Unlike last season, when Dover escaped the drop, the bottom three in the GM Vauxhall Conference will almost certainly be relegated this term, as the three feeder leagues all look set to provide promotion candidates. In the Icis League, Yeovil lead Enfield by six points, but that gap will be halved if Enfield beat Staines at home tonight when they play their game in hand. Yeovil, who beat Staines 3-1 on Tuesday, are at Sutton United tomorrow. Leek gained a 2-0 win, with goals from Steve Soley and Dean Trott, at fifth-placed Boston United on Wednesday to earn a three-point lead in the UniBond League. Leek have played three fewer games than second-placed Barrow, while Hyde and Boston United are also in contention for promotion.In the Dr Martens League, Gresley Rovers lead the Premier Division by eight points but have not applied for promotion, as their new stadium will not be ready in time. However, the runners-up are eligible for promotion, and two fierce local rivals are scrapping for this spot.

Gloucester trail second-placed Cheltenham by three points and have two games in hand. Both clubs have their grounds inspected by the Conference today, and both expect to pass.England's semi-professional team are still waiting for their first goal this season after Tuesday's 0-0 draw away to the Netherlands at Appingedam on Tuesday. Their chances of finding the net were not improved when Lee Hughes, Kidderminster's highly-rated striker, limped off in the first half with a foot injury.ENGLAND SEMI-PROFESSIONAL XI: Price (Macclesfield); Bignot (Kidderminster), Cramman (Rushden), Harlow (Farnborough), Payne (Macclesfield), Butterworth (Rushden), Webb (Kidderminster), Walters (Northwich), Leworthy (Rushden), Byrne (Macclesfield), Hughes (Kidderminster). Substitutes: O'Connor (Hednesford) for Hughes, 35; Prindiville (Kidderminster) for Harlow, 60.. Chesterfield's goalkeeper Billy Mercer will have a fitness test tomorrow morning to find out if he can play in Sunday's FA Cup semi-final against Middlesbrough at Old Trafford. Mercer, who suffered bruised ribs against Gillingham last weekend, has resumed light training and rates his chances of playing as better than 50-50 "I haven't done a great deal yet. I've still got to dive about and see how it stands up to that," he said yesterday.

If Mercer is ruled out Andy Leaning, who deputised against Watford on Tuesday, will take over. The defender Darren Carr, who has been troubled by a calf injury, has come into contention after resuming training but Paul Holland did not train yesterday because of a groin strain and is another worry. Andy Morris and Chesterfield's captain, Sean Dyche, did some light training and should be fit.. Scotland's leading clubs yesterday put paid to the proposal for a 16-team Premier Division next season. The Scottish League management committee scrapped plans to put a 16-12- 12 divisional plan to a vote of all clubs at the end of the current campaign. Now Scottish football must wait to see what the future holds after a meeting in Edinburgh yesterday between chairmen of the top 10 clubs. The 16-12-12 plan, originally put forward by Jack Steedman of Clydebank, is now doomed to failure and the matter will not even be raised at the League's annual meeting on 31 May."The Premier Division representatives on the management committee indicated they would vote against the proposal en masse and it was decided there was little point in it going forward," the Scottish League secretary, Peter Donald, said. "They also informed us the Premier Division clubs have decided to appoint management consultants and a report will be received at a later date."The Rangers chairman, David Murray, and his Celtic counterpart, Fergus McCann, are very much at the heart of the plans for a "Premiership", styled on the English example. The top clubs want more control over negotiations with sponsors and television companies - areas in which current contracts expire at the end of next season.The loan system - common in England - may be reintroduced in the Scottish League, which will be asked at its annual meeting next month to approve clubs being allowed to five players on loan per season as long as three are under-21 age-group players.There are various provisions written in the proposal to prevent any club having any more than four players on loan at the same time.

Those over 21 must be at the club for more than one month but for less than three months - but the younger players can stay longer.Donald said: "This would mean a major club giving a player on loan to a club in a lower division so that the boy could gain experience. It would help youth development."Heart of Midlothian have been rebuffed once again in their attempt to play Rangers at Murrayfield on Sunday 11 May instead of at Tynecastle Park the previous day as scheduled.The Edinburgh club wanted to switch because of redevelopment work at Tynecastle which, they say, will leave them without a police observation box. But the League will not allow a switch of the fixture, saying all last-day games must be played on the same afternoon.Hearts have now been told to install a temporary police box or come up with another venue.. Sir: I listened to Graham Kelly on the radio last night on a phone- in with Alan Green, and was quite outraged at what he said about Manchester United being permitted to lengthen the season.