TWO players have been banned from playing football until March 10, for their part in fight following a match between Newquay and St Austell.

Lee Whetter, a former captain of St Austell, and teammate Ben Douglas hit the national headlines in late October when they were involved in a fracas with Newquay fans at the end of a heated game between the two clubs.

The match, which saw Douglas sent off and Whetter storm into the grandstand to put an opposing fan in headlock, saw the players suspended and hauled before the Cornwall County FA (CCFA) to face disciplinary charges.

A statement from the CCFA, said: “The two AFC St Austell players who were charged with assault pleaded guilty to the charges. Lee Whetter and Ben Douglas were each banned for 140 days and fined £100. A reduced fine was imposed in recognising that both players had agreed to undertake 40 hours work on a football project in the St Austell area that will be supervised by the local police. The community work is an agreement between the police and Ben Douglas. They will both do 40 hours unpaid work on building the Phil Smith Stand at Charlestown Football Club’s new ground.”

The length of the ban has come in for criticism from some sections of fans and players in Cornish football, who felt it was lenient.

However, the CCFA said that the suspension of 140 days was the standard punishment recommended by the Football Association’s disciplinary procedures for players at the level which Whetter and Douglas play at.

The 140-day suspension started on October 21 after the referee’s report had been received by the CCFA. Therefore the last day of the ban in March 9. The two clubs, Newquay and St Austell were also brought before the CCFA disciplinary panel to face charges that they failed to control players and/or spectators taking part in a mass melee at the match in question.

A statement from the CCFA, said: “The charge against AFC St Austell was found proven and the club was fined £500 and severely warned as to future conduct, £250 of the fine was suspended for 12 months.

“The charge against Newquay FC was also found proven and the club was fined £200 and severely warned as to their future conduct, £100 of the fine was suspended for 12 months.”