Peterborough United director describes EFL vote delay as ‘embarrassing and another potential kick in the teeth for Posh fans’

Peterborough United director of football Barry Fry has described the EFL decision to delay a decisive vote on the 2019-20 League One season as ‘embarrassing’.
Barry Fry.Barry Fry.
Barry Fry.

Posh were expecting a final decision on whether to continue or curtail the current campaign on June 1, but the vote has now been pushed back seven days for reasons that are not obvious to Fry and his London Road colleagues.

The EFL issued a statement this morning following a Board meeting on Wednesday (May 27) which said their own approach had not altered, that is they will ask all 71 EFL clubs to vote on changing the League regulations so that a further vote on ending the season and awarding final placings on a points-per-game basis can take place.

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Posh would drop out of the play-off places if both proposals passed.

“The whole thing is just embarrassing,” Fry said. “You could argue that the delay gives us and our fans hope, but if it turns out it’s just false hope then it’s just another kick in the teeth for us all.

“The club had heard nothing until this statement arrived this morning, but there is no real explanation as to why the vote has been delayed.

“There’s an argument that it’s being delayed to make sure there isn’t any time to complete the season. I have heard the Government is putting pressure on the Premier League, the EFL and the PFA to fund the costing of the coronavirus testing for lower division clubs because they want the Football League pyramid to survive. The costing is a big part of clubs’ reluctance to let the season continue so if that’s taken away they’ll have to come up with another excuse and it could be the lack of time left to play the games.

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“It’s all nonsense of course. The only fair way to resolve this season in League One is to play it out. It’s too tight to be settled on points-per-game and that’s the case for relegation as well as promotion issues.

“How can it be right that Tranmere get relegated by something 0.05 of a point? How can it be right to promote Rotherham when they are just as likely to drop out of the play-off places as they are to go up automatically? Rotherham would be getting away with murder in those circumstances.”