Weymouth will not appeal Ollie Harfield red card

Harfield was deemed to have handballed a shot from Saidou Khan in the Terras' 4-0 loss at Chesterfield on Saturday.

Officials brandished a red card and awarded a penalty against Weymouth, converted by Kabongo Tshimanga.

Having reviewed footage, Weymouth felt the contact with Harfield's upper arm and chest area was unavoidable as the ball was struck with such pace.

However, after mulling over an appeal, Weymouth will settle for the one-game ban.

It means Harfield will miss Saturday's home clash with Altrincham (3pm).

READ MORE: Weymouth angered by Ollie Harfield red card

Speaking to Echosport, manager Brian Stock said: "The fact it's only one game is a little reassuring.

"We did think about appealing, however, we had some advice on that and we felt it was unnecessary.

"We do still feel it was a very harsh decision but there wasn't enough concrete evidence to say it was definitely not a handball.

"We got advice from other officials and contacts in the game. I spent probably 30 minutes after the game speaking to the ref, giving his opinions, views and the rules.

"If he deems it a handball, regardless of whether it's intentional or not, he has to brandish a red card. 

"It's more the fact he felt it was handball and had no alternative but to send him off given the rules of the game."

Terras confirm exit of physio Charlie Kirby

Charlie Kirby, left, has left Weymouth Picture: MARK PROBIN

WEYMOUTH are conducting interviews for a new physio after the exit of Charlie Kirby.

Kirby had been with the Terras since pre-season, where he was widely praised for his role in treating 16-year-old Portland defender Harry Thomas for a serious concussion.

However, Stock has confirmed Kirby's exit.

He said: "We're trying to put an infrastructure in place so it doesn't keep happening. Physios keep coming and going.

"We're trying to get a specialist in to oversee everything. When you look at the players we're playing and the money we're paying them, we've got to look after them."

On Kirby, Stock added: "It was a mixture of everything. We have asked a lot of him,

"He's decided to move on for financial, logistical reasons. It was quite an ask for him to manage a whole squad of players."

National League wins £2m in extra Premier League funding

WEYMOUTH will be one of 23 National League clubs to obtain a share of £2m in extra funding dished out by the Premier League.

Half of the £2m will go to the 23 clubs in Step 1, with the other £1m split between 43 clubs at Step 2.

It means Weymouth stand to receive nearly £43,500 from the Premier League in the wake of revenue lost by the pandemic.

An additional £1m will be handed out by the Premier League in each of the next three seasons to further soften the blow.

In a statement, National League chairman Jack Pearce said: 

National League Chairman Jack Pearce said: “The National League has been in regular discussion with the Premier League and other football organisations to discuss funding throughout the game.

"This latest announcement is brilliant news for National League clubs for which we, as a competition, are extremely grateful.

“We welcome this new funding which comes after the Premier League assisted with the provision of valuable financial support during the pandemic that was crucial to the livelihood of clubs.

"The impact of Covid-19 was particularly severe at our level of the game and this new commitment is a timely boost which will aid clubs in their recovery and enable them to plan for the future.”