WORCESTER City's St George's Lane ground has failed the Southern League Premier Division criteria despite being deemed good enough for the Conference.

Evesham United, tenants at the Lane while their new stadium is built, have been told they cannot go up should they be in the shake-up at the end of the season.

The Robins are one of 14 Southern League Division One Midlands clubs believed to have had their application for promotion rejected due to ground deficiencies.

St George's Lane was inspected by a Football Association technical panel but a C' grade, required to play in the Premier, was denied because of gaps under advertising boards surrounding the pitch.

A report added the ground had the potential to be given a B' grade, needed for Nationwide North, but the home dressing room had to be more than 18 metres square in size.

Yet Worcester play two levels higher than Evesham and have already had the Lane cleared to B' grade standard by the Conference.

The bizarre situation has come about because the FA and the Conference have interpreted the ground grading handbook differently over whether the gaps are allowed.

The Conference oversee their own ground gradings while the FA look after everything below that level.

City chairman Dave Boddy said: "The ruling in the ground grading document is vague and the FA's interpretation is different to the Conference. If the FA are going to take that stance there's going to be a lot of grounds that fail to meet that criteria.

"The FA are going to embarrass themselves if they don't allow Evesham up."

Boddy, who believes even Conference side Burton Albion and League One outfit Cheltenham Town would fail under the criteria, added: "The Conference look after all their own ground gradings.

"As far as the Conference are concerned, Worcester City Football Club have a B' grading and are only marginally away from an A' grading, which needs to be in place 12 months after promotion to the Conference.

"Evesham need a C' grading to play in the Southern League Premier and a D' grading for the league they are in at the moment."

Evesham chairman Jim Cockerton said: "It seems absolutely crazy. It's just a ludicrous situation where Worcester wouldn't be up to standard for the Southern League Premier if they were relegated."

Bromsgrove Rovers have been cleared to play in the Southern Premier after upgrading their toilet facilities, according to chairman Tom Herbert.

The deadline to meet grading requirements is March 31.