I'M ALL FOR LEAVING THINGS UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE, IT'S HOW I GET MOST THINGS DONE, I JUST WISH CHELSEA HADN'T DONE THE SAME THING. JOHN TERRY'S HEADER IN STOPPAGE TIME OF THE FA CUP FOURTH-ROUND REPLAY AT UPTON PARK STOLE A 3-2 VICTORY FOR THE VISITORS, BUT ALSO RAISED AN INTRIGUING QUESTION: SHOULD HE HAVE BEEN ALLOWED TO PLAY AT ALL? 

At a time when Sven-Goran Eriksson is considering some of the England squad's fringe benefits, Terry would have been one of those players tugging at the England coach's shirt tails, but an incident at a London nightclub now under investigation by the police prompted the Football Association to rule Terry out of the England running, at least until the police matter has been resolved. 

The other boys in blue have effectively turned a blind eye to events and Terry has continued to pull on his Chelsea shirt. Fine, I'm all for innocent until proven guilty, but not a middle ground where you are deemed fit to play on for your club, being able to have an influence in all domestic competitions, but not your country. Surely a player under such legal investigation should be either suspended completely or remain free to continue in all levels of the game, pending the outcome. 

This is of course not without an equally conflicting precedent. Leeds United pair Jonathan Woodgate and Lee Bowyer were cast into the England wilderness during the court case in which they were accused of assaulting an Asian student, Sarfraz Najeib, outside a Leeds nightclub. Peter Ridsdale, the Leeds chairman, also took the pragmatic view that if either player was found guilty, they would never play for his club again. 

Bowyer remained his swashbuckling self throughout the affair, his performances on the field of play unaffected by off-field traumas, whereas Woodgate appeared a subdued version of the supremely confident central defender he had been in the preceding months and played just a handful of games. After a lengthy hearing, Woodgate was sentenced to 100 hours' community service on a lesser charge of affray and Bowyer acquitted, but branded a liar by the judge, who ordered the pair to cough up over £1m to cover the legal costs of the trial. The shabbiest of not guiltys you could wish for. 

Leeds fined the players and considered it case closed. Bowyer, in effect, has been available for England selection ever since while Woodgate has to finish serving his sentence before he can expect a call. But the Najeib family intend to pursue the matter in civil court, so where would another trial leave us? Do England reconsider? Do Leeds reconsider?  

In these money-driven footballing days, can Leeds manager David O'Leary afford to lose two members of a squad which has already cost his bosses nearly £100m to assemble in pursuit of Champions League involvement? Doubtful. If the players were to be effectively sacked and put on the transfer list as a disciplinary measure, it would be interesting to hear the response given to any enquiries should a Liverpool or a Manchester United come knocking at the door.

Postal worker Mick Doherty was suspended from his job as a counter clerk after alleged involvement in violence at the Arsenal-Galatasaray Uefa Cup final in Copenhagen, 2000. He was spotted by Post Office management standing in the background of a press photograph, but was not arrested, detained, charged or deported. He was sacked by his employers, however, who claimed that some of their customers may have "felt uneasy about being served by him," despite Doherty receiving no conviction and having no criminal record. But then replacing a postman has always been far easier than finding another £10m England international . . .