Larne Football Club owner Kenny Bruce has shown his support to relegated Institute.
Stute were demoted to the Championship back in June after a mathematical formula was used to decide the final standings of this season's top flight.
The North West club were just three points behind Warrenpoint Town with seven games still remaining before the curtain was brought down on the 2019/20 campaign.
Like the top end of the table, many fans believe there was too much at stake for the season to be ended prematurely.
Bruce shared a tweet from former Premier League footballer Jamie O'Hara who highlighted the dramatic conclusion to the EFL Championship last night.
O'Hara showed how the bottom three clubs in the table with six games to go all survived the drop, including Michael O'Neill's Stoke City.
Larne owner Bruce tweeted: "@Institute_FC proper sporting integrity. @OfficialNIFL should be embarrassed. Laying out three principles and none of them being achieved in a disgrace."
Bruce was referring to the NI Football League's three core principles when appraising options to end the Irish League season - health, finance and sporting integrity.
NIFL said last month that while each option "impacted the key principles in their own specific way the Board has endeavoured to make decisions in the best interest of the NI Football League".
Institute seemed to appreciate Bruce's support, tweeting: "Well, well, well."
Institute - who launched an appeal last month - said the “least harm” solution would have seen no relegation and a 14-team top flight next season.
Manager Sean Connor branded the decision to curtail the season early as the “lowest” moment of his 15 years in management, and said his club's decision to appeal was based on "integrity and character".
