Dilatory League One clubs leave League Two with many questions yet to be answered

Premier League games recommence on June 17 and the expected date for the return of the Championship is June 20. That’s okay as far as it goes but the dilatory approach of the League One clubs mean no effective progress has been made so far - and that progress is essential to the restarting of League Two.

A decision might come from the clubs’ meeting scheduled for Tuesday. According to Tony Stewart, the chairman of Rotherham United, no fewer than 15 clubs wish to end the season. That decision might be straightforward but is unlikely to help with the trickier choices that apply to promotion and relegation. It is very much a case of “watch this space”.

As far as Crawley Town is concerned the only outcome in which they are interested is the date on which the season ends. From that outcome it will be relatively easy to set the date for the commencement of the new campaign.

I say relatively because I can foresee further difficulties arising if some (probably all other) leagues are ready to resume but the Premier League and the Championship are not. It’s time for another cliché ... as this one will run and run.

On the club front preparations for the new season are well in hand. Most importantly the pitch at Broadfield is up to scratch and behind the scenes preparations are progressing. Full contact training will soon return as will the establishment of the squad for the new season.

We have had the welcome announcement that extended contracts have been offered to Josh Doherty, Ashley Nathaniel-George and David Sesay. Both the defenders are suited to the wing-back role when required. Docherty was in fact the team’s most active player in the opposition half and set up many goal attempts.

I thought Sesay matched the best work of Lewis Young going forward and was arguably the better man defensively. Surely the time has come for Nathaniel-George to show his ability to be more than an impact substitute.

An odd thing that has emerged is that technical director Erdem Konyar has identified a concerning “grey area” in the retained list. I wonder if it has anything to do with the scrambling of dates due to the suspension of football. Many clubs had expressed concern about contracts expiring before the extended season had finished.

While many fans said they did not want any refunds on their part-used season tickets I can see another problem arising. Season ticket income is vital but what will the club do if the season starts behind closed doors perhaps for an indefinite period?