Dockers to make official complaint over Yiadom saga

Sunday 26th July 2009

ERITH TOWN boss Steve O’Boyle says his club will make an official complaint to The Football Association, claiming that Sittingbourne “tapped-up” one of his players, writes Stephen McCartney.

Greenwich based winger, Ben Yiadom, 25, had signed non-contracted, Kent League forms for Erith Town earlier in the month and played for O’Boyle’s side against Gary Abbott’s Sittingbourne last Wednesday, which Sittingbourne won 3-1.

However, Yiadom played 64 minutes for Ryman League Division One South side Sittingbourne - and scored the only goal of the game against Hythe Town at Bourne Park yesterday.

Yiadom was quizzed why he was playing for Sittingbourne, when he should have turned out for the Dockers’ against Chipstead.

“My bother, whose a scholar (at Watford), he’s down the coast (Dover), so I had to come down and support him,” came his reply.

A list of fifteen names that were playing for Sittingbourne, were written on a piece of paper and handed into the press box ten minutes into yesterday’s game at Bourne Park, and a “Ben Yeoman” was listed at number 11.

However, an eagle eyed Hythe Town official spotted that Yiadom was in fact the player playing on the wing, and to make matters worse, scored the only goal of the pre-season friendly inside the first minute of the second half.

A furious O’Boyle revealed that he wasn’t aware that Yiadom was going to turn out for Abbott yesterday - and was told by one of his players yesterday evening, having read the match report on www.kentishfootball.co.uk.

O'Boyle received a text message from Yiadom, nicknamed "Tom Tom", on Saturday morning, informing the manager that he was going to go down the coast with his brother.

A statement released by Erith Town and sent to www.kentishfootball.co.uk added, “Erith Town would like to put on record and say we had no knowledge of Ben Yiadom playing for Sittingbourne on Saturday against Hythe Town.

“We hosted Sittingbourne just three days previous in a pre-season friendly and are totally disgusted the way that Sittingbourne have handled the whole affair.

“A club at Ryman League level should act professionally and follow procedure for contacting the club the player is signed to.

“Erith Town are totally shocked at reading Sittingbourne’s match report on Kentish Football that Erith Town’s player had actually scored the winner for Sittingbourne yesterday and we feel they have totally disrespected Erith Town and we are looking to making a complaint against Sittingbourne.”

Twelve months ago, you may recall, that Yiadom was involved in a bitter row between Kent League sides Croydon and Erith & Belvedere, before penning a contract for Croydon.

Visit Erith Town’s website: www.erithtown.com

Erith Town v Cray Wanderers

Pre-Season Friendly

Wednesday 29th July 2009

Kick Off 6:45pm

At Meridian Sports, Charlton Park Lane, London SE7 8QS