Queen's Park have been eliminated from the Scottish Cup after the fielding of an ineligible player.
Euan Henderson was picked to play by Spiders boss Owen Coyle midweek in a 2-0 fourth round win away at Inverness, which set up a tie with Livingston in the last 16. But the Hearts loanee was registered after the initial tie was postponed due to the weather, which made him ineligible for the rescheduled fixture.
A charge was brought forward to the Championship promotion-chasers by the SFA and they have now been found guilty of breaching Competition Rule 12.5, relating to player eligibility. It's Billy Dodds' side who will now make the journey to West Lothian for a tie with David Martindale's team in a blow for Coyle's men, who also lost top scorer Simon Murray this week to Premiership club Ross County. Queen’s Park President David Hunter said: “We have been advised by the Scottish Football Association that our participation in this season’s Scottish Cup is at an end.
"An error was made regarding the eligibility of a player who featured in Tuesday night’s game with Inverness Caledonian Thistle and we have accepted the SFA’s decision. It is a regrettable mistake, one we will learn from.
“Our team put on a tremendous display on Tuesday to win the tie and obviously today’s result is a hugely disappointing outcome. As upsetting as this matter is, it’s vital that we put this behind us quickly, move on and focus on our league campaign.
"The support we received from our fans on Tuesday was terrific. We are conscious that they invested time and money travelling to the game and I will be speaking to the Supporters Association over the coming days to suggest how the club can recognise the efforts of the travelling support."
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