Blues meet FA officials

A CONTINGENT from Lowestoft Town Football Club, backed by Waveney MP Bob Blizzard, descended on the FA headquarters yesterday to lobby leading officials.

A CONTINGENT from Lowestoft Town Football Club, backed by Waveney MP Bob Blizzard, descended on the FA headquarters yesterday to lobby leading officials.

Mr Blizzard joined Blues chairman Gary Keyzor, vice chairman Joe Annis, and secretary Terry Lynes, to meet FA chairman Lord Triesman and Mike Appleby, FA non-league supremo, at Soho Square for a key meeting that could have the potential for serious ramifications for non-league football teams in Suffolk in the future.

'It's completely ridiculous that if Lowestoft gain promotion, then under the current structure they would go into the Southern Division One Midlands League,' Mr Blizzard said. 'The travelling would be completely horrendous.'

After writing to the FA chairman, the meeting was convened to set up a case for looking at further restructuring of the leagues.

If The Blues do win the Ridgeons Premier League and subsequent promotion, they are likely to join AFC Sudbury and Soham Town Rangers in the Southern League - step four of the non-league. They currently top the table and are hot favourites to lift the title.

With 64 applicants from across the country who applied to move from step five to step four at the end of this season, The Blues are currently in pole position to move up the ladder.

However, the preference would be to move into the Isthmian League to reduce the overall travelling time for clubs.

'This is really a very important meeting,' Mr Blizzard said. 'By setting up this case for restructure it could become a situation in the future where other Suffolk clubs also move up into a league where the travelling would not be as horrendous.

'We want Lowestoft to progress. They are the giant in the Eastern Counties League in terms of attendance and playing record - so we want to go forward and aim to move into this other league,' Mr Blizzard added.