THE future of the prestigious Centenary Southampton Senior Cup final at the St Mary’s Stadium this season has been placed firmly back into the hands of the Southampton FA today.

After last night’s highly-charged meeting of angry quarter-finalists at the Stoneham Arms in Southampton, the remaining clubs have joined together to give the SFA one last chance to save their 100-year-old competition, writes DEREK HAWKINS.

The upshot is that Stoneham secretary Geoff Smith, whose club called the meeting, has been instructed by those present to write to the SFA Secretary Dave Munday asking the Association to formally request that Winchester City withdraw from the competition.

That request is backed up by the fact that five of those quarter-finalists present last night WILL potentially pull out of the competition – if Winchester City remain.

“Rather than five clubs pull out tonight, the sensible thing to do is go back to the Southampton FA and ask them to approach Winchester City to withdraw and hand it back some creditability,” said Smith.

A recommendation will also go forward at the Puma Engineering Hampshire Premier League AGM in June, that their clubs – five of whom make up this season’s last eight – boycott any future competitions.

Any boycott of the competition would be hugely embarrassing for Winchester City secretary John Moody, who is also the Chairman of the PEHPL.

All the bad feeling stems from the SFA’s rule change last summer that effectively hands Winchester City a home tie in every round because the Southern League won’t let them play SFA ties on a Saturday.

Also City appeared to have clearly broken at least two rules – an ineligible player [Jono Richardson] against Stoneham in the second round and the club not playing Netley Central in the following round by the due date of November 15.

Nursling player/manager Pat McManus said: “What's the point of being in the competition if the prize is to play Winchester City in the final? It makes a mockery of what is a senior competition.”

Stoneham manager Wayne Simpson added: “As a prominent football club in this area, Winchester City need to do the honourable thing and withdraw. Unfortunately, I don’t believe the words ‘honourable’ and ‘Winchester City’ go together anymore.”