Chester City are facing Adminstration without the financial support of Stephen Vaughan.
The top seven contenders will drop out of the play-off picture and into the bottom half of the table if they enter Administration, which could come within the next few days if alternative financial support is not forthcoming.
A post by former director Paul Baker, who is also the club's major sponsor, on supporter's forum Devachat suggested that the club was unviable and that Vaughan would neither be selling his shares nor writing off the debt owed to the club. The post was quickly removed by the moderators.
Further mystery about Vaughan's decision to quit comes with the club holding a minutes silence at their recent home match with MK Dons for Colin Smith, described over the tannoy as the club's main benefactor. Smith was, until he was gunned down two weeks ago, responsible for the bulk of the cocaine flowing through Merseyside.
The Liverpool Echo described Smith as a the head of a drugs empire: "His empire, built on cocaine, is said to have washed billions of pounds through the city, courting business from international drug cartels."