WHATEVER happened to a level playing field?

It's supposed to be the beauty of our fair game, that no matter where you're playing - in the park or the Premiership - everyone is treated the same.

When you walk out onto that pitch, all prejudices are forgotten and every man is equal.

But it appears the game is not as beautiful as we first thought.

When Altrincham brought in a player, James Robinson, last season from Accrington Stanley, they did so in good faith that he had been properly registered.

It later emerged that the relevant international clearance had not, in fact, been obtained for him after he had spent a short spell in Iceland.

Alty were slapped with an 18-point deduction and a £1,000 fine for fielding an ineligible player according to league rules and when they appealed to the FA claiming mitigating circumstances it was turned down because, they were told, rules are rules.

"The appeal board had no option but to reject the appeal as Football Conference rules do not allow discretion on the matter of sanctions for specific breaches of rules."

But it seems that isn't exactly the case.

When an administrative error saw Ryman League side AFC Wimbledon slapped with an identical 18-point deduction and a £400 fine, also for fielding an ineligible player, it seemed they would suffer the same fate as the Robins.

Yet when they appealed to the FA last week, their penalty was reduced to just three points, rubbishing any suggestion that football's governing body could not interfere with individual leagues' rules.

An FA statement read: "The appeal board ruled that, although the Ryman League had not misinterpreted its rules on eligibility and the decision to deduct 18 points was wholly in accordance with those rules, given the specific and unusual circumstances the deduction of 18 points was excessive."

So why were Altrincham informed that mitigating circumstances could not be taken into account? Perhaps Ryman League rules are less rigid than those governing the Conference.

But not even that seems to be true, since the Ryman League have themselves expressed their disappointment over the FA's decision.

"The decision of the FA confirms that the league acted correctly and that it did not misinterpret its own league rule and that the deduction of 18 points was wholly in accordance with the rules," said a Ryman League statement on the issue.

"It is therefore difficult to understand how the appeal board can make such a finding and then vary the decision of the league."

Where is the consistency in the FA's decision-making?

Surely the fact that Altrincham brought in Robinson in good faith is an unusual' circumstance. Do they not deserve to be treated the same as AFC Wimbledon?

"It seems that it's not what you know, it's who you know - Tony Blair stood up in support of them and then they get a reduction in their punishment," said Alty chairman Geoff Goodwin.

"I was told rules are rules, so if they are, why are there two sets of them?

"We wasted £7,000 of the club's money - money we could barely afford - to be insulted like this. I'm angry and heartbroken because Altrincham FC will always have a slur on their name.

"I don't wish anything bad on AFC Wimbledon, it's not about them, it's about the FA."

SAM is calling on its readers to show their support for the club and sign our petition to have the 18 points deducted from last season's record fully reinstated.

Graham Heathcote's part time side deserve credit for surviving in the Conference on a shoestring budget and only when the record books show their full points total will they get that credit.

So click here to sign our petition.