WESSEX League managers have given the thumbs up to the long-awaited ditching of lengthy day bans.

Starting in 2006/07, suspensions in the top two divisions of the Sydenhams League will be dished out in matches rather than days.

In line with the Ryman League, players who are shown the red card will now be given one, two and three-match bans rather than, in some cases, weeks at a time.

Hamble manager Danny Bowers called it a "fantastic" development.

"I said this at the beginning of last year," said Bowers, right.

"I don't think anyone in the league will be against this.

"The players especially will welcome this as anyone can make a mistake in a football match and (under the old rules) they end up missing maybe a month of the season.

"This decision is good for football all round."

AFC Totton assistant manager Sean New agreed.

"This is one up for the league," he said. "It makes sense."

Until now, the archaic day suspension system has placed Wessex clubs at a disadvantage in cup competitions when facing teams from a higher league.

While a sending-off for a Ryman League player might, for example, have been punished with a three-match ban, a Wessex player guilty of the same offence could have got 35 days or more.

The decision was approved at last Sunday's Wessex League AGM.

It is also likely that suspensions will kick in much faster than under the current system.

The FA's Mark Ives is coming to Southampton next month to put clubs in the picture about how the new system will work.

There will be a meeting at the BAT Sports & Social Club on July 3 (7.30pm).

For a full AGM round-up, see tomorrow's Pink.