Points-per-game has delivered one lucky play-off winner in Northampton Town and could be about to deliver another in Wycombe Wanderers

It’s really rammed home how badly Posh were shafted by the EFL, their weak chairman Rick Parry and a set of clubs who probably couldn’t believe their luck to be governed by such inadequate leaders.

The standard of the Oxford/Portsmouth matches was pitiful, while Fleetwood must be kicking themselves at their implosion in their first leg against Wycombe.

The Posh of March 7 would have wiped the floor with all four semi-finalists, but they were denied the opportunity by the most unforgivable piece of rule-bending in my football experience.

Parry has been at it again recently claiming that deciding final positions in Leagues One and Two on a points-per-game average was ‘the fairest solution.’ If he believes that his resignation should already be in the hands of his boss.

Parry insists whatever formula the clubs came up with there would be some left with a grievance which is undeniably true, but he has yet to explain why the accepted solution was, in his words, ‘fair and logical.’

It’s actually illogical to ask clubs to vote when they already knew whether or not they benefitted from the poll. Laughably the vote was conducted in secret, although it’s pretty obvious which way everyone leaned.

The change in positions in the Championship since competitive football returned proved what a nonsense a points-per-game average policy is. The relegation places change after every round of matches and the League One promotion race was already much tighter and much more congested than the battle at the bottom of the second tier.

And thanks to the EFL’s shortsightedness a Tranmere side who had every chance of avoiding the drop from League One have been replaced by a Northampton Town side who might just be the luckiest promotion winners of all-time, a status they will lose if Wycombe beat Oxford at Wembley tomorrow (July 13).

Cobblers deserved to win the League Two play-offs and Wycombe deserve to be in the League One final, but winning a three-game season after a three-month break is as much down to luck as skill. Refereeing decisions, goalkeeping howlers andform even out over a full 46-game campaign, not so much when three games are played in a week.

Cobblers had picked up six points out 21 in League Two prior to lockdown. They were in the final play-off place, a point in front of Port Vale who were unbeaten in eight games. Do Cobblers therefore deserve to take Tranmere’s place? Of course not, but under Parry’s EFL it’s a ‘fair and logical’ outcome.

Parry doesn’t make too many public statements, but approach him outside his house and ask him a question and he’ll spew forth without hesitation.

A Wigan fan did that recently just after his club had been placed into administration and a month after the EFL had given the green light for the club to change ownership.

‘It might be a betting scam,’ was part of Parry’s remarkably injudicious and naive response.

There’s a fit and proper club owner’s test within the EFL rules. Sadly, fit and proper people is just what their own organisation appears to lack.