Doncaster Rovers’ League One rivals band together to try to prevent season being cancelled

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EFL | Getty Images
A group of Doncaster Rovers’ League One rivals have banded together to in a bid to prevent the current campaign being cancelled.

League One and League Two clubs will take part in a conference call on Friday, with a vote set to take place on the fate of the 2019/20 season, which has been halted for more than nine weeks due to the Covid-19 outbreak.

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It has been widely expected that a move to cancel the remainder of the campaign would be backed, with many of the 47 clubs fearful of the financial implications of attempting to play fixtures behind closed doors. What would follow would be a discussion over how the season would be decided, if at all.

But doubt has been thrown over the outcome of the initial vote after a united public declaration from six League One clubs on Thursday evening.

Peterborough United chairman Darragh MacAnthony issued a statement via Twitter, saying a number of clubs are determined to resume matches when safe to do so - as is being pursued by the Premier League and Championship.

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MacAnthony wrote: “I have been asked to relay this message on behalf of Oxford United, Fleetwood Town, Portsmouth, Sunderland, Ipswich Town and Peterborough United to the EFL and the media ahead of our League One meeting tomorrow morning.

“We as a collective are united in our goal to finish this season.

“We have no desire for voiding the season, PPG scenario’s/letting a computer decide our footballing fate.

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“For our fans/staff & for the integrity of our sport we are all looking forward to completing our pending fixtures/season under guidance from the EFL at a time it is deemed safe to do so.

“Thank you for your time.”

The EFL board are thought to favour promotion and relegation remaining in place, with various methods of a points per game calculation possibly set to be used to determine final standings.

However, there have been calls - including from Rovers boss Darren Moore - for the season to be declared null and void.

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