PLANS to restructure the Ryman League have been postponed for another season.

The decision was taken after a meeting between the Ryman League and the Football Association last week.

The delay has left the league's teams in a state of chaos. Some sides had taken the foot off the pedal thinking they were safe from relegation only to find the goalposts have been changed for the second time this season and that they have everything to play for again.

Nigel Payne, chairman of the league's bottom club Chalfont St Peter, said: "The whole situation is a real muddle. It's been badly handled. The goalposts have effectively been moved twice."

The changes to have a regional structure of an east and west division beneath the Premier Division and above a third division had been voted for by the league's member clubs and were due to be implemented for the start of next season but have now been put on hold for 12 months.

It's a blow to Chalfont who could now drop out of the Ryman League altogether if the team finishing top of the feeder league also comes up to scratch with their ground grading.

Payne said: "This decision makes it a bit more nerve-racking."

It is also bad news for third division Flackwell Heath. Last week they thought they only needed to finish sixth to be promoted but now they will have to finish in the top three to go up this season.

Chairman Geoff Turner said: "It's been very badly handled. Teams were under the misapprehension that it was all happening nest season.

"We thought we only had to finish in the top six but now we've really got to go for it. We've got to get ourselves into gear and get into the top three.

"But the teams I feel sorry for are the ones at the bottom of division two. Some of them might have taken the foot of the pedal thinking they couldn't get relegated and now they've really got to go for it."