Club officials will go before an FA disciplinary panel after crowd trouble forced a referee to abandon a youth match.

The Kent FA launched an investigation into the under 12s match between Rainham 84 and Woodpecker HI Rovers, from Hoo, which was brought to a halt by touchline disorder after 58 minutes on Sunday, October 5.

Witnesses said parents had got out of control, and reports from the referee and the two clubs were submitted to the Kent FA.

This week Kent FA chief executive Paul Dolan said Woodpecker HI Rovers had been charged with “failing to control spectators and causing the match to be abandoned.”

“Woodpecker have requested a hearing,” he added. “They will come in front of the disciplinary commission and explain what happened.”

He supported the referee's decision but stressed such incidents were uncommon.

“He dealt with it as he saw fit,” he said.

“I wasn’t there, but if there are issues on the pitch they deal with it. We’re not naive enough to think these things don’t happen, but they are few and far between.

“In terms of youth football, we’ve got more teams and more referees than ever before.

"That means the Respect programme and the Charter Standard Programme are having a positive impact.

"It’s regrettable that isolated incidents occur, but they’re few and far between. Youth football is in very healthy shape.”

The FA’s respect programme provides a series of tools for leagues, clubs, coaches, referees, players and parents to help ensure a safe, positive environment in which to play football.

The Charter Standard is a Kitemark awarded to clubs and leagues that are well run, sustainable, and place child protection, quality coaching and safety paramount.

Both clubs involved have achieved the Charter Standard.

A date has not yet been set for the hearing.

Earlier this month, former Premiership referee Paul Alcock - who was famously pushed to the ground by Paolo Di Canio in a match between Sheffield Wednesday and Arsenal in 1998 - said referees needed to take stand against unruly touchline behaviour.

Backing the decision to abandon the youth match, he said:“Unless a referee makes a mark and abandons the game it’s going to continue.”

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