Ports are set to make top-flight return
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Linfield and Coleraine have declared that they are open to making a contribution to what is now being classed as a “Hardship Fund” for the Irish League.
Both the Blues and Bannsiders would work together with NIFL and the IFA in such a scenario.
The other proposal on the table yesterday morning was from Glentoran and referred to nominating European places after 22 league games and a distribution of European funds amongst the clubs.
It is understood Ballymena United, Cliftonville and Glenavon backed Linfield and Coleraine, giving their alliance a total of five. That proved to be a larger number than for the Glentoran proposal which it is believed had the backing of the Oval outfit, Crusaders, Larne and Institute.
Sources say Warrenpoint Town and Dungannon Swifts opted to abstain while Carrick Rangers didn’t feel they could vote for either option as neither covered all aspects of a conclusion to the campaign.
With effectively a 5-4 majority with three no-votes, Linfield and Coleraine came out of the meeting smiling.
Prior to that it was agreed by majority that the season should end without any more games being played given that all matches would have had to go ahead behind closed doors.
That scenario was never on the cards.
What looks on the cards is promotion for Matthew Tipton and his Portadown players, though that could mean relegation out of the Premiership for bottom club Institute.
NIFL had been planning to make a statement last night but that will now be released today.
Previously, Linfield rejected a Crusaders proposal to resolve the impasse before presenting their own suggestion for breaking the deadlock.
The Blues felt that Crusaders’ proposal to divide money among Premiership, Championship and Premier Intermediate League sides represented too much of a financial blow to the club.
Before that the majority of Premiership sides had already rejected plans to finish the season on the pitch by playing two more rounds of fixtures, meaning teams would have played each other three times, or for an independent panel to choose a mathematical formula that would determine final league standings.
There had also been talk of legal action in the biggest controversy to hit Irish League football.