FORMER Bashley player-coach Andy Darnton is still prepared to take the club to court - even though he has won his case with the FA.

Bashley, who are closing in on the Ryman 1 play-off places, have been fined £100 and warned as to their future conduct after being charged with breaching FA rule C1 (b) (ii), which states: 'All players under written contract must be registered with the Association.'

The FA's sanctions and registrations sub-committee have also ordered Bash to pay compensation to Darnton, but the Southampton-based central defender is intent on pursuing a private court case for wrongful dismissal.

Darnton, below, was sacked along with player-manager Dave Wakefield last October, but he took his case to the FA, insisting he still had a playing contract with the club.

He said: "Bashley were adamant all along that I wasn't on contract, but now the FA have found in my favour and Bashley have been ordered to make a compensation payment to me.

"The sum of money is good in the sense that I've won the case, but I will still be pursuing the private court case on May 8 to recover all the monies owed unless Bashley are willing to come to some sort of agreement.

"All this has left a very sour taste in the mouth, but it's been worth waiting for just to have the FA behind me. This could have been settled ages ago for a lot less money than Bashley could end up paying."

However, Bashley executive committee member Richard Millbery said: "We accept our rap on the knuckles from the FA and the £100 fine, but the curious thing is that the amount we've been ordered to pay Andy is less than we actually offered him."

Darnton - a former Bash skipper and veteran of over 170 appearances for the Foresters- hasn't played for any other club since being sacked. But the 36-year-old has vowed to find a new club as soon as the contract saga is over.

l Bashley's play-off bid has been boosted by the arrival of teenage AFC Bournemouth duo James Rowe and Jack Cleverley on an informal loan.

Midfielder Rowe, 19, is part of Sean O'Driscoll's first-team squad but has made only one sub appearance this term, partly due to an injury lay-off.

He recently had a loan spell at Bashley's Ryman 1 rivals Lymington & New Milton. Defender Cleverley, 18, is unlikely to be kept on at Dean Court for next season.