St Andrew’s hopes of seeing the three points they had forfeited to Lija in a league match recouped on the table were dashed yesterday when the promotion hopefuls withdrew a protest they had lodged at the MFA offices earlier this week.
The Saints were beaten 3-1 by Lija last Saturday.
In their protest, St Andrew’s had contended that the winners had breached regulations on the use of non-homegrown players. However, it later emerged to the complainants that Lija were in accordance with the rules and there was no case for them to proceed with their case.
Fifth-placed St Andrew’s could have cropped closer to the teams chasing promotion with victory over Lija but as things stand they’re now eight points off the pace.
Meanwhile, the other pending protest case, presented by St George’s following their 2-0 defeat to Birżebbuġa, is now likely to be heard next week.
No Division One matches will be played this weekend, giving way for the FA Trophy quarter-finals.