THINGS can change quickly in football.

One minute your team can do no wrong and the next they are in crisis.

That has been shown most starkly by Kidderminster Harriers, whose FA Cup heroics of January could not be in greater contrast to now sitting 10th in the Skrill Premier and seeing manager Andy Thorn depart yesterday.

But it is the plight of Vauxhall Motors, further down the non-league ladder, that should bring home the harsh reality of football to both clubs and fans alike.

The Ellesmere Port outfit and Worcester City's Skrill North rivals yesterday announced they would be resigning from the second tier of non-league at the end of the season.

Their reasoning is quite simple - they don't get enough people through the gates to cover their costs.

That is hardly surprising when you consider the Rivarce Park team seldom break the 150 barrier.

Low crowds are commonplace for a lot of clubs of a similar ilk but many get by because they are bank-rolled by a benefactor.

That's not the case at Vauxhall, although they do have a vibrant social club, and finally the situation has come home to roost.

Despite efforts to punch above their weight, the Motormen have decided the best course of action is to save the long term by dropping down the divisions.

Such a decision would not have been taken lightly and it is to their credit that they have opted to go down that route rather than ploughing on regardless and eventually winding up along the well-trodden path of going broke.

It is a call that City manager Carl Heeley has backed, saying the Motormen should be applauded for putting the club ahead of dreams.

"At least they accepted that it's not viable," he added, no doubt aware that a lot of clubs choose to bury their heads in the sand in similar circumstances.

Such reasoning may also be borne out of the fact that Vauxhall's scenario is not that disimilar to Worcester's.

The Blue and Whites are actually one of the better supported clubs in Skrill North and, despite no longer being at St George's Lane, still pull in a decent crowd.

They currently average 539 and, while that may not sound a lot, it is competitive for the level they play at.

But, following years of mounting debt, which was finally cleared following the controversial sale of the Lane, they now live virtually hand to mouth.

They don't have somebody pouring money in and their survival in exile has been down to sheer hard work.

No doubt discussions about dropping down the leagues would have taken place in the Worcester boardroom last summer, not knowing whether the club would be financially viable.

As it is, Worcester are managing but Vauxhall's plight is a reminder of how tough it can be.