THE Football Association have been forced to scrap their radical blueprint for the future of the non-league game in England following a crunch meeting of council members last week.

The proposal, which met with such widespread disapproval from Wiltshire clubs last month, would have seen a number of clubs at Screwfix and Hellenic League level pushed into county football as a result of changes higher up the national league structure.

The national league committee within the FA will now be forced to go back to the drawing board and consult with league and clubs at all levels before moving forward with their plans.

Mike Benson, Wiltshire FA secretary and the county's representative on the FA council, felt the decision not to carry the initial proposal was in the best interests of the clubs under his jurisdiction.

He said: "I think we can say the proposals given to us were not for the good of football. The research on restructuring has not been completed and it is back to the drawing board. When they have consulted properly with leagues and clubs, then we can sit down again and will hopefully have something to vote on.

"What they have got to do is thrash out with clubs and competitions where the problems are and, until they do that, they won't get a satisfactory response for anyone."

The news will give clubs such as Corsham Town and Calne Town some breathing space in their bid to retain their Screwfix Direct League status. The FA proposal, had it been passed, would have been in place by the beginning of the 2003/04 season.

The Screwfix Direct League were opposed to the plans and general secretary Ken Clarke welcomed the chance for a greater input into the future national league structure.

He said: "My feeling is the committee will now listen to clubs at our level. We were bitterly disappointed the proposals had gone ahead without consultation, but it is also the feeling of the FA council that more communication is needed.''