IT MAY be an old argument but it's about time football's authorities gave the lower division teams a helping hand.

That helping hand should be a re-organisation of the bottom division and the Conference so that two regional leagues replaced them.

Many see the return to a third division north and south as a retrograde step, but when you look at the plight of some clubs it would be a sensible move.

Second division Bury, and third division clubs York City and Halifax Town have all very publicly declared their financial problems during this season.

The threat of going out of existence haunts that trio, and probably a fair few more clubs who just haven't hit rock bottom yet and had to go public.

While regionalisation can't solve all the lower division ills it surely would assist some of the hard up clubs.

For a start it immediately provides more fixtures through the calendar that can be judged to be derby matches.

Such contests always pull in better crowds and let's face it the prospect of travelling to Exeter and Torquay, for northern fans, and Carlisle for those down south, is one few supporters have much stomach for.

Secondly the cost of travelling can prove exorbitant for the clubs too.

Halifax, who seem destined to become the first club to twice lose their League status through relegation, know only too well the problems lack of local matches can pose. Their third campaign in their five seasons in the Conference in the 1990s almost brought the ruination of the club.

Their only local 'derby', served up as the festive fare over Christmas and New Year, were matches against Gateshead and the rest of the season was a long slog of travelling to such far flung clubs as Bath, Dover and Yeovil.

While Bury may yet avoid the drop into the League's basement, their battle to generate funds would be so much easier if they had the attraction of clashes with northern sides who would bring a more substantial travelling support than some of their current second division opponents such as Bournemouth or Wycombe.

Drawing from the sides currently in the promotion and relegation frames in the second and third divisions and from the feeder leagues to the Conference, two 24-strong third divisions north and south for next season might look as follows:

Division Three North: Wrexham, Rochdale, Hull, Hartlepool, Macclesfield, Darlington, Carlisle, York, Halifax, Notts County, Shrewsbury, Lincoln, Boston, Doncaster, Southport, Northwich, Morecambe, Leigh RMI, Chester, Stalybridge, Scarborough, Telford, Tamworth, Burton.

Division Three South: Cambridge, Kidderminster, Northampton, Cheltenham, Rushden, Southend, Exeter, Swansea, Oxford, Bristol Rovers, Leyton Orient, Torquay, Dagenham and Redbridge, Yeovil, Barnet, Margate, Forest Green, Nuneaton, Stevenage, Farnborough, Hereford, Woking, Hayes, Dover.

That might prove a little more attractive.