Drayton handed semis ticket as Wem pull out

Market Drayton Town will get a bye to the semi-finals of the Shropshire Challenge Cup - after Wem Town refused to play tomorrow evening's last eight tie.

The two north Shropshire sides were originally scheduled to play on Saturday, January 9 but the match was called off due to the weather.

Competition rules state the match should then be played on the following Saturday or Sunday, or on a mutually agreed date.

With Market Drayton not being released for another Saturday by the UniBond League however, the Shropshire FA instead ordered it to be played tomorrow evening. But Wem say they cannot fulfil a midweek fixture and accuse the Shropshire FA of being in breach of their own rules.

Club secretary Cyril Pritchard insisted they had not withdrawn from the competition, but had effectively been thrown out.

"There was no mutual agreement to play it midweek, we were told by the Shropshire FA without any consultation," said Pritchard.

"Our manager is working nights, we have players on shift patterns and we'd have lost at least six of our first team. We feel we have been unfairly treated. The UniBond League don't recognise the Challenge Cup, but it was the Shropshire FA's decision to move Drayton down from the Senior Cup."

Shropshire FA Spokesman Neil Sambrook said: "Our own rule is very difficult to enforce, with Market Drayton being a Step Four club. We did persuade the UniBond League to release Drayton to play on the Conference date (January 9), but they are under no obligation to do so again.

"It's disappointing for Wem, but once the game was called off on the original date it was always going to be a midweek game."