Calls grow for Sunderland's League One season to be extended amid rising postponements across the division

Sunderland are one of a number of third tier sides facing significant fixture congestion in the second half of the season, having already seen five games postponed due to COVID-19 outbreaks across the division.

The Black Cats are yet to rearrange their games with Shrewsbury Town, Blackpool, Hull City and Accrington Stanley – while the clash with Fleetwood Town, initially scheduled for this weekend, will now be played in February.

And they are far from the only side in this position, leaving many to call for a extension to the season.

Peterborough United boss Darren Ferguson has backed the idea, while other sides have called for more drastic measures – with Rochdale believing a pause in the season is ‘inevitable’.

But the current preference among many seems to be an extension to the season, with Ipswich Town general manager of football operations Lee O'Neill the latest to call for the campaign to be elongated.

"In my opinion this season could go a bit longer,” he said, speaking to the East Anglian Daily Times.

“The amount of players in League One who will be involved in the Euros, if they still go ahead, would be very small. So League One and Two could go past May if we needed too.

“I’m not for cramming it all in and getting to a stage where teams are playing every couple of days if that’s not necessary. I think we should all agree to extend it for a few more weeks to make sure all the games can be played properly."

“No-one wants the season to end, we all want it to continue, but we also want it to be as safe as possible,” he continued.

"When we’re talking about fans coming back into stadiums, unfortunately that’s going to have to take a back seat.”

The League One campaign is currently set to finish on May 8, with the European Championships beginning on June 11.

Sunderland are unlikely to see any players involved in the tournament given Northern Ireland did not qualify.

A message from the Football Clubs Editor:

Our aim is to provide you with the best, most up-to-date and most informative Sunderland AFC coverage 365 days a year.

This depth of SAFC coverage costs, so to help us maintain the high-quality reporting that you are used to, please consider taking out a subscription to our new sports-only package here.

Your support is much appreciated. Richard Mennear, Football Clubs Editor