WE WERE LEFT ON THE BRINK

CHAIRMAN Paul Ayres revealed Thatcham Town briefly discussed the prospect of a second voluntary relegation in ten years having been shunted into the Southern League.

- Andy Mitchell

The Kingfishers this week lost an appeal over the FA’s decision to laterally move them from the Isthmian South Central to the Southern League South, a division in which the average annual mileage for clubs more than doubles.

Round trips will see Thatcham cover more than 4,300 miles next season, 1,800 more than than the highest (Moneyfields, 2,512 miles) in the division they have just vacated.

An emergency meeting was held with the club opting to redouble its efforts, including the launch of a 12th man fund to help cover the extra travel expenses, but Ayres explained that all options had been on the table at first.

Options

Addressing the prospect of voluntary relegation, Ayres told The NLP: “It was mentioned. We had to look at everything.