Tomorrow the National League will vote on a proposal to relegate only Chorley and promote only one side from each of the regional North and South divisions below. The plan is to run the play offs as normal and allow the winners to join Barrow in promotion to the EFL.
The EFL is threatening to block the second promotion place in response and is even suggesting that if the motion passes it will return promotion to one place only on a permanent basis. The EFL is aggrieved the National League is not following the sporting integrity apparently demonstrated by the EFL (sporting integrity being defined by the EFL itself).
The National League is, however, closer to the decision by the rest of non-league football to void the entire season. By making its current proposal the National League is attempting to plough a middle furrow between the EFL decisions to finish the season and the non-league to abandon it.
If the EFL forces the National League to mimic League 1 and 2 then four sides will be promoted from National North and South, which will then obviously cause uproar from every League below especially where many sides were already clear on points.
If the National League pursues its own path and the EFL retaliates our chances of promotion will receded into the distance irrespective of ownership. There are plenty of clubs at our level capable of producing a side good enough to challenge for the place we'd love back in the EFL.
The EFL is threatening to block the second promotion place in response and is even suggesting that if the motion passes it will return promotion to one place only on a permanent basis. The EFL is aggrieved the National League is not following the sporting integrity apparently demonstrated by the EFL (sporting integrity being defined by the EFL itself).
The National League is, however, closer to the decision by the rest of non-league football to void the entire season. By making its current proposal the National League is attempting to plough a middle furrow between the EFL decisions to finish the season and the non-league to abandon it.
If the EFL forces the National League to mimic League 1 and 2 then four sides will be promoted from National North and South, which will then obviously cause uproar from every League below especially where many sides were already clear on points.
If the National League pursues its own path and the EFL retaliates our chances of promotion will receded into the distance irrespective of ownership. There are plenty of clubs at our level capable of producing a side good enough to challenge for the place we'd love back in the EFL.