TAUNTON Town's match at Barnstaple Town will go ahead tonight (ko 7.45pm) at Mill Road in Devon, following an afternoon pitch inspection.

The Peacocks are looking to stretch their advantage at the top of Evo-Stik Southern League West to 14 points with a win, as well as reaching 23 consecutive league games unbeaten, which would match the feat of Russell Musker's 1999/2000 team.

They will have to do it without injured players Pierce Mitchell (groin) and Keith Emmerson (foot), however.

And although their hosts sit 21st (second from bottom) in the table, they have only lost one of their last five games, a run which has seen them win 1-0 away to Taunton's promotion rivals Salisbury.

The Peacocks were also due to play next Tuesday (March 6), but with Wimborne Town's Dorset Cup match against Poole Town, scheduled for tonight, being called off, it means that the league game between Taunton and Wimborne at the Viridor Stadium - already postponed four times - must be pushed back once again.

***

THIS morning has seen the Football Association's Leagues Committee unveil the provisional Step 3 and 4 league boundaries ahead of next season, which would see Taunton Town face less travelling if they are promoted this season than they would if they had gone up last campaign.

The FA is set to introduce a new division at Steps 3 and 4 of the Non-League pyramid (Northern Premier League, Southern League and Isthmian League) for the 2018/19 season.

With the Peacocks on track for promotion, this would mean going into Step 3, which from next season is to be divided into a four divisions that cover the north, middle, south east and south west of England.

The Southern League is to administer the central and south west leagues, with the Northern Premier having responsibility for the north and the Isthmian for the south east. 

The new Step 3 is to be created by promoting more clubs (a total of 19) from the existing Step 4 divisions this season, and relegating only one from each of the current Step 3 leagues.

The FA says that the full plan will only be implemented when the identities of clubs promoted and relegated are confirmed at the end of the season.

This season has seen teams in the Southern League Premier Division ranging from Tiverton Town in the west to King's Lynn Town in the east, and Kettering Town to the north.

Next year's Southern League Premier South West - which Taunton are aiming to gain promotion to - would provisionally stretch to the west of London and up to Milton Keynes, therefore reducing some of the travel for Peacocks fans.

Should disaster strike and Taunton fail to win promotion (they are currently 18 points clear of third place and the playoffs), they would remain at Step 4, which would be divided into seven areas.