BELS are three points better off and now eight clear of the chasing pack going into this weekend’s round of Division One games.

The GFA board this week ruled that Ian Champion’s side should be awarded a 3-0 win from the Boxing Day match Rovers refused to contest, claiming a shortage of players.

Rovers were also fined £50.

‘We just applied the rules,’ said GFA chairman Mark Le Tissier (pictured), who initially had talked about possible expulsion when Rovers made it clear that they would not be fielding a team for a controversial proposed full complement of Division One games the day after Christmas.

Bels could, theoretically, go 11 clear with a home win over bottom-of-the-table Sylvans at the Track tomorrow.

Although Clive Bateman’s side dumped Bels out of the Stranger Cup in arguably the shock result of the season to date, it would take a very foolish man to bet on it happening again tomorrow, such has been the westerners’ steady decline.

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