CHIPPENHAM Town could face the prospect of having both their manager and assistant boss sitting in the stands at the start of their Calor League Southern Premier Division campaign.

The Bluebirds 2013-14 fixture list was revealed yesterday, with Nathan Rudge’s men travelling to Banbury United on the opening day (Saturday, August 17).

It will be the fourth season in a row that Town have been given an away fixture to open their league season – and they may have to do so without their management team in the dugout.

Manager Rudge will be serving the first game of his four-match ban after being found guilty of making racist comments towards an opposition player during an FA Cup tie with Bishops Cleeve last September.

Meanwhile, former Torquay and Walsall defender Steve Winter, who was confirmed as Rudge’s new number two at the start of the month, is also the subject of a four-match Somerset FA suspension picked up as he ended last season playing with Toolstation League Bishop Sutton.

Chippenham are looking into the details of Winter’s suspension to see whether it precludes him from being in the dugout, and Rudge said: “I can’t comment on that at this time.

“It’s something we have got to look into, so I don’t know a lot more about it at the moment.’’

Town accepted the FA verdict on Rudge, who denied two charges relating to using abusive or insulting words and behaviour, and using words referring to ethnic origin, race or colour, but he was found guilty and received the ban, £300 fine and must attend an FA ethnicity course within the next four months.

The Bluebirds have given him their full support, chairman Neil Blackmore saying: “On a personal level, I felt the evidence was in favour of Nathan and that the evidence that was presented was not conclusive at all.

“However, the FA works on the balance of probability. It is not like a court of law and, unfortunately, Nathan was found guilty. Being a club affiliated to the FA we have to accept those findings.’’

He added: “We’re fully supporting Nathan and he has our backing.’’

Blackmore later gave a statement to the club's website revealing more about the board were backing their manager.

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