BIDDESTONE Town manager Gary Skidmore is demanding a review of the Wiltshire League rules after seeing his side lose 5-1 at Devizes Town Reserves on Saturday.

The hosts fielded a team that included 10 first team regulars, after their Screwfix Premier League match at Elmore was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch, and Skidmore insists measures need to be taken to stop teams being allowed to play first team players in the reserves.

The club will be writing a letter to the league putting forward their concerns and are hoping to bring the subject up at the next Wiltshire League annual meeting.

Biddestone have dropped from second to fourth and Skidmore admits his team never stood a chance.

He said: "We turned up to play Devizes Town Reserves, who were in the bottom three, and with no disrespect to them we expected three points.

"But we turned up to find we were playing against nearly a Devizes first team. They haven't broken any rules but surely it can't be in the spirit of the game. We were gutted after the game. I am very angry about it because I think it is disrespectful.

"It is not the first time it has happened and it won't be the last, but it can't be good for football.

"It is very very frustrating. I fired the lads up the best I could before the game but deep down we knew we had no chance.

"It is a bit of a concern that the league positions at the end of the season will depend on whether first team managers decide to field their better players in the reserves.

"There should be a rule change. If we had lost to Devizes Town Reserves then I would have held my hands up and said fair play , but to lose in this way is very hard to stomach."

An Andy Stone hat-trick gave the hosts a 3-0 lead by half-time and after the break a David Lloyd brace put the hosts firmly in control.

Devizes' Graham Gager put through his own net near the end to give Biddestone a consolation but Skidmore admits his side were outclassed.

He said: "They were just better than us and it shows the difference in the level of football played between the leagues.

"The biggest difference was they were far more clinical than us."

Biddestone travel to Warminster tomorrow.