HAMWORTHY United manager Simon Browne has called for clubs seeking relegation for financial reasons to be deducted league points.

The County Ground boss says that clubs dropping back to Wessex League level, only to seek a quick return to the Southern League, should face similar sanctions to clubs that enter administration.

And the Hammers chief went as far as to say that bigger clubs taking the voluntary drop should face a 10 or 15-point penalty to ensure a “level playing field” with rivals who “keep their house in order”.

Browne’s ire comes on the back of Sholing and Winchester City’s imminent return to the Wessex League with both clubs expected to form part of the Premier Division when the constitution is ratified at tonight’s league AGM.

Sholing announced their resignation from the Southern League to finance the development of the Silverlake Arena, while bottom club Winchester would have been reprieved relegation, but failed the ground grading amid their own money worries.

Both have publicly declared their intention to make a swift Southern League return, prompting Browne to speak out.

Browne told the Daily Echo: “It is almost like the Wessex League is being used as a temporary home for clubs to get their finances in order. Teams that have built their sides up over a number of years seem to be getting knocked back a bit.

“I didn’t come to Hamworthy to tread water but to have to keep building a team to challenge sides coming back in with reportedly big budgets can be demoralising.

“It makes your job more difficult and the prospect of two teams dropping down for financial reasons impacts on everyone. You look at the job Tim Cole has done over at Alresford on next to nothing and now they have to face clubs coming back and looking to stay around for just one season.

“We were talking about last year’s top-10 finish not being ideal for where we wanted to be, but because of the side’s coming down, staying there next season might be seen as more of an achievement.

“Should teams coming down for financial reasons face a points deduction? I think it is something that should be considered. Minus 10 or 15 points would make it a more level playing field. If it was not so easy for teams to drop down, maybe that would put them off doing it and make clubs more accountable.

“Clubs dropping down have a responsibility to get their act together. It may not be administration, but to the man on the street it is not a million miles away so why not have a similar penalty?

“It is not right for clubs to come back just to recover from an expensive few years and go straight back up. The best teams should go up and the worst should go down.”