NICK Gray, Morpeth Town’s manager, has said his club will donate to 1874 Northwich prize money they receive for a walkover in the FA Vase.

The two teams had been scheduled to meet in a rearranged second round tie last night, Wednesday.

However the North West Counties League side announced their intention to withdraw from the competition the previous day because they could not send enough players to Northumberland.

The clash was postponed from its original date last weekend because the pitch at Craik Park was waterlogged.

Afterwards 1874 appealed, unsuccessfully, for the tie to be moved to this Saturday.

“It’s a sad state – we don’t want to go through like this,” Gray told talkSPORT.

“FA rules say that postponed weekend games at this stage of the competition have to be played by the following Thursday.

“If last Saturday’s game had gone ahead, and ended in a draw, then we would have had to go down there for a replay.

“And our lads would have been in the same position as theirs, having to ask their boss on Monday for time off the following day. It goes both ways.

“We’ve had a bit of stick off Northwich [for not agreeing to play this weekend], but our committee has agreed to send our prize money - I think it's £1,000 - to them.

“I sympathise, no doubt about that. But it’s a national competition, and sometimes you might have to travel midweek.

“We had to take that on board, and would have had the same challenges with travelling arrangements.

"They came up this way on Friday, which was their choice. 

"There's an expense attached to that, not covered by the rules, which is why we've decided to donate the money."

Meanwhile North West Counties League secretary John Deal has criticised the FA, and Morpeth too, for their part in prompting 1874 to end early their involvement in the competition.

He said: “The rules state a postponed match can be played the following Saturday in exceptional circumstances.

“But the FA obviously don’t think a 380-mile round trip, in midweek, is such.

“As a league we’re very disappointed at the FA’s decision [to reject 1874 Northwich’s appeal] and, apparently, the lack of support from Morpeth.

“We had indicated to 1874 that we would happily sanction the cancellation of a Saturday fixture to accommodate an FA Vase tie.

“We’ve always previously released clubs from fixtures when such circumstances have prevailed, and I’d hope they support that decision in the name of good sportsmanship.”