NORTHWICH VICTORIA have fallen to the bottom of the Evo-Stik NPL Division One South after being deducted ten points for entering administration.
The struggling Vics announced last month that sole director Martin Rushe, who owns 100 per cent of the club’s shares, had put Northwich into administration to “safeguard its future”.
It has been a tough few years for the Vics after they were forced to leave their Victoria Stadium home in 2012 just seven years after it was opened.
They ground-shared at Stafford Rangers, Flixton and currently play their games at Witton Albion although dwindling attendances – their last Evo-Stik NPL South home game attracted just 75 spectators – have made things extremely difficult.
New boss Paul Moore’s task has been made even harder by the NPL’s decision to take ten points off the Vics’ record with immediate effect, meaning they now sit bottom of the table on 13 points.
They are five points adrift of safety and face a fight to avoid relegation to Step 5 for next season.
A Northern Premier League statement read: “Northwich Victoria have been deducted ten points for entering into administration during the 2016-17 season.
“The sanction was imposed on Monday after Northwich Victoria appointed an administrator in December 2016, breaching Rule 14.A.1 which states that ‘if an Insolvency Event shall occur in relation to any Club that Club shall be deducted ten points’.
“As the ‘Insolvency Event’ occurred during the playing season, the points deduction applied immediately under Rule 14.A.2.1 and the expiration of the notice giving the club seven days to appeal to the Football Association.”
