Clyde fined and docked four points by SPFL for fielding ineligible player

Clyde have been fined and docked four points by the SPFL for fielding an ineligible player.

Clyde fielded Declan Fitzpatrick in the 1-0 win over Albion Rovers and 1-1 draw against Queen's Park in Scottish League Two in February.

At a disciplinary hearing on Friday, a sub-committee of the SPFL Board charged Clyde with playing an ineligible player and overturned both results to 3-0 wins for Clyde's opponents.

The club have also been fined £1500, with £1000 of that suspended until June 2020, and warned over their future.

Club chairman David Dishon said in a statement: "We are deeply disappointed with the outcome of yesterday's hearing as, despite the fact that we admitted the breach of the SPFL rules, we feel that we put forward a robust and cogent case as part of our defence.

"The case concerned a player, Declan Fitzpatrick, who has been registered with Clyde since September 2018 and was recently on loan at Clydebank.

"The breach occurred as a result of a genuine oversight and a gap in the administrative procedures. This error was not the fault of any individual.

"We feel that the sanction imposed was unprecedentedly harsh.

"The Club now has seven days to decide whether or not to appeal the decision and we will take stock over the weekend and consider our next action. We will make no further comment until the end of this process."

The decision to overturn the result means Clyde have lost ground in the race for the League Two title.

They had been seven points behind leaders Peterhead, but now drop to 11 points below them, and just five ahead of Annan in fourth.