The outcome of this week's matches involving Torquay United and Exeter City could go a long way to deciding whether the number of football league teams in Devon drops from three to two, or potentially even one.
Chris Hargreaves' Torquay side host Bury on Tuesday night, a match which sees former Gulls' assistant manager Chris Brass return to Plainmoor, before facing Newport County at Plainmoor on Saturday.
A return of six points from these two homes fixtures would move the Gulls, who lost to Cheltenham on Saturday, up to 39 points, which would- depending on results elsewhere- place them within two or three points of the safety mark.
However, before any match action takes place Torquay have until midday on Monday whether to appeal against Joss Labadie's ten-match ban handed to him by the Football Association for biting Chesterfield's Ollie Banks during their League Two encounter with the Spireites.
Exeter City- fresh from securing a point in a 1-1 draw with Newport today- will host Fleetwood Town and are desperately in search of their first win at St James Park since October 5th when they beat arch rivals Plymouth Argyle 3-1.
A week before that result, the Grecians won 2-1 away at the Cod Army with emergency striker Scott Bennett netting both goals.
The Pilgrims could do both United and City a big favour if they were to defeat Accrington Stanley, who are one of three teams- including the Grecians, currently locked on 41 points near the foot of the table.
