Following the news that Plymouth Argyle intend to appoint an Administrator, the Pilgrims have been deducted ten points, leaving Argyle rooted to the bottom of League One.
Deputy Chairman Paul Stapleton announced the proposal as a means of giving the club protection against insolvency and David Hinchcliffe, of Walker Morris solicitors, will be working alongside Peter Ridsdale, who is still involved with the Pilgrims as an independent consultant.
The ten point deduction leaves Argyle at the foot of the League One table and ten points from safety. It also places greater importance on their trip to league leaders Brighton and Hove Albion tomorrow night.
This latest development represents a new low for the club since the departure of Ian Holloway when Argyle were fourth in the Championship and the idea of Premiership football seemed like more than just a dream.
However, life in the Championship is a gamble for many clubs, especially for those without the luxury of Premiership parachute payments, and it is a gamble that the Pilgrims have lost in spectacular fashion.
Already this season, the club has survived a Winding Up Order in the High Court over unpaid taxes, which was settled following the sales a number of players in the January transfer window including leading scorer Bradley Wright-Phillips and Craig Noone.
Money promised by the club's Japanese majority shareholders, which would provided the club with a serious shot in the arm also failed to materialise.
If the worse situation was to come to pass and they were relegated to League Two, the level which the Pilgrims started the previous decade at, they still have ten players under contract.
One of those players goalkeeper Romain Larrieu was part of the Argyle squad that won the Division Three title with a record 102 points in the 2001-02 season and, for him, relegation would see his career at Home Park go full circle.
For the time being, at least, there are enough points to play for which would give the Pilgrims a chance of remaining in League One for the 2011-02 campaign and manager Peter Reid could use their predicament as a means of creating a siege mentality.
If they were to upset the form book at the Withdean Stadium, he would be doing a massive favour to his former Sunderland charge Lee Clark who is currently managing Huddersfield Town, one of the Seagulls' promotion rivals.
