A HEREFORDSHIRE football club is hoping to get extra-time to play its remaining fixtures after the foot-and-mouth crisis showed the red card to home games.

Bromyard Town FC, in the West Midlands League Premier Division, could be relegated because of the disease.

The club has been unable to stage any matches at its Delahay Meadow ground since Thursday, March 8 because it falls within an exclusion zone around Bringsty.

Last week the club announced it would resume home fixtures on Easter Monday. But a fresh outbreak at Avenbury, near Bromyard, has postponed these further.

The team still has 14 games to play and in normal circumstances would be fined by the league for every missed match.

Club officials were due to meet with the league bosses this morning to discuss the situation.

Bromyard Town FC hopes to extend its season by a further three weeks in order to meet their remaining fixtures.

"Hopefully we can get this resolved, one way or another," said club chairman Tony Watkins.

"They have already extended the season by one week, and I'm not sure if they'll give us another three.

"If not then we'll have to stop playing.

"I don't think we could be blamed for this.

"There are a lot of farmers around our ground and we don't want to be making any enemies, not in a small town like Bromyard."

This is the first season the club has been in the Premier Division and Mr Watkins says he hopes the players can continue in the same division next season.

"The league could try and fine us, but I don't think that would work," said Mr Watkins.

"It's not our fault that we can't play our matches.

"We've been playing football in this town for more than 100 years and apart from the wars this is the first time we've been forced to stop playing."

Visitors to Delahay Meadow have been asked to respect the precautions that are in place and to make use of the disinfectant mats and dips.

6 Foot-and-mouth disease has been confirmed at Green Hill Farm, Woolhope, near Hereford.

It is the 36th outbreak in the county since the crisis began in February.

MAFF has yet to confirm any details of the livestock to be slaughtered.