Chester City are facing expulsion from the Football Conference after pleading guilty to five breaches of its rules.

The club's fate will be decided at a general meeting of member clubs on a date to be decided, and they remain suspended until then.

Chester have lurched from crisis to crisis this season and have failed to play their last two matches.

The Football Conference said its board "failed to be convinced" that Chester would be able to fulfil their fixtures.

Members held a lengthy meeting with representatives from the beleaguered club on Thursday.

"In compliance with Article 5.2 of the Football Conference, the board will recommend to its member clubs that Chester City (2004) FC should face expulsion from membership," the statement added.

The Blue Square Premier's bottom-placed side have failed to fulfil fixtures against Forest Green, which was called off at two hours' notice when the players went on strike, and Wrexham, which was cancelled because of an unpaid police bill.

They were charged last Thursday and given seven days to respond, during which they were suspended from playing their game with Kidderminster.

The 126-year-old club are likely to be relegated even if they do see out the season after starting with a 25-point deduction.

They are still on minus three points, 31 points from safety.

If Chester were expelled and their results expunged, Oxford would go six points clear at the top over Stevenage but lose their game in hand.

Kettering would close in on the play-offs by three points to one, because they have yet to play Chester.

Chester were scheduled to visit Histon on Saturday.

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