WOODCOTE Stoke Row manager Ross Weatherstone apologised to Binfield after their Reading Senior Cup semi-final tie had to be abandoned, writes Dave Wright.

Four of his players were shown red cards, along with two from the home side following ugly scenes early in the second half.

“I am obviously disappointed in the reaction of my players,” was his honest admission after last Wednesday’s fiery clash.

“Woodcote Football Club does not condone what just went on and I can assure everyone that this was not a weekly occurrence. I think it was an impulse reaction, but that still does not make it acceptable.”

Weatherstone, pictured, was particularly disappointed as his team were in with a chance of pulling off a shock win over the Hellenic League side and securing a place in next month’s final at Madejski Stadium.

A minute after having their first man sent off, they took a 54th-minute lead through Sam Green and had been playing well enough to suggest they could hold on against a side struggling to find their form.

“When we went one up I fancied us at that stage,” added ex-Oxford United player Weatherstone.

But shortly afterwards his joy turned to despair when a second red card was quickly followed by ugly incidents in front of the WSR bench, and referee Jonathan Was was left with no option than to call the game off with nearly half an hour remaining.

Weatherstone, however, wasn’t happy with the match official.

He said: “I was a bit disappointed with how he managed the game from minute one until he abandoned the game.

“That is just not a reaction to the game at the end, it’s more based on his decisions throughout.”

Binfield manager Roger Herridge sympathised with Weatherstone, saying: “Ross is a great lad. I know he does things the right way and the majority of his team do the right things, but a small minority of his players let him down.

“Ross has got a good pedigree and I feel sorry for him and for 75 per cent of his players.”

After the game, it was confirmed that Was had issued red cards to James Worsfold, Sam Tucker, Gareth Evans and David Rook, who had come off the substitute’s bench to get involved in the ugly flare-up. Grant Kemp and leading scorer Liam Ferdinand were the Binfield players dismissed.

Herridge also felt that Was should have issued a red card rather than a yellow to a WSR defender in the first half for his foul on Kemp.

He said he had some sympathy for Kemp and Ferdinand, claiming his players were only defending themselves.

“What were they expected to do, just stand there and let someone hit them?”

Herridge continued: “Had they (WSR) been sensible and kept 10 players on the pitch, they might have ground out a good victory for themselves.

“We will now have to wait to see what happens with this game. I hope we get a chance to play in the final, but if not, then it’s a really disappointing way to finish the season.

“I apologise to those who witnessed the events. I had not seen anything like it in all my time in football.”

What happens now is down to the Reading Invitation Cup committee headed by Martin Law, the Oxfordshire FA, who will deal with Woodcote, and the Berks & Bucks FA.

But they will need to act swiftly if the final is to be played in May with Saturday the 20th a possible date.