Thatcham Town handed potential lifeline in survival fight as Shaftesbury face expulsion

Thatcham Town’s hopes of survival may have received a huge boost this week.

Thatcham find themselves in the relegation zone of the Southern League Division One South.

Usually the bottom four sides in the league are relegated to step five of the non-league pyramid.

At time of writing, Thatcham sit nine points away from safety, but they could be offered a dramatic let off if they can climb to the top of the relegation zone.

This is because Shaftesbury FC, who sit safely in seventeenth, may be kicked out of the league.

“We have received notification, via official communication that we are to be relegated from the Southern League Division One South, subject to appeal,” a statement read.

“The FA has cited non-compliance with ground grading requirements as the reason for this decision.

“We strongly believe this decision does not reflect the progress and efforts made by the club, and as such, we have formally lodged an appeal.”

This would mean that Thatcham would only have to finish fourth from bottom to stay up.

At the moment, this target is only a handful of points away, providing Thatcham with a very real chance of beating the drop.

“We’ve been handed a lifeline,” said manager Yashwa Romeo.

“Whoever finishes fourth-bottom now will survive.

“When I look at the teams in there, we really have to grab it.

“I did always think something like this could happen.

“We need to try and be that team.

“The boys are up for it and I think they can rise to the challenge.

“This will perk them up.

“We’re playing teams who have nothing to play for, so it’s really important that we’re on it.”

Thatcham suffered on Saturday nonetheless, as they lost 3-1 in Devon away to Willand Rovers.

“It was the basics,” he said.

“Hunger and desire.

“We’ve been down here for a lot of the season and it can take a toll on you.

“But football is tough, you just have to grit your teeth and get through it.

“They’re young boys and I appreciate what they’ve done.

“But they’ve got to learn from this pretty quickly.”