THE longest-serving manager in the Metaltec SIL has called for the two Intermediate Divisions to be scrapped.David Little, who has been boss of First Division Coplestonians for 28 years, said today that there is nothing left for sides to play for.

By Elvin King

THE longest-serving manager in the Metaltec SIL has called for the two Intermediate Divisions to be scrapped.

David Little, who has been boss of First Division Coplestonians for 28 years, said today that there is nothing left for sides to play for.

The SIL currently has ten divisions and it is possible for teams to work their way up from Division Seven to the Senior Division.

The other divisions are Intermediate A and B, which are for reserve sides with promotion and relegation between the two.

"But that is not enough," said Little. "There is no incentive whatsoever to play for a reserve side in the Intermediate section. They are nothing leagues."

The reserve sections were designed to alleviate the problem of experienced senior players turning out for reserve sides some way down the SIL scale.

It was also designed to help the rule whereby only so many players regarded as holding senior status can play at any one time for sides who are regarded as junior.

But how would Little overcome the situation if rules were changed and players like Martin Cotton, who could hold his own in higher football than the SIL, were to drop down and play for a side in Division Seven?

"I don't think it would happen but if it did sides would find their own level," he replied. "I don't think we need to cushion reserve sides into a special compartment within the league.

"Let them find their own levels and let it be a free-for-all. This would give reserve sides something to aim for and they could rise and fall up the league as their situation permits. It would not be artificial as it is now."

Little, whose Coplestonians first team play in the First Division and their reserves in Intermediate A, is all for bringing more reserve sides into the SIL.

"I cannot see any reason at all why top Suffolk sides like AFC Sudbury, Woodbridge Town, Ipswich Wanderers, Stowmarket Town and Felixstowe and Walton United cannot enter their second strings into the SIL and try to gain a place in the Senior Division.

"At the moment they can only get as far as Division One which is not attractive enough to them – and they stagnate in the Border League.

"It would take a change of SIL rule – and clubs would have to vote – but I can only see good coming out of clubs with Jewson League pedigree and first class grounds having sides in the SIL.

"The Jewson League has reserve sides in their set-up and it works well enough.

"The only proviso I would make is that reserve sides cannot be promoted into divisions where their first team is already playing.

"And if relegated clubs were dropping into a division where they already had a reserve side, the second string would have to drop down as well."

Coplestonians, who Little has led to senior football on a number of occasions, also have an A side in Division Five.