FC Isle of Man has responded to criticism the club received in the wake of fielding a non-island player for the first time earlier this week.

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

The home side won the contest 3-2 but all eyes were on Will Decandia who joined the Ravens 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.

Reaction to his inclusion in the matchday squad proved divisive, particularly on social media, but the under-18 player performed well in his first senior game and helped the Manx side mount a late comeback which only just fell short.

Now, the FC Isle of Man board has issued a statement to explain the reasoning behind Decandia’s temporary signing, saying: ‘In order to bolster the squad for the game against West Didsbury and Chorlton last Wednesday evening, the club took the opportunity to utilise a player from League Two side Oldham's youth academy, Will Decandia.

‘We extend our thanks to Oldham and to Will for agreeing to this arrangement at short notice.

‘For numerous reasons, we only had 13 island-based players fit, not suspended and available to travel to this fixture.

‘Quite naturally the club wants to field as competitive a side as it can in its fixtures, and we must be able to be adaptable and flexible in our approach to acute player shortages.’

- FC Isle of Man are back in action this weekend when they host South Liverpool at the Bowl on Saturday evening, kicking off at 6pm.