Originally Posted by
Michael Morris
Exeter City have been ordered to replay their FA Cup first-round game with Bradford City after fielding a sixth substitute in Tuesday's extra-time win.
FA Cup rules state teams may not make more than five changes in a tie, including any period of extra time.
Exeter made a sixth change at the start of extra time when Josh Key replaced Sam Nombe and the hosts went on to win 3-0 after a goalless 90 minutes.
The match will be on Tuesday, 30 November at St James Park (19:45 GMT).
An investigation by the FA's Professional Game Board decided that "the result of the match should not stand".
"The PGB deemed that the most appropriate action would be for the match to be replayed in its entirety," a statement from the Football Association added.
Tuesday's game was already a replay after the League Two sides drew 1-1 at the Utilita Energy Stadium on 6 November.
The winners will travel to Cambridge United in the second round on Saturday, 4 December.
'It's an honest mistake'
Exeter City manager Matt Taylor said he and his staff were told by the match officials that they could use a sixth substitute in extra time if all five changes had been made during the 90 minutes.
The decision to replay the tie not only means a 600-mile round-trip for Bradford in 10 days' time, but also that the Grecians will play twice a week for the next four weeks, with the Papa John's Trophy game with Portsmouth due at the end of the month being put back to mid-December.
"We all thought we could use a sixth sub in extra time, we subsequently did so, but it turns out that decision was wrong and we shouldn't have been allowed to do that," Taylor told BBC Sport.
"Bradford tried to make a sixth substitution and that was turned down, so a strange chain of events occurred, and nobody knew what had happened until well after the game when it became apparent on the referee's team sheet."
Taylor was first told there could be a problem in the early hours of Wednesday morning and the FA opened up an investigation later that day.
"I should have done more due diligence as manager, it's my responsibility," he added.
"In the meetings with the officials before the game and during the game the information that was relayed to us was wrong, hence why I think we're still in the competition because we've not tried to cheat the system.
"It's an honest mistake and it's not just ourselves who've made that mistake, but we feel the brunt of that responsibility because it's ourselves who've ultimately been punished."
Bradford manager Derek Adams did not want to comment on the FA's decision to replay the game, but did confirm that the red card shown to striker Lee Angol during the match will stand.
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