ANGRY parents are backing banned football manager Steven Traveller, who has been ordered to stay away from games by county FA.

Traveller, 47, of Market Lavington, was banned after pleading guilty to an FA charge of causing a football match, involving his team Lavington Bandits U15, to be abandoned last season. But Traveller says he only ordered his players off the field to protect them after the game got out of hand and he received abuse.

The FA's discipline and procedures handbook says the maximum ban for taking players off the field is 112 days. The ban means he is forbidden from attending any youth game and cannot even watch his sons Liam, 15, and Joseph, 12, play football

Liam, says he is so disgusted by his dad's ban he has decided to give up playing football. He said: "I like playing football but I also like my dad watching me play. If he can't do that then it does not feel the same. But I would get back into it if my dad was re-instated."

The club's U15 side has now been disbanded because there is no one to run it.

A parent whose son, 15 used to play for the Lavington Bandits said: "It is appalling. The whole village has suffered due to this ban. Not just the kids and their team but also the football charity work that Stephen has done in the past has been stopped."

Her son has played for the Bandits for five seasons. He said: "I think it is silly that I cannot play for his team anymore. There is no team in the village that I can play football for."

Tony Williams, 65, was present at the match where the incident happened. His son was also playing for Stephen at the time. He said Traveller's decision to abandon the match was the right one as he also thought that the boys were in danger of having a fight. He said: "Stephen has been treated horribly and unfairly. I can't believe the other manager has got away with his threatening behaviour. It is absolutely disgusting and I can't understand why this is happening."

Another of Traveller's players thinks there is no way he deserves such a lengthy ban. Joshua Cannon, 14, played for the Bandits and thought that Traveller was a good manager.

He said: "I enjoyed playing for Stephen because he always encouraged us to do well. He would never tolerate bullying."

He added: "During the summer, even though Stephen was busy with work he would still run summer training two or three times a week. Now there is nothing to do football-wise all year round."

Another parent, who does not want to be named, said: "Stephen does a paramount for Lavington. He is a popular football man. The FA are a law to themselves.

"Why does a man who was protecting children get a two-year ban? He saw a risk to the children and was within his rights to abandon the game.

"Stephen is down to earth and genuine, he has done loads for my kids. The FA should leave people like Stephen alone"

The FA ruling has also affected Traveller's family.

His wife Nicki said: "The FA has taken away his parental rights to watch his children play football. Do they expect him to sit in the car?

"This has dreadfully affected Stephen. He is extremely passionate about his football and does a lot for the community."

Mike Benson secretary for the Wiltshire FA said: "There are people who do a lot for local football and then throw it all away by doing something stupid."

"People have to live with the regulations of the FA. He had every opportunity to appeal and did not. He did not even attend the hearing."