Clubs set to vote to end Walsall's season

Clubs will meet this morning to discuss and then vote on regulation changes which would then permit each division to hold its own ballot on halting the campaign early.

Those in League Two are overwhelmingly in favour of curtailment with only the four clubs in the play-off positions set to play to a finish on the pitch.

The outcome in League One is less certain, while the Championship is set to play on, though the result of today’s vote could yet have ramifications for Albion in the event their season was still cut short.

Under the framework proposed by the EFL, final positions would be decided on a points-per-game basis, with promotion and relegation applied.

But clubs will also vote on a series of alternative proposals, including that put forward by Barnsley which would see relegation scrapped in any division which was curtailed. Another proposal, tabled by Tranmere, would see a margin or error applied to points-per-game calculations.

None of those affect Walsall, who are destined for a mid-table finish and already have their focus firmly on next term.

Formally drawing a line under last season will prompt the Saddlers and others to seek clarity on a start date for the 2020/21 campaign. Once that is received, clubs will then be able to plan more confidently for the mid-term future.

With the Championship not due to conclude until late July, a restart in the lower leagues prior to September appears unlikely, while clubs will also require assurances over the financial model of initially staging matches behind closed doors.

Chairman Leigh Pomlett has previously revealed the Saddlers, whose last match was a 3-1 home win over Exeter on March 7, have budgeted for the possibility of not restarting until October.