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League One & League Two clubs vote to end seasons early

League One & League Two clubs vote to end seasons early

BBC SPORT

The League One and League Two seasons have both been ended early after a formal vote by clubs on Tuesday.

It follows a meeting between English Football League teams that saw new rules for ending a campaign approved.

Tables will be settled by a points-per-game format, while promotion, relegation and play-offs all remain.

Coventry and Rotherham go up to the Championship, but "ongoing disciplinary matters" mean it is not yet certain who will drop out of League Two.

Stevenage are currently bottom of the EFL, but they could yet be reprieved after Macclesfield Town were handed a fresh EFL misconduct charge on 1 June.

The Silkmen, who are three points above Stevenage, have already had 11 points deducted for previous rule breaches this season and have a further suspended two-point penalty hanging over them if they transgress again.

Elite football in England has been suspended since 13 March because of coronavirus, with only the Premier League and Championship so far committing to resuming their seasons later this month.

Who is set to go up & down from League One?

Clubs in League One had previously been divided over whether or not to bring the season to an early conclusion.

Initial talks stalled after at least six clubs, including Sunderland, Portsmouth and Ipswich Town, said they wanted to continue the campaign.

However, the new regulations - proposed by the EFL board and approved by the 71 member clubs earlier on Tuesday - meant just 5
of teams in any given division needed to agree on ending a season early.

The points-per-game system does throw up one significant change to the League One table, with eighth-placed Wycombe Wanderers replacing sixth-placed Peterborough United in the play-offs.

Wycombe will move up to third because they have at least one game in hand on each of their play-off rivals.

Promoted: Coventry City (champions), Rotherham United

Play-offs: Wycombe Wanderers v Fleetwood Town, Portsmouth v Oxford United (dates tbc)

Relegated: Tranmere Rovers, Southend United, Bolton Wanderers

While the top half of League Two is largely unaffected, Swindon Town have been named champions after leapfrogging Crewe Alexandra because the Robins have a game in hand.

The situation at the bottom has been complicated by the Macclesfield charge, however, which relates to late payment of wages in March and for "failing to act with utmost good faith in respect of matters with the EFL and for breaching an order, requirement, direction or instruction of the league".

In a statement, the EFL said "due to ongoing disciplinary matters, the final placings cannot yet be confirmed".

As it stands, this is how promotion, relegation and the play-offs will finish:

Promoted: Swindon Town (champions), Crewe Alexandra, Plymouth Argyle

Play-offs: Cheltenham Town v Northampton Town, Exeter City v Colchester United

Relegated: Stevenage

Wembley to host League Two play-off final

Following Tuesday's vote, it was announced that the League Two play-off semi-finals are to begin on Thursday, 18 June - two days before the Championship season is set to resume.

The final, which will take place on Monday, 29 June, is to be held at Wembley as originally planned. All games will be held behind closed doors.

Thursday, 18 June: Semi-final first legs

Colchester United v Exeter City (17:15 BST)

Northampton Town v Cheltenham Town (19:45 BST)

Monday, 22 June: Semi-final second legs

Exeter City v Colchester United (17:15 BST)

Cheltenham Town v Northampton Town (20:00 BST)

Monday, 29 June: Final

Timeline: How did we get to this point?

10 March - Last games played in Leagues One & Two

13 March - EFL suspended until at least 3 April

19 March - Suspension extended until end of April

26 March - All football below National League expunged

9 April - Season 'can be finished in 56 days'

22 April - National League clubs vote to end regular season

23 April - Clubs write to EFL over salary cap introduction

5 May - EFL clubs face '£200m hole' by September

15 May - League Two sides want to end season, League One undecided

9 June - League One & League Two clubs formally vote to end season.