FC Isle of Man received online criticism after the Manx side fielded its first off-island player on Wednesday evening.

The Ravens went up against West Didsbury and Chorlton in the Premier Division of the North West Counties Football League.

While it was the Manchester outfit who won the match 3-2, holding off a late fightback from the islanders, the main talking point was the inclusion of the first non-local player in the Ravens’ matchday squad.

The footballer in question was Will Decandia who joined on an emergency loan from Oldham Athletic’s academy on the day of the game and played the full 90 minutes at the Recreation Ground.

The under-18s player acquitted himself well in his first senior game, particularly having only met his new team-mates for the first time an hour before the match.

His addition to the squad caused a significant stir on social media when the team line-up was announced, with several pointing to the principles upon which the club was founded in 2019 when the ethos was very much on developing local players with an eye on creating a pathway to the professional game.

Indeed, FC Isle of Man founder and ex-manager Paul Jones has previously stated: ‘We believed in the Isle of Man, we believed in the island’s football players, we believed in our community, and that if we could all get together it could be very powerful.

‘Obviously not every decision’s going to keep everybody in our (football) community happy, but I hope that we can generally work towards the same common goal, which is providing opportunities and developing the island’s players as well as developing the coaching and developing football in general on the island.’

While the inclusion of Decandia on Wednesday proved divisive with Ravens fans, FC Isle of Man player Dean Pinnington was quick to explain the reasoning behind the move, saying: ‘A lot of lads couldn’t make it today so we needed numbers so the game could go ahead.

‘The opportunity is there for Manx lads to take it but a lot of them don’t take the opportunity so somethings just have to be done.’

The club itself has so far declined to comment – more to follow.