HEREFORD United and the club's supporters are delighted by the decision of the Football League to increase promotion and relegation to the Conference to two clubs.

After two years of negotiations between the two leagues and the FA, the decision was ratified by the 72 Football League members at last weekend's annual meeting.

The Conference champions will still automatically go up into the Third Division, while the next four clubs in the table will play off for the other promotion place.

The long-awaited move has been welcomed by Bulls chairman and director of football Graham Turner. He was a member of the Conference committee which has been campaigning for another promotion place in recent years.

United director and company secretary Joan Fennessy said: "It will make a big difference in the second half of the season when 10 or more clubs are still likely to have a chance of making the play-offs until the final matches. In the last two seasons by early New Year only two or three teams had a realistic chance of winning the championship, bringing a subsequent decline in support at the other clubs."

HUISA chairman Kevin Wargen said: "Everyone has known the previous situation was unfair and we are very pleased that justice has been done at last.

"Hopefully, the Bulls will be up among the top five clubs next season and we will be there at the end of the campaign battling to regain our place in the Football League."

A stumbling block in recent years had been financial compensation arrangements for the demoted teams. This has been overcome with funding of £6million being agreed with the Football Association.

All Third Division clubs will receive £50,000 at the start of each of the next five seasons, while the two clubs promoted from the Conference will get £35,000. The two demoted clubs will receive parachute payments for one season.

Only clubs with grounds that satisfy Football League requirements will be eligible for the play-offs but well over half of the Conference's complement already meet the standard.

Conference chief executive John Moules described the decision as 'a landmark'.