PEOPLE often moan about the fact that only four clubs are realistically in with a shout of claiming English football's major silverware. But, closer to home, it's a similarly sad tale, as only a handful of sides battle it out for honours because a yawning chasm has opened up within the Wessex League.

While on a much smaller scale, the tussle for the Premier Division title closely resembles the fight taking place at the top of the national game.

Yesterday's Daily Echo carried the controversial comments of AFC Totton assistant boss Sean New. His words focused on how the division has been diluted after struggling sides such as Ringwood, Horndean, Downton and Brading were promoted to the top flight, despite finishing outside the second tier promotion spots two years ago.

And, on taking a glance at the Premier Division table and some recent results, you don't have to look too hard to see that he has a point.

Ringwood boss Jy Taylor hit back and labelled the remarks as "disrespectful", while also pointing out that his club was not in a position to pay players. Fair enough.

But, regardless of budgets, the league table backs up New's argument.

The champions appear almost certain to come from a maximum of six sides, but that is more likely to be four - current league leaders Poole Town, Wimborne Town, AFC Totton and VT FC - with Bournemouth Poppies and Brockenhurst also in the mix.

And, like the Premier League, the Wessex Premier Division has four tiers within it, with teams left to fight it out to finish top of their mini league'.

There are the four serious title contenders, a few with an outside chance, the mid-table sides and then the basement boys left to fight it out at the foot of the table.

The huge gulf between the teams not only shows up clearly in the overall standings, but is sadly reflected by some of the embarrassing scorelines we have seen this season.

Occasionally you might see a shock result to buck the trend, but you are far more likely to come across some of the cricket scores suffered by the struggling few.

This isn't what should be happening in the fifth step of the non-league pyramid.

Results of 10-1, 8-0 and 9-1 may well be common in junior and park football, but it does no-one any favours to see it at a decent, partially semi-professional, senior level.

As in most levels of football, money seems the main reason for such a split, with the wealthy at one end and the rest scrambling to keep their heads above water.

And while the Football Association continues to insist on pricing clubs out of promotion by constantly asking for ground upgrades throughout the levels, things will not improve.

The idea of teams finishing in mid-table and gaining promotion simply because they boast decent facilities is a joke. There's no other way to describe it. It is on the pitch where quality really matters.

By elevating the importance of stands, tea bars, perimeter fencing and decent changing rooms above the standard of play, the FA is not only serving to cause already struggling clubs even more financial difficulty, it is also causing an on-field mismatch.

It just seems a shame that even so far down the footballing scale, such dependence seems to be put on money.

For those of us who have become disheartened at the presence of huge amounts of money in the professional game, the growing importance of it down the non-league pyramid is a worrying and unwelcome sight.