The musical chairs between the first and second divisions of the Munster Men’s Senior League is set to continue, with Bandon B requesting permission from the Munster Branch to voluntarily drop out of the top tier.

The west Cork outfit — who had avoided relegation via a 4-2 playoff win over UCC after finishing at the foot of Division One last season — made the decision at a players’ meeting following their 5-0 loss to their firsts on Saturday, a result which will be voided if they drop to Division Two.

While the branch have yet to rubber-stamp the issue, it is likely that they will not stand in Bandon B’s way, given the precedent set when Belvedere were granted permission to drop a division earlier this month.

The branch subsequently approved a request from UCC to replace the Ballincollig outfit in Division One, but if Bandon B’s request is granted, the top tier will once again be reduced back to an uneven seven teams.

Club spokesperson Mark Kingston told Southern Fried that the club had no problems with numbers, rather that they feel Division Two would serve as a better breeding ground for their younger talent.

“It’s a case of taking one step back to go two steps forward. We have a lot of young players who need experience at a lower level, not being thrown in against Harlequins forwards in Division One. It’s not fair to ask them to step up so quickly,” he said.

“A couple of the younger players are very disappointed, as they have their own personal ambitions. But this is the right step for the club, we have to consolidate.”

Kingston added that the club’s seconds hope to be chasing promotion again within a couple of years, and that the move will free up more seconds players to partake in first-team action on Saturdays, once they prove they’re up to the task.