PAYLOR LOOKS BACK TO 1986 WHEN THE BORO WERE SAVED Barton will ‘feel sorry’ for Cats if season over

BORO, PAGES 50&51

JOEY Barton says he will feel sorry for Sunderland if the League One season is cut short and the Black Cats’ promotion hopes are dashed.

The season has been suspended due to the Covid-19 crisis but the Fleetwood Town manager and former Newcastle United midfielder says his team – like Sunderland – want to play on when it is safe to do so, believing they still have a chance of automatic promotion.

Fleetwood are just two points behind secondplaced Rotherham United, and Sunderland one point further back, with Barton’s men having nine games remaining, the same as the Millers, and Sunderland eight.

But if clubs vote to cut short the season, the EFL have revealed controversial proposals to settle the table based on points-per-game, which would see top two Coventry and Rotherham promoted, and eighthplaced Wycombe elevated to third place, with Peterborough elbowed out of the play-off places as a result.

Along with Wycombe, Oxford, Portsmouth, Fleetwood, would compete in the play-offs.

At the bottom of the table, Bolton, Southend, and Tranmere would be relegated – with the Merseysiders justifiably unhappy, given they are just three points behind fourth-bottom AFC Wimbledon with a game in hand of the them.

And Barton told Sky Sports’ The Football Show: “I’d prefer to finish the campaign, we’ve been quite