[Devongone]

Yes Snoots you are right. If you play an ineligible player you should be kicked out, but I've seen this kind of FA decision back when I was involved in local football. Their decision says they know their rule is pointless and just one more matchstick to trip up the unwary, but they also can't let Stockport go out of the competition having played against a nominally ineligible player. So the nice old boys compromise, they add together two wrongs and hope that will make a right everyone can live with.

Why doesn't every loan agreement automatically assume the loaning club agrees to the player appearing in any game played by the loanee club, but also allow the loaning club to indicate if it doesn't want the player becoming cup-tied by appearing in the FA Cup for instance? Then the Loan agreement itself would specify any ineligibility to his temporary club as well.

Every year clubs fall foul of FA Cup rules. And now there is no need. If rules operate to make things worse, we are right to challenge them.