Mallards set to miss out on promotion

Ballinamallard United are set to miss out on promotion to the Danske Bank Premiership after Championship clubs were this evening told that the final placings would be decided by an independent panel adopting a mathematical model.

In confirming that there would be no return to action, it was also confirmed that there would be promotion and relegation but no play-off games.

That means Portadown will be crowned champions with second placed Ballinamallard missing out on a promotion play-off with the team finishing second bottom of the Premiership.

At the bottom end of the table the decision should mean Dergview will retain their status for another season.

The Darragh Park outfit is six points clear of bottom placed PSNI and four ahead of Knockbreda having won and drawn more games and lost less matches than both. Ivan Sproule’s team also has vastly a superior goal difference.

In the Premiership clubs have been offered two options. The first is to play two more games to ensure that every team has played each other three times or to adopt a similar mathematical model to that used in the Championship.

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