LEE Rickard has apologised for his part in an abuse case which has seen him slapped with an eight match ban.

As revealed on the Packet Sport website last week, the St Dennis player was one of three, alongside Brett Allen and Guy Carter, given lengthy suspensions by Cornwall FA bosses following an investigation into claims they abused Penryn Athletic's club linesman Tom Blewett.

The incident was sparked when the teams faced each other in a South West Peninsula League West match on February 21 and an injury time strike by Ryan Hayhurst was flagged offside by Blewett.

Emotions ran high with abusive words said to the linesman at Boscowan Park, which later spilled over onto social media.

Speaking to the Packet, Rickard said he was sorry.

“I want to apologise for my actions,” he said.

“Whatever the decision, Tom did not deserve the abuse he received and I will take the ban on the chin.

“This has definitely taught me a lesson and I can only hope that Tom and the club can forgive me as I have friends there and a lot of respect for them.”

Cornwall FA’s governance manager Richard Pallot said it is important teams use things like Twitter responsibly and not abuse others.

“Social media is a fantastic tool for clubs and players to use for communication,” Pallot said.

“But participants in football need to understand that they have to behave responsibly and respectfully.

“Any individuals involved in local football who use social media to be abusive or offensive will be charged and dealt with in the appropriate manner.”

The FA’s advice on using social media can be found at www.thefa.com/my-football/football-volunteers/whatsyourpitch/goingforpromotion/socialnetworks.