MANAGER John Snape has hit out at the blunder that left Worcester City striker Dave Reynolds suspended for a red card he did not receive.

Reynolds, City’s top scorer with 30 goals last season, was forced to miss Tuesday’s 1-0 victory at Coventry Sphinx having been incorrectly listed as the player sent off in the FA Cup replay against Walsall Wood seven days previously.

Defender Luke English, the player who was dismissed, also had to sit out Worcester’s first win of the campaign because City knew he should be banned.

The error was instigated by Ryan Grandison, the referee of the Walsall Wood match, filing the wrong name.

Club officials tried to get clearance from the Worcestershire FA for Reynolds to play from Friday but received “nothing concrete” 15 minutes before kick-off at Sphinx Drive and opted not to risk a fine or points deduction.

The situation further exacerbated City’s injury woes with George Forsyth, Jamie Smith, Kyonn Evans and Nick Turton all sidelined and player-coach Mat Birley only fit enough for a place on the bench.

“How can the referee give the wrong name to the (county) FA for a suspension and how can the FA not turn it over in time for the game? They knew about it for four days,” said Snape.

“I felt like the world was against us from the start because we were down to the bare bones from the off.

“I found it strange. Luckily enough the game went in our favour but I just could not understand the logic. Dave is on YouTube missing a penalty in the shootout against Walsall Wood.

“How can that mistake happen, even at this level of football? I am disappointed but if I moan and groan or say any more than I have then I will probably get fined.

“I think everyone needs to look at themselves to make sure it does not happen again, at any level or at any club.

“I also don’t want to take anything away from a very workmanlike first win of the season.”

A spokesman for the Worcestershire FA’s disciplinary department confirmed the club had been in touch over the problem on Friday and that Grandison had acknowledged his error via email on Tuesday morning.

That email address “was not manned” by any of the four employees with access to it, in part due to staff illness.

“We have been back to the club to explain the reasons and offer an apology,” said the spokesperson.

“The referee made an administrative error when reporting the discipline. He is not a Worcestershire FA match official so while we have referred that to his parent county, that’s all we can do.

“On the day the email (acknowledging the error) was received, there was unfortunately was no one to man that email address.

“There are various things we need to look at, such as people being off ill at short notice, contingencies need to be put in place.

"We would not want to get away from the fact a player has missed out on a game he would have been eligible to participate in.”