Skeates, boss of Andover Town, expressed disbelief after a Hampshire Premier Football League match was abandoned. All 11 Paulsgrove players walked off at half-time fit and well while Andover led 7-0. They returned with only seven players, claiming four had been injured in the changing room.
Andover scored immediately to make it 8-0, after which Skeates called the situation "a complete farce." The league declined BBC Sport's request for Paulsgrove's contact details, though the club's X account claimed players were genuinely injured. Andover Town will submit a formal report. The Hampshire Premier Football League is investigating the abandonment.
Andover Town sits mid-table in the 16-team, 12th-tier league, while Paulsgrove occupy the bottom spot having lost all 10 games this season, including three defeats by eight goals or more.
Source: BBC Sport Football · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing