Kingstonian appeal playoff defeat

On a weekend in which violent incidents overshadowed dramatic matches between Sheffield Wednesday and Crystal Palace in the Championship and Luton Town and York City in the Conference playoffs, one attack might actually have a direct effect on footballing matters. It wasn't a large-scale brawl or pitch invasion, it was a gross abuse of trust by one socially-retarded individual who may well have cost his team promotion.

During Boreham Wood's Ryman Premier League playoff victory at home to Kingstonian, K's captain Francis Duku had a 50th minute opening goal disallowed for a foul on the goalkeeper:

Duku thought he had given visitors Kingstonian the lead at Meadow Park when he tapped in from close range after Wood keeper Tony Tucker had spilled a cross. His strike was ruled out by the referee for a foul on Tucker. But before the free-kick could be taken, a man from inside the crowd behind the goal broke onto the pitch, and then allegedly assaulted Duku.

The specific allegation is that the man encroached onto the field of play and punched Duku in the face. Clearly this is entirely unacceptable behaviour, but its implications could reach further than you might imagine.

Boreham Wood reached Saturday's playoff final after finishing fourth in the Ryman Premier table and beating Essex side Aveley 1-0 in their playoff semi-final. Kingstonian won 4-2 in a thrilling game at Surrey rivals Sutton United after the pair finished fifth and second respectively behind champions Dartford. Boreham Wood's 2-0 victory saw Ian Allinson's men secure promotion to the Conference South alongside the Darts, but their upward mobility may yet be in jeopardy thanks to the violent actions of one stupid supporter.

Kingstonian, after discussions withe the players and supporters club, have lodged a formal appeal with league bosses on the grounds that the incident had a lasting effect on the players' performance as second half goals from Ryan Moran and Dewayne Clarke fired Boreham Wood to victory. It will be fascinating to see how that appeal, which will ultimately be heard by the Football Association, turns out.

Earlier in this post I mentioned trust. To our overseas readers that might sound like a strange concept to be considering in a football discussion, but below the sixth tier of English football, there is an element of unspoken trust between clubs and supporters. In most cases, supporters at the lower levels of non-league are not segregated, nor are they heavily 'policed' either by standard Old Bill or by stewards. As a keen supporter of Tooting & Mitcham United, I can say with some confidence that the grounds I've been to in non-league, Imperial Fields included, are not really set up to prevent supporters from making their way onto the pitch.

Saturday's match at Boreham Wood was a little different, according to The Ball Is Round and their first-hand account. Wood's average 250 attendance swelled to over 1,100 for this showpiece occasion, and the resulting measures taken sound as if the club was prepared for an unwanted element being part of the fairweather invasion. TBIR's photos of the day show that the stand behind the goal was busier than the usual Ryman Premier stand, and the police presence was apparently strengthened.

However, I still consider the incident (and other encroachments at Boreham Wood on Saturday) to be as much a breach of trust in non-league as it is a criminal offence. Clubs in non-league have enough problems - as Tooting are experiencing at the moment - without hooligans interfering with their fortunes. As it turns out, the idiotic minority at Boreham Wood on Saturday might well have done the club serious damage.

(Pic via stuartnoelfuller @ Flickr)