FORMER Redditch club captain Lee Knight has ignited a war of words with his old club after claiming he has been left to carry the can after an incident back in October.

The row concerns a scuffle at the end of the FA Cup defeat at home to Arnold Town on Saturday, October 12.

Tempers were running high after the visitors grabbed a lucrative late winner and there was a melee on the edge of the pitch immediately after the final whistle.

Knight was in the thick of the action and admits he swore at the opposing manager but has now been handed a three match ban and £75 fine for violent conduct, which he says is because someone at the club has blamed him for any physical voilence in the incident.

The fans' favourite, who departed for Solihull Borough a fortnight later, claims he has been 'stitched up.'

"One or two of our fans swung a punch at their centre forward," said Knight, who was in the Solihull team who ironically lost 2-0 to Redditch on Saturday.

"Their manager said something and I swore at him.

"As club captain, the chairman asked me what had happened and I told him and admitted swearing.

"Now I have had a letter from the FA saying I have been given a three match ban and £75 fine and I think someone at Redditch has written to the FA blaming me for the incident because I had left the club and I would be fined rather than them."

Redditch chairman Neil Pagett denied the club had said anything to the FA about the player.

"We categorically deny what Lee has accused us of," he said.

"We were asked about crowd control by the FA and admitted we should have had more stewards to keep people away from the players' tunnel given the size of the crowd.

"We were never asked to give any evidence on Lee Knight by the FA so we did not do so.

"Our only contact came when we notified the FA that Knight had moved clubs to join Solihull.

"Any punishment since handed out to Lee has been based purely on the referee's report."

And club secretary Colin Lowe pointed the finger of blame squarely at the FA.

"The initial paperwork was a letter to the club which we dealt with, and a letter addressed to Lee Knight which I gave to him because he was a Redditch player at that point.

"We then had a letter addressed to Lee about the ban despite having informed the FA he had changed clubs.

"I rang up the FA and they confirmed their records said he was a Solihull player.

"The person I spoke to admitted it was a mistake and asked me to send the documents back which I did that evening."

The letter giving details of Knight's punishment was dated January 17 but was not received by the player until yesterday (Tuesday) by which time the deadline for payment of the fine or for lodging an appeal had expired.

A spokesman for Solihull Borough said the club had no comment to make because Knight was not a Solihull player at the time of the offence.

The no-nonsense defender intends to appeal.