Fleetwood Town chairman Andy Pilley sees benefits in return to regionalised leagues

The return of northern and southern sections to leagues below the Championship sounds "a good idea" to Andy Pilley

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The Highbury chief has admitted a return to regionalised football for the lower two tiers is an idea worth considering.

He made the revelation in videos posted on Twitter in response to a question from a Town supporter. Town’s location does them few favours in terms of travel anyway but the make-up of League One this season hasn’t helped.

Only nine other teams would be considered ‘northern’, while this year has already seen Town travel to Ipswich Town, Wycombe Wanderers and Portsmouth in midweek – a total round trip of more than 1,500 miles.

In contrast, a regionalised division offers the prospect of trips to Morecambe, Carlisle United, Oldham Athletic and Salford City.

Not only would they be easier trips for fans but the club would save money on overnight stays.

In response to the initial question, Pilley said: “I think that’s an idea that should be explored, I really do.

“I love a day out in London but I think that Tuesday night at Gillingham, Tuesday night at Portsmouth, is not what we need as a football club.

“Time is going to be especially hard now and we are going to have to make changes in order to balance the books, so I think that’s a good idea that needs exploring.”

The former Third Division North and South ran from 1921 to 1958, when they were replaced by a national Third Division and Fourth Division (now League One and Two).