Coronavirus: Crawley Town defender wants season to be finished if possible

Crawley Town defender Joe McNerney admitted that the 2019-20 football season ‘has to be finished if possible’.
Crawley Town's Joe McNerney. Picture by Getty ImagesCrawley Town's Joe McNerney. Picture by Getty Images
Crawley Town's Joe McNerney. Picture by Getty Images

The FA released a statement on Friday confirming that the Premier League, EFL and Women’s Super League would not restart before April 30 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The governing body also confirmed that the current campaign has been extended indefinitely, going beyond the standard June 1 finish.

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Many options had been mooted to resolve the season, including working out the final league table on points per game, and simply voiding the campaign.

But McNerney would like to see the season finished upon the resumption.

The 30-year-old believed voiding the season ‘doesn’t seem right’ after a hard-fought campaign.

McNerney said: “It’s not the most important thing but at the same time it will eventually start back up again.

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“When it does start back up again and you’ve thrown everything out it doesn’t seem right.

“I personally feel the season should be finished at every level at some point.

“If we get through this sooner rather than later then that should be possible.

“But the longer time goes on it will make it more difficult.

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“Even if it is behind closed doors and you do Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday, Tuesday or Saturday, Tuesday, Thursday, which has happened before with backlogs of games, just rattle through them and finish games.

“I think teams just outside the play-offs or just inside the relegation zone are going to feel so hard done by if you just scrap the season or go by points per game.

“I do feel that it has to be finished if it’s possible. Even if goes through the summer and you have to start the season a bit later.”

Crawley have not kicked a ball since the 3-0 home win over Oldham Athletic in League Two on March 7.

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McNerney admitted that he had plenty to keep him occupied during this period of inaction.

But the defender revealed that the coronavirus outbreak had severely impacted his studies.

The Reds player has been undertaking a biology A-level, but last week’s cancellation of all exams by the government had left McNerney’s qualification up in the air.

He added: “I’m on the PlayStation. I play a bit of Fortnite.

“I live with my mate and we play that a fair bit.

“I walk the dog and just try to stay positive, I suppose.

“In terms of other things, I’ve been studying a biology A-level for quite a while to keep me busy.

“I’m supposed to be doing an exam in May so I’m not sure what’s going to happen with that.”