A proposal for the final promotion spot in League One to be decided via an eight-team play-off is gaining legs ahead of today's crucial EFL meeting.
On Friday, it was decided that the League Two season would not be completed but a decision was unable to be made regarding League One, with some opposing plans to curtail the season and others arguing they cannot afford to play matches behind closed doors.
That has led to Peterborough United co-owner Darragh MacAnthony proposing an eight-team play-off, with Coventry City and Rotherham United promoted automatically due to the fact they currently sit in the top two.
It would give Sunderland the opportunity to battle for promotion, with Phil Parkinson's side currently seventh in the table and outside the play-off spots.
Any other calculation of how to produce a final league table without playing matches leaves the Black Cats out of the picture.
MacAnthony's co-owner Stewart Thompson has backed these plans, and said it is an idea that is starting to gain legs among those clubs at the top of the table.
"The solution is gaining legs with top 10 owners. I can totally understand why, after the top 10, you don't actually care. A play-off like this is way more fair than weighted points per game or points per game,” he tweeted.
It's an easier straight up formula, because what do you weigh? Home, away, league placing, form, etc? Listen, if the bottom of the league knew their tab at the pub was being covered, they'd keep drinking. We'd all be playing like the Premier League and Championship."
It is unclear how the play-off structure would look, with 11th-placed Gillingham arguing that they should be involved at the expense of Ipswich Town in 10th, due to the fact they have a better points per game ratio.
Gills boss Steve Evans - one of the most vocal over the fact the season should be resumed when it is safe to do so - backed the plans if his club were involved.
Evans told Kent Online : "I would trust we will give a good account of ourselves and perhaps even win them. No big clubs can get a free wildcard, if you don’t have the points you’re not involved."
