The future of 2019/20 at League One and Two levels could become clearer in the next few days with key EFL meetings taking place.
As previously reported, it’s widely expected that the League One and Two seasons, suspended on March 13th due to the coronavirus crisis, will not be resumed with many clubs unable to afford to stage the remaining fixtures behind closed doors and the significant cost of testing players and staff also beyond them.
While some clubs - including Town - still favour playing the campaign to a conclusion, this now seems a remote prospect.
The EFL insist that no decision has yet been made but notably has issued no rebuttal to the reports which emerged towards the end of last week.
Officially it is still committed to completing all three of its divisions with its remaining 113 matches played over 56 days behind closed doors with a June 6th start date pencilled in. Players are due back at their clubs for a mini-pre-season on May 16th.
The EFL board, chaired by Rick Parry and which includes representatives from the Championship, League One and League Two, meets today.
Discussions between the Government, FA, Premier League, EFL and PFA have been ongoing and are set to continue tomorrow, while conference calls involving League One and Two sides are scheduled for Friday with club secretary Stuart Hayton Town’s representative at such meetings.
However, it's expected to be another week before a decision is formally made with clubs expected to first vote on whether the season will be curtailed before subsequently addressing and ultimately voting on a process for doing so and establishing placings, promotion and relegation. According to last week’s reports, various options have been proposed.
This is unlikely to be a simple or uncontentious matter with any system having winners and losers. Peterborough United owner Darragh MacAnthony has already promised a "legal battle of epic proportions” if his club were to be one of those impacted negatively with Posh sixth, three points from the automatic promotion places when fixtures were suspended.
Barring unlikely scenarios where positions are agreed after the first 22 games - whether the first 22 matches literally or the first fixtures played against each opposition side - Town are all but certain to be be placed in mid-table.
The Blues are currently 10th but with the points per game and weighted points per game proposals - viewed as the most likely to be accepted - seeing Paul Lambert’s men placed 11th in their first third tier season since 1956/57.
That would be Town’s lowest finish since 1952/53 when the Blues, then managed by Scott Duncan, were 16th in Division Three South.