Withdean 2000's board meet on Tuesday to decide the club's future.

The Combined Counties League champions lost their appeal to the FA after being denied promotion to the Ryman League.

League chiefs say Withdean cannot groundshare with Worthing unless there is a permanent agreement in place, which chief executive Alan Pook argues there is.

Worthing have also been told they cannot have both Withdean and Albion Reserves using Woodside Road next season.

Withdean now cannot play at Woodside Road at all, either in the Ryman or the Combined Counties League, and the very existence of the club is under threat.

However, Pook is determined to safeguard the club's youth set-up in the wake of the setback.

He said: "We have a meeting on Tuesday which will decide what happens to the club.

"We lost the appeal but we have councillors who are fighting to overturn that decision.

"We will have a meeting with the council where our future will be discussed. The council are on board with us as we are a community club.

"The future of the youth set-up is the most pressing and most important issue. We are trying to do everything in our power to ensure the youth set-up, which is one of the biggest in the country, continues and this club goes onwards and upwards.

"The mood in the camp is still buoyant and we are looking at avenues to safeguard the children's football for the future of Brighton and Hove.

"I would not swap the youth set-up at this club for any in the county, including Brighton and Hove Albion's."

Pook also hit back at the 'politics' which have left Withdean's future in grave doubt.

He said: "We have been badly let down. There are politics behind the scenes with people, including some from Sussex, who have campaigned against us. They are very small-minded."