Bradford get FA Cup lifeline

The Football Association have confirmed that Bradford have been reinstated into the FA Cup.

The League Two club successfully appealed against an initial expulsion for fielding an ineligible player against Brentford in the second round.

The decision means Bradford remain undefeated in every cup game they have faced this season, following their dramatic penalty shootout victory over Arsenal in Tuesday night’s League Cup and progress to the northern area semi-finals of the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy.

The FA confirmed on their website that the original ruling on December 7 to expel the club from the FA Cup because of an administrative error over the registration of on-loan Newcastle defender Curtis Good, was overturned due to a number of factors.

The governing body accepted the ‘genuine error and recognised that corrective action was attempted as soon as the omission was discovered and that no attempt to deceive was made’.

They also asserted that Bradford reported the error prior to the original game against Brentford as well as confirming that Good was eligible for the fixture aside from the administrative oversight.

On this basis, Bradford have been reinstated but forced to pay a fine of 1000 pounds for the mistake.

A Bradford statement said: “We can confirm that on appeal the club has now been reinstated back into the FA Cup competition and has been fined for its actions.

“We deeply regret our breach of the rules and are currently reviewing our procedures to ensure no repeat of this situation.”

The replay of the second-round tie against Brentford will take place at Griffin Park on December 18.