Morecambe manager Derek Adams calls for the season to end by June 30

Morecambe boss Derek Adams believes the football season must end in three months – or declare it null and void.
Morecambe boss Derek AdamsMorecambe boss Derek Adams
Morecambe boss Derek Adams

Last Thursday’s announcement that English football’s top four divisions won’t play again until April 30 at the earliest means the Shrimps will have to rearrange all nine of their remaining matches.

The games against Plymouth Argyle, Forest Green Rovers, Stevenage and Leyton Orient had already been postponed before last week’s decision by the game’s ruling bodies.

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It now means the matches with Crawley Town, Exeter City, Swindon Town, Salford City and Scunthorpe United – which was due to end the season on April 25 – must have new dates.

Adams said: “I only think the season should be finished if it can be concluded by June 30 and, if it can’t, then it should be null and void.

“We have players coming out of contract at the end of June, there’s a transfer window that starts and we have loan players from other clubs who want to know about their situation.”

The coronavirus pandemic has thrown society into chaos as it grapples with how to fight the illness.

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Footballing figures have had their say on how the sport should deal with the crisis going forward.

An EFL board meeting last week outlined details of a £50m package available to clubs via the immediate advancement of ‘basic award payments’, coupled with interest-free loans.

However, while clubs, players and fans contemplate just how the remainder of the 2019/20 season will play out, Adams maintains the sport’s future is secondary to society’s importance.

He said: “What we have is a complicated situation, it isn’t just affecting football but society worldwide and we have to understand that sometimes as footballing people.

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“We sometimes get immersed in our own siutation but it’s important we don’t start the season again before the virus goes over the peak.

“We’ve had a number of deaths at this moment in time and the government quite clearly states a good figure is 20,000 so we have a long way to go in this situation.

“Maybe football people have to sit back and take stock; we have smaller businesses going out of business while football clubs will find it extremely difficult as well.”