SALISBURY boss Steve Claridge has welcomed news that there will be double the automatic promotion places available in the Evo-Stik Southern League South West this season.

As part of a major re-organisation of non-League football, the league have announced that two clubs will go up automatically from their two regional Step 4 divisions, which have been renamed the Evo-Stik South West (formerly South & West) and the Evo-Stik South East (formerly Central) for 2017/18.

The changes stem from the FA’s decision to introduce a new league at Step 3 level to add to the Southern Premier, Northern Premier and Isthmian Premier leagues for 2018/19.

As a result, 19 clubs will be promoted from Step 4 at the end of the forthcoming season as opposed to the usual 12.

Each of the six regional divisions of the Southern, Northern and Isthmian leagues will see the top two automatically promoted along with the third-placed team with the best points-per-game ratio across the six divisions.

The other six places will go to the winners of the play-offs, involving clubs who finish between third and sixth – or seventh in the case of the league with the best third-placed team.

Claridge, whose Salisbury side were beaten in last term’s South & West play-off final by Tiverton Town having finished league runners-up, said: “It’s good news.

“You’ve got to be happy when you get two chances to go straight up.

“In fact there are four chances to be promoted, what with the best third place and the play-offs.

“We know it will be tough again with the likes of Taunton and Evesham getting stronger, but we have to believe we can make it up this time around.”

Salisbury are joined in the Evo-Stik South West by local sides AFC Totton, Winchester City and Wimborne Town.