PETERSFIELD Town’s destiny in terms of which league and division they will be in next season is likely to be decided by matters off the pitch.
Two defeats in a row after the victory against Cowes Sports means it is becoming almost inevitable the Rams will finish bottom of the Wessex Premier Division.
However, a re-organisation of the non-league pyramid structure by the Football Association (FA) could hand Mark Summerhill’s side a reprieve from relegation to step six of the pyramid league system.
New divisions are being added at steps three and four as the FA aims to make it easier for clubs to compete at that level by cutting the amount of travelling they are currently doing.
Ironically, this is coming a year too late for Petersfield who faced a number of near 300-mile round trips during their Southern League Division 1 Central campaigns.
With more clubs than normal being promoted from step five levels – Wessex Premier Division level – at the end of this season, further re-organisation will be needed to meet the required numbers in step five divisions. This could mean the Rams are saved from relegation to Wessex Division 1.
Petersfield could also be moved to the Combined Counties League as lateral movement has not been ruled out by the FA either.