Bognor stalwart says merged-seasons promotion plan is ridiculous

The defender believes the season is on course to be the second in a row to be declared null and void, meaning results would be wiped out and all teams would start 2021-22 in their current divisions.

A number of clubs across the country are backing Project Non-League, which would see last season’s results combined with this term’s to give final points-per-game tables that would allow top teams to be promoted.

Crane said: “There’s a lot being discussed about adding the points from last season and this season together to get a final table.

“We’ve only played five games this season, so it’s unlikely we’ll be able to finish it properly.

“It’s a ridiculous idea in my opinion though, especially considering that there are players who’ve played for different teams across the two years.

“You can’t possibly promote a side that’s had two different squads through the years.

“Quite a few clubs have backed the idea, saying we need promotion and relegation this year, because teams have consistently done well across the 36 games last year and five or six games this year.

“The difficulty is that the teams doing really well are desperately supporting this idea, but in terms of equality and fairness in football, it’s an absolute farce it’s got this far. I can’t see anything other than a null and void at this stage.”