Club fined after skipping game to grieve for striker

A JUNIOR football club has been fined for missing a match – the day after the funeral of one of its players.

Top goalscorer Adam Cheetham died in December at the age of just 27 after battling cancer for two years.

His teammates at Dunbar United were granted a one-match reprieve directly after his death by East Region South Division but were turned down when they asked for a second day off after the funeral.

The club was fined 100 for not turning up to its fixture against Stoneyburn on 19 December – even though it was unlikely to have gone ahead because the pitch was covered in snow.

Club vice-chairman Alistair Paterson said: "When we heard the verdict we were totally disgusted.

"It's not about the fine, it's about doing what's right."

Mr Cheetham's father John said: "I just find it very difficult to understand why anyone would go to these sorts of lengths when it was a very difficult situation for the club and the players."

The league defended its decision to fine the club and said that Dunbar had accepted the punishment.