I just don’t know what will happen
MAX Power admits the lack of a clear plan for determining the outcome of the EFL season has left Sunderland players worried.
The EFL is expected to announce this week the League One and League Two campaigns will be abandoned due to the Covid-19 pandemic, with no realistic prospect they can be completed ahead of the July 31 deadline outlined by league chairman Rick Parry last week.
That leaves the EFL with a huge headache over whether to void the season entirely, as has happened further down the football pyramid, or try to come up with some formula to determine which teams will be promoted and relegated.
When the season was suspended in March, the Black Cats were just three points behind second place with eight games to play and were strong contenders either for automatic promotion or a play-off place.
Their hopes rely on completing the season, which is now all-but impossible, because any other method will almost certainly see them miss out.
The EFL have yet to officially make a decision on the season but Power says the direction of travel ‘does not look too great’ for Sunderland’s chances.
The midfielder said: “I don’t know what is going to happen in terms of finishing the season. It does not look too great but we are in a good position again to go up.
“These are crazy times with everything that is going on.
“It is quite worrying because at the moment there are no plans in place.
“We don’t know what is going to happen.”
Several different options are reportedly under consideration, including drawing up a final table based upon points-per-game or using a weighted points-per-game system which would take into account the number of home games and away games played.
Any mathematical method will be open to challenge and several clubs are already understood to be considering legal action if they miss out on promotion as a result.
Sunderland fell short of automatic promotion last season before losing out in the play-off final at Wembley - but that has only made Power more determined to help the club to promotion.
He added: “I am just desperate to get promoted with Sunderland. That is the reason I signed.
“We went so close last year and again this year has not been straightforward, but short-term I want to help the club get back on the path towards the Premier League.
“I am not saying the club will be in the Premier League in the next few years, it is going to be really tough.
“Short-term, though, I just want to get out of this division.”