The FA have held an inquiry into player eligibility in respect of the Reading team that beat the Palace Ladies in the FA Cup third round a couple of weeks ago.
They have announced that the result of the tie has been declared invalid which means that the the Eagles have been reinstated to the competition and progress to the fourth round.
Palace will now make the short journey to Charlton Athletic on Sunday 8th March in a bid to reach the fifth round for the first time in the club’s history.
The player eligibility issues concerned two players who signed for Reading between the initially scheduled match on Sunday 1st February, which was postponed, and the actual date the game was played on Sunday 8th February. FA rules state that only those players registered by 31st January were eligible for the match, irrespective of the date of completion.
The following statement was provided exclusively to TEB by a spokesman for the Palace Ladies;
As a club, we very much sympathise with Reading who played very well and deserved to win on the day. This will be very hard for them to take and we know that this would have been an honest mistake, something that we are all susceptible to. However, The FA have been clear on the rules and ensure that this rule is identified before every round of the competition, and whilst it is through the misfortune of others, we will now be working very hard in planning for the game at Charlton, a fixture that we know will be tough, but has the potential for incredible rewards.
The magic of the FA Cup is well and truly back with the Palace Ladies and they will be seeking your much needed support for the next round.
You can find out more about the Palace Ladies on Twitter, Facebook and their own website.
