ACCRINGTON Stanley are at the centre of betting allegations after five players were accused of placing wagers on a game the team lost.

The allegations, which have rocked the football world, surround the 2-0 defeat to Bury last May at Stanley’s Crown Ground.

Club captain Peter Cavanagh, Jay Harris, David Mannix and Robert Williams have been accused of betting on Accrington to lose, as has Bury striker Andrew Mangan, who used to play for Stanley.

A fifth Accrington player Leighton McGivern has been charged with failing to provide the Football Association with information requested during the investigation.

Only Cavanagh and Williams remain Stanley players.

Harris and Cavanagh were the only ones of the accused to play in the game.

There are no allegations against the club itself.

The FA said the charges, which related to alleged breaches of its betting rules, were unprecedented.

Club chairman Eric Whalley said that the players would be ‘instantly dismissed’ if guilty but stressed that nothing had been proven.

Hyndburn Council leader Peter Britcliffe has called for ‘life bans’ for anyone found guilty, while die-hard supporters said the accusations were a real blow to the club’s image.

The FA charges followed a probe after bookies reported unusual betting patterns in the lead-up to the match.

Paddy Power claimed last May that there had been ‘one-way traffic with everyone backing Bury’.

William Hill and Coral closed their books on the game, claiming they had taken ‘unusually large wagers for a game of that magnitude’.

It is also understood that the investigation is into claims of betting on Stanley to lose, rather than a specific score.

The betting odds at the time of the match were 2/1 for a Bury away win which would have doubled the money of anyone who placed a bet.

The FA said Mannix was alleged to have placed a bet of approximately £4,000; Mangan £3,500; Harris £2,000; Williams £1,000; and Cavanagh on a £5 accum-ulator.

Cavanagh has also been charged with further alleged breaches in relation to claims he bet on another Stanley match in which he played and on a number of other League Two matches.

All five have until April 23 to respond to the allegations. The club itself is not facing any charges.

If found guilty, the FA said it would look at fining the players or even banning them.

An FA spokesman said: “There is no real precedent for a situation like this and how it will be dealt with.

“The FA does not have set sanctions for this type of thing.”

A Lancashire Police spokesman said they had not been involved in the matter.

Regulator The Gambling Commission said they would be keeping an eye on the FA investigation.

A spokesman said: “We expect sporting regulators to take the lead.

“We will examine whether the matter is more appropriate to be investigated by the police or another law enforcement agency.”