What the clubs whose vote will be key in settling Sunderland's season are saying about their big decision

With eight clubs publicly committed to playing on, and a slightly larger number understood to be firmly against resuming, the fate of the League One campaign looks set to be ultimately decided by a group of teams in mid-table with little to play for.

Clubs will now not vote on the EFL’s framework for changing the league regulations until June 8th, which would give clubs the chance to either play on, or settle the table on a points-per-game formula.

Blackpool are one of the teams who are likely to have a crucial vote and while Ben Mansford says that he can see the ‘pros’ of playing again, the costs of doing so would, he says, be ‘considerable’.

“The EFL’s Return to Training protocol is a 50-page document and quite rightly,” he told the Blackpool Gazette.

“More than 37,000 have died in this country.

“We have to accept that getting football back is a sign of some normality. It gives people entertainment and something to focus on.

I see the pros of playing football again but I also see that we are in a global pandemic and people are losing loved ones.

“Finishing the season would be very expensive. We would have the considerable costs of coronavirus testing. It would also cost a significant amount to take staff off furlough and to put measures in place to look after players in the safest possible environment.”

Mansford has urged a swift decision to be made.

“The uncertainty is a concern for fans as well as for players and staff,” he said.

“We were asked to give feedback by Tuesday on the framework proposed by the EFL but as of now we have not been invited to participate in any vote. We are just waiting for the EFL.

“What’s difficult for clubs is the lack of visibility as regards what is currently happening and what will happen next season.”

The other clubs likely to be key in settling the vote have also taken a cautious approach in declaring their intentions.

Doncaster Rovers, who have a slim chance of making the play-offs, have not not said what they will do.

MK Dons will ‘go with the majority’, while Lincoln City not yet made a decision.

However, Michael Appleton’s side have taken the firm step of issuing their retained list ahead of next season.

It signals that a number of key players in their squad will be released ahead of the new campaign.

Crucially, though, they say that those players are committed to staying if the season resumes and extends into July.

A Lincoln City statement reads: “Players that have contracts which expire on the 30 June 2020, remain eligible for selection in the month of June and by mutual agreement for the remainder of the 2019/20 season, should we restart.”

They added that the current crisis made it ‘ompossible’ to make any ‘positive’ decisions on contracts at this time.

Portsmouth CEO Mark Catlin has already said that his club will not be renewing any contracts at this stage.