FOCUSED Hartlepool United boss Chris Turner insists his players won't be affected by what is fast becoming a calamitous end to the Division Three season.

Football League chiefs yesterday rejected the findings of their disciplinary panel into Chesterfield's financial irregularities and criticised the proposed nine-point deduction and £20,000 fine as too lenient.

The decision made at the three-day hearing earlier this month was met with astonishment by the Division Three clubs, many of whom were expecting Chesterfield suffer a 50 point deduction or even relegation to the Conference.

Now the League's board of directors have asked the panel to reconvene after expressing their dissatisfaction with the proposed level of the penalty to be imposed.

A new hearing will be staged as soon as possible, but any new decision from the disciplinary panel is likely to come after the season ends on May 5.

So Pool will go into the last game of the season at home to Cardiff a week on Saturday without knowing if a win will be enough for promotion.

Any Chesterfield appeal is unlikely to be heard until after next weekend, meaning the Third Division's promotion issues would effectively be decided off the pitch and after the end of the season.

The Third Division play-off semi-finals are set for the following weekend on May 13 and they would have to be postponed unless the appeal was heard during that week.

Pool are currently in fourth spot and if they can maintain that position with just two games remaining, it could be enough for promotion.

But Turner, whose side got back to winning ways and into fourth with a triumph over Scunthorpe last weekend, said: "All we can do is concentrate on winning our last two games and then we will see what comes.

"I always thought that the decision from a couple of weeks ago wouldn't be the end of the matter, especially after talking to other managers and other people within the game.

"From our point of view, we have to be focused for the last two games and make sure we have enough points to be in the play-offs - then we will worry about what happens.''

After the initial decision was announced on April5, Pool lost their next three games - but Turner believes the shock of the lenient punishment didn't have any affect on his players.

"It would be easy to make excuses and say that the decision affected us when it was announced,'' he said. "We have just got to accept that we didn't do well in those three games.''

Football League chief executive David Burns explained the board's decision was taken because it felt the nine-point penalty could have damaged the League's integrity.

He said: ''This has been a most complex investigation undertaken by the Football League.

''As a result of the findings of guilt by the panel, the board considers that the recommendation to deduct nine points does not sufficiently reflect the damage brought to the integrity of the competition and accordingly have asked the panel to reconvene to consider the matter afresh.''

The disciplinary panel also suggested the club be fined £20,000 but a Football League statement read: ''The deduction of points is the only matter under the jurisdiction of the Football League board.

''The board decided not to ratify the proposed points deduction and requested that the panel reconvene to consider the level of the penalty.

''In accordance with the ruling, the board will request the Football Association to reopen the Luke Beckett transfer tribunal.''

Officials at Chesterfield were upset to hear that the League considered the punishment too lenient.

Chief executive John Green said: ''I'm extremely disappointed but we need to consider what our next move is in the next 24 hours.''

The club's assistant manager Ian Banks added: ''We all thought it was done and dusted. We thought that was it and it just keeps going on. It's one thing after another.

''It's another kick in the goolies and it's not as though we haven't had enough of them this season.''

Ex-chairman Darren Brown, who resigned after the charges were brought, said: ''We maintained right through the hearing that the club had done nothing wrong. We were disappointed with the nine points.

''They're (the Football League) obviously insinuating that it's not a harsh enough punishment. We felt nine points was perhaps too harsh because we had done nothing wrong.''

Remaining games: Pool: April 28 Kidderminster (a); May 5 Cardiff (h); Orient: April 28: Cheltenham (h); May 5: Macclesfield (a); Hull: April 28 Chesterfield (h); May 1 Southend (a); May 5 Carlisle (a);Scunthorpe: April 28: Exeter (h); May 5 Mansfield (a

Read more about Hartlepool FC here.