Portishead Town have released a furious statement after being relegated to step five despite challenging for the title.
The non-league football club had been enjoying an impressive season that saw them finish second in the Southern League Division 1 South, Step 4 the football pyramid.
In doing so, Portishead Town secured a spot in the playoffs to reach Step 3, the Southern League Premier South.
However, as they prepared for a promotion campaign in which they were the favourites, the FA decided to remove Portishead Town from the play-offs and relegate them to Step 5 for next season.
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Of course this means that not only will the club not have the chance to step up to the next tier in the pyramid, but they aren't able to continue in the league they finished second in this campaign.
The decision comes after the FA ruled that the club's home ground fails to meet the required standard for either Step 3 or Step 4 football, forcing them to drop down to the Western League in Step 5 until they make improvements.
Following the decision, Portishead Town lodged an official appeal, but discovered during a hearing on April 27 that it had been thrown out.
The future of both the promotion play-offs and relegation is now uncertain, with fans with clubs in the play-offs advised not to book travel until the situation is resolved.
Meanwhile Willand Rovers, who had believed they were set to go down, will now stay in Step 4 with Portishead Town taking their place.
But Portishead Town aren't willing to accept the decision without a fight, as the club released an angry statement slamming the FA, claiming they were misled about their ground improvement efforts and the repercussions if they failed to meet standards.
"Portishead Town FC is devastated to announce that, despite a remarkable performance on the pitch this season, the club will be relegated to Step 5," a spokesperson said.
"In recent years, this club has expanded, flourished, and thrived at an incredible pace.
"As we have grown, we have relied on the football authorities to guide us through the complexities of moving up the pyramid. It is a bitter irony that we are now, effectively, a victim of our own success-penalised by a system that we trusted to support our rapid progress."
The statement added that plans had been in place to install new spectator stands by the end of March, but circumstances outside of their control meant that this would now be done in the summer, ahead of next season.
"This relegation follows a decision by the FA to revoke a previously granted extension until 31st July 2026. This revocation stems from ground grading concerns relating to stands not being installed by the end of March 2026," the club stated.
"We wish to make it clear that stands were ordered, constructed and awaiting installation, but due to outstanding unresolved health and safety matters beyond our control it would not have been safe to continue.
We therefore asked for a small extension of time which would have seen all work completed by July 2026. This extension was refused
"Throughout this process, the club followed every instruction provided by FA advisors, who encouraged us to 'get the small things done' and 'apply for an extension'. We were never advised that our progress was insufficient.
"Despite being told at the start of our appeal that this would be a 'footballing decision', it clearly is not.
"Our appeal has since been rejected, a decision that feels like a betrayal of the spirit of the game. Regardless of local rivalries, football as a whole has lost today."
Ben McCrum