FOOTBALL'S age-old habit of throwing up ironic coincidences could lead to Cwmbran Town being handed a second successive Welsh Premier League lifeline.

At the end of last season the Crows were sent into the drop zone by a 13-point reduction for fielding two ineligible players.

However, they were spared relegation when no club was promoted from either of the two feeder leagues - the Welsh League and the Cymru Alliance.

Now the opposite could happen, with Airbus UK almost certain to be deducted points after the Football Association of Wales recently fined them for fielding an ineligible player.

It's transpired that Gary Thompson played twice for the Wingmakers as a substitute before he moved to WPL rivals Newtown, currently the only team above Cwmbran.

The ironic coincidence is that one of those appearances came in a 2-2 away draw against on October 8 - at Cwmbran.

The WPL will normally deduct three points for each match an ineligible player has appeared in, irrespective of the result, and to that end Airbus could be docked six points.

They are currently four points ahead of the Crows, with both having only two matches remaining, and sandwiched in between are Newtown, who have only one match left.

Cwmbran have trips to Llanelli, on Saturday, and Welshpool Town, Airbus must visit in-form Caernarfon Town and host Haverfordwest County, while Newtown's final game is at home to Carmarthen Town on Saturday.

However, Cwmbran don't necessarily have to depend on Airbus' off-the-field situation.

Two wins for the Crows and a defeat for Newtown would see the Gwent club condemn their rivals to the drop.