BOURNEMOUTH Sunday League powerhouses Branksome Con have been kicked out of a prestigious cup competition after virtually their whole team was suspended.

The reigning Premier Division champions had no fewer than 10 players banned when they were due to meet Kings Arms Wallisdown in the fifth round of the Robbins Cup.

At a Bournemouth FA hearing last week, Branksome Con were removed from the competition for failing to fulfil the fixture and were hit with a fine of £25.

Although boss Chris Farrell claimed Branksome had nine players available to start the match five minutes AFTER the scheduled kick-off time, referee Paul Byfield pulled the plug.

Kings Arms Wallisdown manager Paul Reilly said he felt Branksome Con had shown his club “a lack of respect” by failing to keep them informed of events on the day.

Branksome Con, who reached the quarter-finals of the national FA Sunday Cup earlier this season, had been hot favourites to beat Division Six outfit Kings Arms Wallisdown.

Farrell told the Daily Echo: “It is a catch-22 because the system has been changed from days to games and, if you don’t play, the suspensions don’t get served.

“Incredibly, we ended up with a situation where we had 10 players suspended, which certainly wasn’t something to be proud of.

“We have consistently struggled to put a side on the pitch due to the number of players we have had suspended and, on paper, our disciplinary record this season has been appalling.

“Also, with Sunday football now, if you want to appeal, you need video evidence and have to pay for an FA panel. If you lose, you could end up with ridiculous costs.

“I am not defending people who have received red cards that have been warranted.

“There are not enough referees in football full stop so I am not going to have a two-bob shot at them.

“We have signed 10 players since Christmas and I think one of them has played one game. People don’t want to play any more.”

Although Farrell felt the tie should have been rescheduled, opposite number Reilly said he thought the decision to remove Branksome Con had been justified.

Reilly told the Daily Echo: “They made no effort to tell us what was going on.

“They didn’t get changed even when they had six or seven players there. They just stood in the car park and made no effort to go into the dressing room.”

Kings Arms Wallisdown secretary Len Cox added: “We want to play football every week and that is the reason we get up on a Sunday morning. We don’t get up to have games called off.”

Daren Hills, secretary of the BFA, confirmed Branksome Con had been removed for not fulfilling the fixture and had been fined £25.

Premier Division leaders East Christchurch SSC were awarded a walkover when Branksome Con failed to raise a team for a league fixture last month.