Worthing Council have narrowly escaped scoring an expensive own goal.

This week council chiefs performed an astonishing u-turn and abandoned plans to force players to put up their own nets before and after matches amid safety fears.

The council initially ruled that teams would be responsible for putting up and taking down goal nets on public pitches after nets were vandalised between matches.

Now at the start of the season, council bosses have scrapped their plans.

Worthing and District Football League secretary Laurie Claydon is pleased with the decision but he regrets that it has taken the council so long and ultimately left clubs out of pocket.

He explained: "It is a relief at the moment that the players don't have to put their own nets up.

"I know other leagues do it, but it really complicates matters.

"We had a couple of meetings with the council and they implied that clubs were responsible for getting their own mallets and pegs to put the nets up.

"Consequently the league purchased sets of mallets and pegs at £5 a set to the tune of £200. Those charges will be passed on to the clubs in their registration fees.

"Now the council say it was their intention all along to provide the nets and pegs. I'm club secretary and I've been lumbered with a mallet.

"We even introduced rule changes to cope with the council's wishes. Now that the council's plan has fallen through, they are fruitless.

"When we heard about the council's proposals we made a couple of rule changes.

"For example we decided it was the home side's responsibility for the nets to be in place 15 minutes before kick-off.

"I can understand the council being annoyed about the vandalism as they had problems with the goals being damaged.

"But they should have thought this through. It wasn't until barely two weeks ago they said there were aspects of health and safety that would work against their plans and they would continue to put the nets up after all."

Worthing Council parks manager Chris Bradley explained the council's change of heart. He said: "We won't be doing it, it is as simple as that.

"To physically put a net on to the hooks and crossbar players have to lift their bodies off the ground using a stepladder or whatever.

"From a risk assessment point of view it is more trouble than it is worth.

"We will continue to do it through our contractors and as yet any changes to the price of the pitches have not been determined."

Bradley strongly denied that the council had encouraged clubs to purchase their own equipment to put up the nets.

He said: "We didn't tell them to do that at all. They have jumped the gun.

"We were looking at putting kit in the changing rooms that clubs could use to put the nets up."

Bradley added: "Lot of leagues have this principle that the players are responsible for putting their goal nets up. People round here have been sheltered from it for some time. It would give the players more responsibility and would prevent the goals being ruined."