Clubs vote to stick with EFL’s plan for deciding season - meaning no play-off campaign for Doncaster Rovers

And League One clubs will vote this afternoon on whether to curtail the season or attempt to resume the campaign.

Should the season be curtailed, Coventry City and Rotherham United will be handed automatic promotion to the Championship while Tranmere Rovers, Southend United and Bolton Wanderers will be relegated to League Two.

Wycombe Wanderers, Oxford United, Portsmouth and Fleetwood Town will compete in the play-offs, with Peterborough United dropping out.

All 71 EFL clubs were invited to a meeting on Tuesday morning to consider proposals for determining how the campaign would be decided in the event the season is curtailed.

The EFL board had laid out a framework which would see final places decided by an unweighted points per game (PPG) calculation, with automatic promotion, relegation and a four-team play-off take place as normal.

An alternative proposal was put forward by Tranmere Rovers, which would have seen the implementation of a ‘margin for error’ calculation into PPG plus a drastic alteration of the usual promotion, relegation and play-off formats in each division.

Tranmere’s plan would have handed Rovers an invitation into an expanded play-off campaign featuring eight League One clubs.

Amendments to the EFL plan were also put forward by Barnsley and Stevenage which would have seen no relegation from any division or League Two only respectively.

And Lincoln City and Ipswich Town also put forward amendments.

The alternative proposal and amendments were all rejected by clubs. A simple majority was required from all clubs which took part in the meeting, plus a separate simple majority of all Championship clubs who took part.

A statement from the EFL read: “At an Extraordinary General Meeting on Tuesday 9 June, EFL clubs voted on proposals in respect of changes to EFL regulations in the event season 2019/20 is curtailed.

“Proposals were submitted by Barnsley and Tranmere Rovers alongside amendments to an EFL board proposal which were put forward by Lincoln City, Stevenage and Ipswich Town.

“Following a vote on each by all 71 clubs, it was overwhelmingly agreed (by a majority of all clubs and a majority in the Championship) to adopt the EFL board’s proposal into EFL regulations, which now means the following applies in the event a division curtails its 2019/20 season or it is ended by any other means.

“1. Final divisional placings will be determined on unweighted points per game (if required).

“2. Promotion and relegation should be retained.

“3. Play-Offs will be played in all circumstances but will not be extended (beyond four teams).

“Clubs in Leagues One and Two will now meet by division later today to formally determine whether to resume playing the 2019/20 season or opt for curtailment. The Championship clubs restart their season on 20 June.

“EFL chair, Rick Parry, said: “Whilst it has always remained the Board’s position to play the remainder of the season where possible, the decision reached at today’s meeting follows a full and considered consultation period with our member clubs. The Board has endeavoured to listen to all views and alternative approaches but understands that the decisions taken will not be met with universal satisfaction from all clubs.

“Today’s outcome ensures that the league and its clubs remains as faithful as possible to the previously agreed Regulations and that there is consistency in the approach adopted across the EFL in all divisions if required.

“It is clear that the challenges facing the League from the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic are unprecedented and I thank the contribution of EFL clubs in making this important determination.”

In League Two, Swindon Town, Crewe Alexandra and Plymouth Argyle will receive automatic promotion. The play-offs will be contested by Cheltenham Town, Exeter City, Colchester United and Northampton Town.

As it stands, Stevenage will be relegated to the National League. However, Macclesfield Town have pending EFL charges which could see them receive a points deduction which would relegate them instead.

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