Woodford Town and Mulbarton Wanderers must begin their FA Cup journey again after an administrative ruling overturned Mulbarton’s 2-1 qualifying-round victory. What had appeared to be the Norfolk club’s best-ever run in the competition has been wiped from the record, with a complete replay ordered for Tuesday 29 September.
The news from the club
The Football Association ruled that the second qualifying-round tie had not been played in accordance with the competition rules because of an error in the application of Law 14, which governs penalty kicks.
The disputed moment arrived after 30 minutes, when Woodford were awarded a penalty. Ollie Sotoyinbo converted, but the referee disallowed the goal after judging that several Woodford players had entered the penalty area too early. Rather than ordering the kick to be retaken, the referee awarded Mulbarton an indirect free-kick.
An FA subcommittee subsequently found that this was not the correct restart. The goal should either have stood or the penalty should have been taken again.
Woodford nevertheless went ahead before half-time, with Sotoyinbo scoring in the 42nd minute. Mulbarton turned the match around after the interval: Owen Lane equalised in the 67th minute and Nathan Stone struck in the 97th minute to secure the 2-1 result.
Woodford’s protest was considered by the FA subcommittee, which decided that the procedural mistake was serious enough to invalidate the entire fixture rather than simply amend its outcome.
Mulbarton said it was “deeply upset and disappointed” by the decision. The club believes the ruling raises wider questions about the finality of match results and the integrity of the competition, especially after a win that had marked its most successful FA Cup participation.
The replay date
The sides will replay the tie in full on Tuesday 29 September, with kick-off set for 19:45. Extra time and penalties will be used if required to produce a winner.
