The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Saints leapfrog Hibs into sixth – and land an extra £125,000
Tommy Wright’s last season with St Johnstone will go into the record books as another top six Premiership finish, writes Eric Nicolson.
The SPFL have confirmed that the top flight has been called on a points-pergame basis, as was the case with the lower leagues.
That means Celtic have joined Dundee United, Raith Rovers and Cove Rangers in being crowned champions of a curtailed campaign and, barring the success of an 11th hour reconstruction bid by Ann Budge or the success of court action, Hearts have been relegated.
Significantly for Saints, they have jumped over Hibs into sixth place.
When football stopped the day before the two sides were due to play each other at Easter Road, the Edinburgh side had 37 points from 30 games, with Wright’s men a point behind having completed a match less.
The calculator for points-per-game came out at Hampden Park and it worked out Saints had an average of 1.24, compared to Hibs’ 1.23.
Not only is it a feather in the cap of Wright and his players, who were bottom of the league in December and produced a stunning run of form to charge up the table, it will also bring a financial reward for the McDiarmid Park club.
Based on last season’s prize money, moving up a place has earned Saints another £125,000.
An SPFL statement read: “The SPFL has today announced that, following consultation with all 12 top-flight clubs, the Board of the SPFL has determined that the 2019/20 Ladbrokes Premiership has been concluded with immediate effect.
“AswiththeLadbrokesChampionship, Ladbrokes League One and Ladbrokes League Two competitions, final season placings have been determined by points per game in league matches played to 13 March 2020 by each club.
“The decision means that Celtic are crowned 2019/20 champions and Hearts have been relegated to the Ladbrokes Championship.”
SPFL chairman Murdoch MacLennan said: “Firstly, I would like to take this opportunity to officially congratulate Celtic and also to sincerely commiserate with Hearts on their relegation.
“We would all have rather seen the league season played out on pitches, in stadiums and in front of supporters.
“This is not the way anybody involved with Scottish football would have wanted to conclude the league season but, given the grave and unprecedented circumstances that we are facing, the board has agreed that it is the only practical way forward.
“Covid-19 has wreaked havoc on sporting competitions around the world and the repercussions will be felt for a long time.
“Scottish Government restrictions and deep concerns for both player and spectator safety left the SPFL with no realistic option but to call the Ladbrokes Premiership now and we thank the Premiership clubs for their support on this decision.”
SPFL chief executive Neil Doncaster said: “On Friday, Ladbrokes Premiership clubs expressed their clear and unanimous view that there was no realistic prospect of completing the outstanding fixtures from season 2019/20.
“The SPFL Board met this morning and in line with the express agreement of member clubs in April, the board determined that league season 2019/20 and the Ladbrokes Premiership be brought to an end.
“This decision now enables us to pay out around £7 million in fees to help clubs stay afloat during this incredibly difficult time. We will begin processing these payments immediately.
“The focus of all those involved in the game will now turn to how we get football up and running again safely as soon as possible.
“Next season’s Betfred Cup first round group stage is scheduled to begin in midJuly, with coverage from Premier Sports.
“The 2020/21 league season in all four of our divisions is due to commence on August 1, which coincides with the start of our new and exclusive five-year broadcasting deal with Sky Sports.
“Nobody should be under any illusion as to how complicated and difficult a challenge it will be to return Scottish football to normality. We will be liaising with the government on the best way forward and working to ensure that all of our 42 clubs are playing football again as soon as humanly possible.”