve for Carshalton who would otherwise have been relegated.
Thurrock owner Tommy South said: “I’m absolutely devastated. We’ll appeal again. It’s a disgrace. It all happened 11 months ago and we were not told we were relegated until after the season ended on May 7.
“We feel we had mitigating circumstances and I feel like I don’t want to be involved in football anymore.”
Barnett also played for Bishop’s Stortford and Tilbury after being released from prison. His ineligibility came to light in January when he joined Harlow who found out about his suspension.
Bishop’s Stortford, of the Conference North, escaped with as fine because Barnett only played in pre-season games while Tilbury, of the Isthmian League North Division, were docked 18 points.
