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It now looks as though Chesterfield could be facing a much stiffer penalty. With Cardiff earning promotion in their own right there can be no calls for us having gone up on the back of Chesterfields misfortune.

Report from www.skysports.com
Third Division leaders Chesterfield will find out if they face further punishment for alleged financial irregularities on Tuesday, May 1.

The Football League's board of directors has told its disciplinary panel to reconsider its decision to dock the Spireites nine points and fine them £20,000, claiming the punishment is too lenient.

The panel will meet in Leeds to re-assess the allegations, which raises the possibility that Chesterfield may yet face further, and possibly heavier, punishment for the 90 charges brought against them.

The Spireites were found guilty of two of the 90 charges - of under-reporting gate receipts and financial irregularities in the transfer of Luke Beckett from Chester City - but the disciplinary panel may now impose a stiffer sentance that could wreck the Saltergate-based club's promotion dreams.

Chesterfield top Division Three with 86 points and while a nine-point punishment would still leave them near-certainties for automatic promotion in third place, any increased action would severely affect their chances of going up.

Report from www.icwales.ic24.com
The Football League's board of directors today decided not to ratify the nine-point deduction recommended by their disciplinary panel for Third Division leaders Chesterfield.

The panel had suggested the Spireites be docked the points, and fined £20,000, after being found guilty of two of the 90 charges brought against them following allegations of financial irregularities.

There was widespread criticism of the leniency of the panel's recommended punishment, and the club decided not to appeal against it on Friday.

But a statement from the League today read: "The Board, after considering the written judgment, decided not to ratify the proposed points deduction and requested that the panel reconvene to consider the level of the penalty."

Football League chief executive David Burns said the punishment recommended by the panel was too lenient.

"This has been a most complex investigation undertaken by the Football League," he said. "As a result of the findings of guilt by the panel, the board considers that the recommendation to deduct nine points does not sufficiently reflect the damage brought to the integrity of the competition and accordingly have asked the panel to reconvene to consider the matter afresh."

Officials at Chesterfield, who would have dropped to third place had the nine-point deduction been rubber-stamped, were upset to hear that the League considered the punishment too lenient.

Chief executive John Green said: "I'm extremely disappointed but we need to consider what our next move is in the next 24 hours."

The club's assistant manager Ian Banks added: "We all thought it was done and dusted. We thought that was it - and it just keeps going on. It's one thing after another."