League One vote to curtail season

DALE’S season is over after clubs in League One and League Two voted by an overwhelming margin to cut the season short due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Clubs opted to use a framework for ending the season put forward by the English Football League board, which meant the final table would be calculated using an unweighted points-per game basis.

The framework retained promotion, relegation and the traditional four-team play-offs.

As a result, Dale – with 36 points from their 34 games – finished with a PPG total of 46.59 and therefore finish the season in 18th in League One.

In an update on Dale’s official club website, chief executive David Bottomley said the club can now ‘push forward’ in light of the decision.

He said: “We are relieved that a decision has finally been taken to determine the outcome of the season. As you’ll be aware from my previous communications, ending the campaign is an outcome that we, as a Club, have been pushing for throughout the process.

“It has been a long time coming and I’m pleased that we can now push forward with our preparations for the 2020/21 season instead of being stuck in limbo. We can look forward to our seventh consecutive season in League One.

“As this season comes to an end, I’d like to say a big thank you, to you the fans, for your support throughout 2019/20. It now seems a lifetime away from our first game of the season on the 3rd of August away at Tranmere, and the near on 1,000 Dale fans who cheered us to victory.

“I would also like to place on record thanks to every single member of our admin and off field staff, and, of course, our management team and players for achieving the results and securing our

●●Dale finished 18th in League One after clubs voted by an ‘overwhelming margin’ to cut the season short due to Covid-19

League One status.”

At the top end of League One, Coventry and Rotherham have been promoted to the Championship, while Wycombe, Oxford, Portsmouth and Fleetwood will contest the play-offs, with the dates for those matches to be fixed in due course.

Tranmere - who had proposed an alternative framework to the one chosen by the clubs - have been relegated to League Two, along with Southend and Bolton.

Peterborough owner Darragh MacAnthony criticised the League One vote to end the season.

He wrote on social media: “The state of my timeline full of fans loving the fact that 18 ‘football clubs’ voted to not play football & the ramifications of it.

“Bravo to the 4 Football clubs who did vote to play on. The @EFL @SkyBetLeagueOne s*** show draws to a close. Enjoy your summer fans.”

In League Two, Swindon, Crewe and Plymouth have been promoted to League One, while Cheltenham, Exeter, Colchester and Northampton will contest the play-offs, with the first legs of the semifinals taking place next week.

As things stand, Stevenage will be relegated to the National League but Macclesfield could yet finish bottom if they incur further points deductions for alleged breaches of EFL regulations.

League Two clubs had indicated an intention to curtail the season at a meeting last month, with concerns over the costs of playing behind closed doors and of coronavirus testing uppermost in the thoughts of their chairmen and chief executives.

Forest Green chairman Dale Vince said his club was the only one at League Two level who voted to football play on, and now hopes the EFL can work towards a September start date for the 2020-21 season.

Vince told the PA news agency: “I think it’s been a good day for football. The vote this morning was a good common sense outcome which respects the integrity of the game as far as that’s possible when you don’t finish the season.

“And then the vote this afternoon was not unexpected. The vote to end League Two prematurely, we knew that was coming.

“We voted to play on but we were a lone voice sadly. So we at least have some certainty now, we know what’s happening, and we can focus on the new season which I hope may start in September.”

The League Two playoffs will start next week, with Colchester taking on Exeter and Northampton hosting Cheltenham on June 18 in the semi-final first legs.

The return matches will be played on Monday, June 22, with the League Two play-off final scheduled for Monday, June 29, kicking off at 7.30pm.

The Championship is set to play on, with a start date set for June 20. The fixtures and televised games have been agreed, with those regular season second-tier matches not on television available for streaming by season ticket holders of the clubs involved.

Earlier in the day the clubs had voted to adopt the EFL board’s model for ending the season.

At the Extraordinary General Meeting, Football League clubs voted to retain promotion, relegation and the play-offs and to use an unweighted points-per-game system to decide the final table if the season is curtailed. The model was the one set out by the EFL’s board, and the league said it was “overwhelmingly agreed” to adopt it into the competition’s regulations at the meeting.

An EFL statement 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.”

EFL chairman 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 Wednesday’s Observer, in the story headlined ‘New investors outline big plans for Dale’, we reported that two American investors had acquired shares in the club and had issued a statement which was first published on the Dale Trust website. That was incorrect. The investors’ statement was first published on a Rochdale supporters’ message board, fansnetwork.co.uk. We are happy to set the record straight on this matter and apologise for any confusion or inconvenience caused.