NANTWICH Town have blasted league officials for ruining their league and cup double dream.
The jubilation of Saturday's FA Vase victory was followed by disappointment on Monday, when a 1-1 draw with Salford virtually ruled them out of the Division One promotion race.
Manager Steve Davis and chairman Clive Jackson are furious at the fixture pile-up which made their final run-in a near impossible mission.
They reckon the schedule, which featured three away games in five days, was unfair. Fellow contenders Cammell Laird have been allowed to extend their season well into next week.
Davis said: 'Why we are being made to play on the Monday, Wednesday and Friday, straight after the Vase final last Saturday?
'I don't have a squad of 35 players.
How can you do it? These lads had to go back to work after winning the Vase, and then play 48 hours later.
'Injuries have started to mount up, which is inevitable.I had conversations with the league but got nowhere.'
Jackson added: 'It is difficult to accept when other teams have been allowed to spread their games over extra days.'
Alsager Town are set for UniBond football next season as the Dabbers are now unable to overhaul their third position.
The FA is set to make an announcement in the next few days on how the restructuring of the non-league pyramid will affect the North West Counties League Division One.
It is understood that the top three will go up, but Nantwich have not given up hope that a fourth promotion spot will be announced.
Jackson added: 'We are still hoping that Lady Luck will shine on us. It is a long shot but we won't rule it out until told otherwise.'
Nantwich have to get three points from their last two games, at Congleton Town tonight and at Bacup Borough on Friday, to be sure of fourth place.
Whatever happens, the Dabbers will be able to look back on one of their best ever seasons. Davies added: 'I could never have imagined we would have done so well. We got 40 points last season and have already doubled that, and won the Vase.'
