'No integrity' - Stevenage FC chairman Phil Wallace condemns League Two relegation proposal

Stevenage supremo Phil Wallace believes that it would be “unjust and wholly wrong” if his team - currently 24th in English football’s fourth tier - were demoted to the National League for 2020/21, despite the fact that they have won just three times in 36 league outings this term.

His comments come after the Football League confirmed last week that in the event of a coronavirus-enforced early curtailment to 2019/20, promotions and relegations would take place for the ‘integrity of the game’.

This would mean that the bottom-placed team in League Two would drop out of the division, resulting in two promotion spots being available to fifth-tier clubs, provided that the National League can guarantee that the relegated side will have a league to play in next term.

“I don’t see any integrity in arbitrarily forcing relegation on any club that has every reasonable chance of avoiding it by playing, but is denied the opportunity to do so,” said Wallace.

“There is absolutely no integrity whatsoever in using a mathematical formula to expel a club from the EFL. That is unjust and wholly wrong.

“There is no integrity in allowing teams to play to win promotion, but not allowing teams in the same league to play to avoid relegation.

“There is no integrity in the EFL board ignoring the overwhelming vote by League Two clubs that told them they didn’t want to see any expulsion from the EFL by a points-per-game formula.”

Wallace believes that a compromise could be reached, which would mean that League Two doesn’t lose a team, while there would still be promotion from tier five.

Although only one team would go up - to take the place of now-extinct Bury - the plus side for the National League would be that three teams would be promoted from 2020/21 onwards.

"A long time ago, as vice chairman of the Conference, I fought relentlessly, along with our board, for two up two down,” Wallace added.

“We finally achieved that in 2003, with a view to moving to three up three down within a reasonable time-frame. But 17 years on, it has still not materialised.

"So perhaps now is the time to use this turmoil to deliver more fluidity between the EFL and National League with three up three down.

“Since the National League season wasn’t completed in the way it was intended, one option is to leave League Two as it is, with no relegation, and promote one club from the National League this season instead of two, to bring the EFL back to 72 teams, but with three up, three down established and in place for next season."

Meanwhile, Dagenham & Redbridge managing director, Steve Thompson, has expressed doubts regarding the chances of the National League re-starting on time next term.

“The current costs involved in returning to training are too much to be currently viable in the National League, nor is the prospect of playing games at our level behind closed doors,” he said.

“The protocol around the return to training for Premier League and Championship clubs is so onerous and costly, it is hard to see how the rest of football can replicate it, even in a limited play-off scenario.

“For this reason, it is unlikely that the new season will kick-off on August 8 as originally scheduled.

“In fact, it may not be until September or October or even later before we are allowed to resume.”