Workington Reds are officially safe in the NPL Premier Division.
They had virtually clinched safety with Saturday’s 2-0 win over Prescot Cables needing just a point from their last two games, while Matlock would have to win both to have a chance of staying up.
But the Gladiators will go down after news broke that they had been docked points for fielding an unregistered player.
In a statement Matlock Town said: “We can confirm that our club has been notified of a pending points deduction due to an administrative error made by our club secretary at the Hyde United fixture.
“The imminent punishment, namely the deduction of the three points gained from the fixture, will, unfortunately, seal our inevitable fate with relegation to the NPL Division One confirmed.
“Everyone at the club is extremely upset at how this season has ended, none more so than our club secretary responsible for the error who has taken full responsibility and who has issued his unreserved apologies.
“The penalty will be received due to playing an ineligible player, namely Joshua Smith, whose youth loan from Accrington Stanley had ended. This was not picked up by us nor his parent club until after the fixture due to him missing several weeks previously through injury.
“Please be mindful at this difficult time that our staff are predominantly volunteers who dedicate large parts of their lives to the club. This is a human error and we are all saddened by our season’s outcome.
“All club members will today receive an email with the options for moving the club forward next season. These options are a continuation of fan-led ownership or the changeover to the private ownership model providing investment.”
Reds can now relax and enjoy their last two games – Morpeth Town (away Easter Monday) and Ashton United (home next Saturday).
