KIDDERMINSTER Carolians are in limbo over their Midlands Three West North future as league bosses decide whether finishing third from bottom will be enough to keep them in the division.

Despite concluding their season with a 25-16 defeat to Sutton Coldfield, the Marlpool Lane men hope finishing above Old Saltleians and Willenhall will be sufficient to keep them up.

But with RFU officials doing their perennial trick of failing to decide the number of relegation places until the end of the season, KCs face an anxious wait.

On Saturday, they competed well against mid-table Sutton and almost rescued a result with a second half fightback.

Sutton opened up a 15-3 interval lead with tries from John Braniff and Lol Banner and a conversion and penalty from Richard Braniff putting them in control.

In reply, despite positive passages of play, KCs could only muster a penalty which Andy Stooksbury kicked from 35 yards into a headwind.

KCs certainly upped their game in the second half and in the 47th minute Stooksbury scored with a well-struck drop goal to make it 15-6.

But after wasting a good chance close to the hosts' 22, they fell further behind when Mo Lanchbury scored under the posts and Braniff converted.

Now 22-6 down, KCs had it all to do, but the tide turned and they produced their best period of the match with two unconverted tries.

First Dan Quinn touched down after a smart raid down the left before Matt Bennett drove over to give KCs more hope of an unlikely comeback.

But with time running out to further close the gap, Braniff settled Sutton's nerves with another penalty.

Director of Rugby Phil Knowles revealed that club stalwarts Ambrogio Neri, Andy Stooksbury and Mark Cleeton were set to stand-down from first team rugby.

He said: "Ambro Neri says he has retired and will be sadly missed. No doubt Mark Cleeton and Andy Stooksbury will also feel that first team rugby is too demanding."

A Roger Punton try and Spencer Crockett's conversion were all KCs thirds had to shout about as they suffered a 35-7 home defeat to Dudley Kingswinford fourths. President Nigel Oakes has selected a team to take on a captain's XV at Marlpool Lane at 3pm on Saturday.