Kent County League player for Red Velvet banned for five months after FA charge of improper conduct against a match official

No response to an FA charge of "barging into an assistant referee" was no defence for a player who got hit with a 154-day suspension.

Harry Thompson was playing for Kent County League, Premier Division side Red Velvet at Otford United early on in the season when a red card for the player led to an accusation of making contact with a match official.

The referee submitted an extraordinary report regarding Mr Thompson's misconduct which was investigated by the London FA. The player was charged by the Football Association with improper conduct against a match official but no response was ever submitted, despite plenty of communication between the club and the footballing authority and extended deadlines.

According to documents released following an FA Disciplinary Commission, it was alleged that Mr Thompson, upon being dismissed, "made contact with the assistant referee by way of an action interpreted as a shoulder barge by the match official, or action similar to this."

The deadline required to respond came and went and, according to the commission's report, the club stated that "the player suffers from a condition and there has been difficulty in contacting the player and gaining a response."

Statements were submitted by the referee and the assistant, whom physical contact allegedly took place.

The referee's report said that "during the dismissal of Harry Thompson, he was making his way off the pitch and whilst doing so barged into the assistant referee."

The assistant referee stated that Mr Thompson had been sent off in the 81st minute for a second bookable offence and noted that: "He came towards me shouting and swearing about an incident that had happened a couple of minutes earlier.

"I said I was not prepared to