LEIGH RMI boss Mark Patterson has called for a radical shake-up of the Nationwide Conference to stop a string of clubs going to the wall.

The Railwaymen are among a number of Conference clubs suffering severe financial problems and only surviving by the skin of their teeth.

Now Patterson claims that enlarging the Conference and splitting it into North and South leagues is vital for the game's future.

"It is imperative for clubs' survival that the Conference splits into a North-South divide," he said. "There is no point going the length and breadth of the country and incurring the extra travel costs. There are plenty of good teams in the North to provide top entertainment and the Conference would not be devalued.

"It makes more sense and I believe that the Football League's Division Three will go that way before long.

"In fact, most of the Conference sides are in a better financial position than the Division Three clubs because they are suffering from the loss of ITV Digital."

Meanwhile RMI's latest recruit, Chris Dawson, is set to become an international superstar - for the tiny island nation of Seychelles.

The former Bolton Wanderers youth trainee had been playing in the Malaysian League for Kuala Lumpur before he was given the opportunity to become the first professional footballer for the country ranked by FIFA at 193 in the world.

The 22-year-old midfielder, who spent five years with the Wanderers, made his debut for the Indian Ocean island in a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Mauritius in October.

Born in Coventry and capped by Scotland at youth level, Dawson, whose mother originates from the Seychelles, was granted citizenship in order to compete for his country's 2004 African Nations Cup campaign that got off to a great start against Eritrea in September.