basement battler

In sports, a team that is ranked in a lower division (known as the relegation or "drop" zone) of a given league, and that competes against similarly ranked teams to try and advance into a higher division. Primarily heard in UK. They face another fierce basement battler in this week's match, and a lot is at stake for both teams. We're never going to get into a higher division if we keep losing to these basement battlers! A loss today, to a fellow basement battler, will result in the team being relegated