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.

Photo: TWTD

OwainG1992 added 11:02 - May 13 I say let the teams that want to play, play. Maybe there is 8 teams in league one. Start from scratch top 3 go up. Happy days.
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Len_Brennan added 11:24 - May 13 Any outcome which fails to see Ipswich Town promoted back to the Championship, should be uncompromisingly challenged and rigorously pursued through the courts.
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Bluearmy_81 added 11:27 - May 13 Beginning of the end for Town. Evans will blame covid19 but the reality is he has been starving and neglecting to invest sufficiently for years, our woeful position is evidence of that. Also rans in division 3, totally irrelevant, a joke club. Had he done we wouldn't be where we are now. 5 years for Lambert the cherry on the cake. Town fans have embarrassingly let him without any protest. Shameful and gutless.

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algarvefan added 11:38 - May 13 To be absolutely honest it doesn't matter how they conclude this not everyone will be happy with the way it is done, sadly this whole thing will do our club no favours whatsoever, either in terms of league position or financially. There are truly tough times ahead, I just hope the club survives it intact. In terms of COVID19 there are more important issues than football, which has overpaid it's so called stars for too long, maybe this will redress the balance somewhat.

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Fatboy added 11:52 - May 13 All of the local amateur sports leagues I am involved in (not football) have rules in place setting out how league places will be decided if fixtures cannot be fulfilled. Generally, they are variants on points per games played. I suppose the Premier League and EFL, along with most other professional leagues, never considered this to be a possible scenario and so are now stuck in a position where they are trying to make up the rules after the event. Whatever the outcome, some clubs are going to be unhappy and legal action will undoubtedly follow.

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Cloddyseedbed added 12:55 - May 13 Lets use what has happened to press the reset button in football. No way to sort this season out which will satisfy everyone. Too much money at stake, it's all about the money, money, money. Little or no regard for human life it seems. Lets allow football to start up again when it is safe to do so on medical grounds, whenever that will be. Footballers have led charmed lives, being worshiped by fans and made to feel like gods. They are not. Let wage structures and contracts be readdressed so they are still very well paid for what they do but not to the extent of idiotic contracts issued by clubs that are not sustainable. Lets see monies filtered back through the leagues in a sustainable way for all. Lets see ground admissions reduced so more can afford to go. It's an opportunity to look at the sport in a sustainable way, take it and address it.

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Cakeman added 13:15 - May 13 Excellent post Cloddyseedbed. I think you are spot on. There are no easy decisions to be made for the current season but I firmly believe time has come to call a halt in all divisions including the Premier. I would have thought most clubs in England would benefit from not playing this season out. They could then prepare for a late start to the 20/21 season in relative safety. I'm no expert but if you listen to those that are it is clear and evident we shall not have an environment safe enough to play in or watch games for a few months. Money should not come before safety. Quite simply there is no compromise.

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rabbit added 13:44 - May 13 Bluearmy_81 more insults to the ITFC fans. Support your own team, whoever that may be but don't keep insulting our genuine and loyal supporters.
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Bluearmy_81 added 13:49 - May 13 Rabbit, supporting the status quo is not good support. If you blindly support the club and its owner without question you will do so all the way to div4 and possibly beyond. Wake up ffs
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dirtydingusmagee added 14:40 - May 13 ,we for our part blew what was a promising position early on. We get what we deserved sweet FA.
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rabbit added 16:37 - May 13 However much we would like a system weighted somehow in our favour, what you say dirtydingus is quite correct and in any sporting terms at all we simply don't deserve it, hey ho onwards and upwards we can only hope. Bluearmy_81, supporting the status quo? interesting. You are right I don't scream and shout about things that I don't understand and pretend that I am preparing for a demonstration against the owner and then when there is some kind of demo against the owner fail to make an appearance. You are great sitting in your bedroom banging away on your keyboard though.

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MurcianITCC added 17:30 - May 13 81 still banging on off subject...there's a global crisis, people dying and businesses going under....the season should be ended, period.
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Bluearmy_81 added 17:35 - May 13 Rabbit, that protest was nothing to do with me or the group. Why are Town fans so passive and gutless compared to other fans, any ideas? Personally I think it may be a hangover from the feudal system, you know, all hail the landowner... Its baffling. Charlton, Blackpool, Coventry, all their fans put ours to absolute shame. If we do go under do you think you'll regret not doing more as a town 'fan' to halt our drop into league 1?

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Dissboyitfc added 17:43 - May 13 i put the blame on our lowly position firmly at the door of paul lambert. We should of had enough about us to compete in this division without a doubt! postponing games and squad rotation ruined our Momentum! Most teams in this division have less to work with than ourselves! It wont happen but i think a change of manager is upon us again! PR is not the man to take us up and we will be found wanting again! Hounding Evans out will not help until a wealthy buyer can be found!

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Bluearmy_81 added 17:50 - May 13 Who gave Lambert 5 years?! Tough if you don't like Lambert, we're stuck with him now thanks to Evans who you strangely don't blame... 🤔Without Downes and or Woolfy I predict div4 within 2 seasons. Keeping backing Evans though, there's a good serf
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rabbit added 18:11 - May 13 Haha brilliant Bluearmy_81 absolute classic, so because it was not your group you wouldn't support it, brilliant defence, wherever did you learn your psychology I predict it was from the Walter Mitty school. Oh and by the way how many times did you see Woolfenden and Downes play together? Here's a novel one, as the self proclaimed ITFC best and most knowledgeable supporter why don't you start going to matches rather than blaming distance or the fact you don't like the owner.

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Dissboyitfc added 18:19 - May 13 Actually Bluearmy you dont know the conditions of that contract! Covid 19 issues aside had the season finished normally Evans could have sacked paul with a much reduced payoff! He wont get rid of him now because it will make even waves in some very uncertain seas! If we could get Evans out tomorrow, whats your plan? You cant just make a buyer appear! I for one would rather Evans stays than sell us to an even worse owner, have you ever thought of that? We still have a club! If you can come up with a plan to take us forward then i think the vast majority of fans will listen! but an Evans out campaign is NOT a plan1

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rabbit added 18:43 - May 13 Dissboy your point is well put but Bluearmy_81 won't give you a definitive answer I have already asked him the same question in a different thread but he found it too difficult to answer so just ignored it. He calls ITFC fans "gutless" but is nowhere to be seen when a group of people tried to do what he supports, he even removed all his info from his facebook page when he was outed!!!

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runningout added 18:43 - May 13 We deserve to be in LEAGUE 2 the way we have been playing and being run. I'm not throwing weak blame at anyone, as intentions were good, but very naive. Got to take it on the chin. Premier league clubs are not around to save clubs in lower leagues. They are so beyond reality that it's killing the game of football
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dirtydingusmagee added 19:06 - May 13 Bluearmy81 you really are tiresome little ,tw#t. Suppose to be a Town Supporter, and repeatedly insulting Suffolk people and the fact we live in the rural part of the country,, the other day we were ''surfs'' now we go ''back to the feudal system''. OH JUST REMEMBERED YOU ARE ON MERSEYSIDE. obviously you are superior, ffs. Go away and take your 500 strong barmy facebook army with you .

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Bluearmy_81 added 19:44 - May 13 It's serfs. 😂 I couldn't care less what you think of me dirty, to be bothered by your opinion of me I'd first have to value it. I was born in Bury and lived till 5 in Brandon. I will always support town till we go out of existence. There will never be another club. It pains me to be so critical of town fans but sorry, I'm embarrassed by you, it's simple. Literally no where else would fans bend over for 13 years and take what we have, it's truly pitiful

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rabbit added 19:47 - May 13 Dissboy your point is well put but Bluearmy_81 won't give you a definitive answer I have already asked him the same question in a different thread but he found it too difficult to answer so just ignored it. He calls ITFC fans "gutless" but is nowhere to be seen when a group of people tried to do what he supports, he even removed all his info from his facebook page when he was outed!!!

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dirtydingusmagee added 19:54 - May 13 bluearmy81 i must thank you , if only for leaving Suffolk. I looked at your Evans out fb group, surprised , i thought it was just for under 12' s or is that just just the mental age ?
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dirtydingusmagee added 22:36 - May 13 Dissy how many times have we all asked him that question , never an answer, never. He slips off, then reappears with same old crap and snipes at the supporters who dont go along with his relentless and pointless whining about Evans . Regardless of the subject of original post its same old same old, on and on. If it was all about pies , he would still go on about Evans. Sad really that he has become insanely obsessed by it. He is getting nowhere with it even with his merry men on facebook, its a shame really , he needs help. .

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Bluearmy_81 added 22:51 - May 13 Joke club, laughing stock. Worst placing since the 50s. Attack me 😂😂😂 Very interesting
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