PETER Ladbrook's future as Oxfordshire representative on the FA Council, and his position as general secretary of the Oxfordshire FA, was in doubt today after he lost a crucial vote at an OFA Council meeting this week.

Secretary of the county football association since 1981, Ladbrook has also been their representative on the FA Council since 1993.

But at the statutory five-year vote on Wednesday night to choose the next representative on the FA Council, he was surprisingly eliminated at the first secret ballot stage, bea-ten into third place by John Fathers and Ray Mills.

Fathers won the second ballot, polling 12 votes to Mills's eight.

Yet reports that Ladbrook had subsequently resigned as general secretary, following the vote, have been denied.

He said: "At this moment I am still the Oxfordshire FA respresentative and still the county secretary. The situation hasn't changed.

"There was a vote but I've got no comment to make. There may be an official announcement in the middle of June, but until then everything stands the same."

Ladbrook remains as representative at least until the summer when Fathers's nomination has to be ratified by the Football Association.

It's understood that there also has to be a reason for the member in office stepping down and if this is not accepted, the FA can throw out the proposed change.

Oxon FA chairman Ray Mills said: "I can say quite categorically that Peter has not resigned as secretary."

One Oxfordshire FA Council member, asked why he thought Ladbrook had lost the vote, said: "It's a bit like the Government. After five years with one person in office, people perhaps fancied a change."

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