The FA Cup qualifying match between Mulbarton Wanderers and Woodford Town will be replayed after a refereeing error led to the original result being voided. Woodford Town had protested the outcome of their 2-1 defeat last weekend, citing a mistake in how the referee applied the laws following a penalty incident in the first half.
Woodford scored from a penalty but the goal was disallowed due to encroachment by their own players. The referee then awarded an indirect free kick to Mulbarton, a decision Woodford challenged with the English Football Association. The club argued that the correct ruling under Law 14 should have been either allowing the goal or ordering a penalty retake.
An FA sub-committee reviewed the case and concluded that the referee made a technical error. They determined that the match had not been completed in accordance with the 2026-27 FA Cup Rules and ordered a full replay. Woodford announced the decision in a statement on Friday, confirming that the fixture would be replayed in its entirety on Tuesday.
Mulbarton initially received news that the protest was dismissed. However, Woodford appealed further and the FA’s rules sub-committee overturned the original decision. The Mulbarton club expressed deep disappointment in their own statement, saying they were “upset and disappointed by this decision, the impact that it will have upon our football club, and the potential wider implications regarding the finality of results for any FA Cup match in the future played by any team and the integrity of the game as a whole.”
This case follows a less consequential refereeing error involving Manchester United earlier this month, where the club was simply given a mea culpa after their 1-0 loss to Manchester City. Unlike that incident, this one has led to a complete replay of the match.
The FA Cup qualifying rounds often feature lower-division sides like Mulbarton Wanderers and Woodford Town, where the margins for error can significantly affect progression. The ruling sets a precedent regarding how refereeing errors are treated in these early rounds, especially when a misapplication of the laws directly impacts the match result.
The fixture will now be replayed in full on Tuesday, with both clubs preparing for a fresh contest after the original result was annulled. No further details on the venue or kickoff time have been announced.
According to Yahoo Sports.