Red card shown to Maidenhead due to free agent transfer against York City

However, despite the club's appeal and Massey's one-match ban being overturned, the suspension was transferred to team-mate Will de Havilland.

In-form strikers Ollie Pearce, Tyrese Sinclair, Ashley Nathaniel-George, Adam Crooks and Luka Thomas were all Minstermen back in the afternoon for a memorable National League summit at the LNER Community Stadium. became the target of

As for Maidenhead, assistant manager Ryan Peters was furious that the first three goals were all avoidable and were all their own doing.

With the Magpies leading 4-1 in the 50th minute, Massey was mistakenly shown a second yellow card for a tackle on Pearce by de Havilland.

However, the match officials awarded the penalty to the wrong player and Massey was shown a second yellow card and sent off from the field.

At a meeting of the FA's regulatory committee on Tuesday, it was found that Massey's second yellow card was due to “difference in status”, with de Havilland being handed a penalty for his involvement instead.

They also concluded that de Havilland should have been given a one-match suspension, rather than Massey, who received two yellow cards during the match, as de Havilland was cautioned late in the match.

De Havilland was eligible to play Brighton Under-21s in the National League Cup group game at home to Maidenhead (a match they won 2-1) but was substituted for Saturday's local derby. He will be suspended from the FA Trophy third round, which will be played at neighboring Slough Town.

The FA's decision has caused confusion and anger among club officials, with many saying on social media that de Havilland should have been shown a second yellow card if he had been correctly warned earlier in the process. He argues that it may not have happened.

Others feel Maidenhead may have been penalized twice, as Massey could have remained on the field for more than 40 minutes remaining in the game had it not been for the mistake.

I can't believe how they came to the conclusion that a genuine mistake was compounded by handing Will a further suspension based on his two yellow cards. When only one appears during a match! 1.5 games without a center back instead of 0!

— Peter Griffin (@griif10) December 4, 2024

Chairman Peter Griffin said: “I can't believe how they reached a result that compounded a genuine mistake by handing Will a further suspension for his two yellow cards.

“When only one card appeared during the match! 1.5 games without a center back instead of 0! ”