David Seligman has described Faithfold A as disrespectful after Heaton Park Rovers’ Peter Morrison Trophy tie was called off at the 11th hour.
The HPR boss was angered by the late postponement — the second time the Manchester club have progressed in the competition due to a forfeit.
But that doesn’t tell the full story. The first-round tie, due to be staged in the capital last month, was called off after Faithfold B forfeited.
And history repeated itself when the A-team cried off at short notice ahead of the second-round clash.
Seligman: “We enjoy testing ourselves in the national competition against London clubs. So for another postponement to take place is really frustrating.
"It’s a lack of respect. I don’t blame their manager, who was desperate to get the game on. But his players should take a good hard look at themselves."
Competition organisers were criticised at the start of the season for changing the format of the national cup into an open draw, having previously run with northern and southern sections. Seligman said: “A lot of preparation has gone on once again at our end — and a ball hasn’t been kicked in either game. To be honest, we are livid and it’s bad form.
"It's not good enough that a Premier Division side are only capable of fielding eight players. It’s insulting to us.
"For some reason it appears that the journey from London to Manchester is a lot longer from Manchester to London."
Faithfold chairman Ben Lewis admits that the club forfeit with a heavy heart. “It was a very tough decision,” he said.
"We spent the past two weeks trying to get a squad together, so it was not for the lack of trying. Most of the regulars had genuine reasons, such as family commitments or injury, but one or two were maybe not bothered.
"One or two missed a real opportunity to play in the cup for the first team which has won the competition a few times before, so it’s a shame for them."
Faithfold told Heaton and competition organisers of their decision less than 48 hours before kick-off.
Lewis said: "I'm sure if the game had been in London then we would have been able to play, but it wasn’t Heaton’s fault that we had some late drop-outs.
"That said, we haven’t struggled in the past when it gets to the latter stages."
Faithfold boss Zuriel Solomon described the decision to open the early rounds of the cup competition as "a bad idea”. He said: “The cost of football and commitment of players just does not warrant it."
Additional reporting by Darren Witcoop
