Boss Sproule not relaxed as yet about relegation fear

IVAN Sproule says he has a slight concern that final league positions 
are to be determined by an independent panel using a mathematical 
curtailment model but said that it was the right decision for the 
Bluefin Sport Championship not to resume again.

Back a few weeks ago the Northern Ireland Football League (NIFL) set up a Covid-19 Steering Group to bring forward proposals on how the season should finish and at a meeting of Championship clubs on Tuesday evening it was recommended that 2019-20 season would be ended with immediate effect.

In a statement NIFL said, “The recommendation is to end the 2019/2020 season immediately and develop a mathematical curtailment model to determine final placings. Furthermore, promotion and relegation will only apply to the automatic positions with no playoffs.”

As things stand Sproule’s Dergview side is six points clear of 
basement side PSNI and four ahead of Knockbreda. The Darragh Park outfit has won and drawn more games and lost less games than both and into the bargain have a vastly superior goal difference.

While Sproule isn’t counting his chickens just yet he is hoping for 
comfirmation soon that he can start planning for another season the 
Championship.

“It’s the right decision not to start this league again for us,” he 
said.

“Obviously relegation and finishing bottom in these circumstances is 
going to be hard one to take for any team. Listen we might not be 
ruled out of that ourselves, it’s a formula and no one really knows 
what is going to happen with it.

“Although we are six points clear having dragged ourselves out of 
relegation, there is still a chance we could be one of those teams. I 
wouldn’t like to think that would be the case. For me now the only 
thing as a manager we have to wait on is the confirmation.”

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