Bashley FC chair Paul Lucas fumes as club forced into 400-mile round trip to Mousehole twice in a week

BASHLEY FC’s chair has hit out as the club and fans face an unenviable travel – and financial – situation in the next two away games.

The New Forest side were already surprised to be facing their longest Southern League journey of the season – to Mousehole in the west of Cornwall – this Saturday.

Then, having reached the next stage of the FA Cup by winning at Fareham last weekend, Monday’s draw for the preliminary round bizarrely landed them with a repeat of that 400-mile round trip down to near Land’s End a week later.

Bashley chair Paul Lucas said: “Great respect to our colleagues down in Cornwall, but for us to make such an arduous journey there on two successive Saturdays, especially at this time of year, is neither ideal nor, in my opinion, particularly fair.

“I believe that some stronger form of regionalism should come into force at the early stages of cups, particularly in these extreme cost-of-living times.

“How are clubs that are already on the breadline expected to cover the type of costs we are about to incur in the next week? Luckily we are not in that sort of dire financial situation, but we certainly do not have money to throw around.”

“Our travel costs will be significant, not least because the team will need hotel accommodation. We can’t ask them to take a five-hour journey by car or coach then go out and play for crucial points or a place in the next round of the FA Cup.

“And let’s spare a thought for our fans as well. We have a very loyal following. For the cup-tie we will be subsidising the cost of coach travel on a first-come-first-served basis. The return trip for fans will be just £20.”