Hartlepool United manager Dave Challinor discusses how to decide the 2020-21 National League season

As it stands the National League season is set to continue as planned – but in reality the situation is far from clear.

The DCMS released a statement on Wednesday (January, 27) which detailed that National League clubs could only apply for grants ‘if their imminent future is at risk and they can demonstrate loans are unaffordable.’

The lack of guaranteed financial support to help compensate clubs while matches are being played behind closed doors has the 2020-21 season on a knife edge.

Last season was decided on a points per game basis across the three National League divisions with clubs playing the majority of their scheduled matches before the campaign was cancelled.

But with just over a third of this season’s matches completed so far, ending things now is likely to end in a ‘nul and void’ scenario.

With his side sitting third in the National League table, Challinor is keen to avoid such an outcome.

"I was chatting about this earlier about how after the way things ended last season, whether that was the time for rules to be put in place just in case a similar situation came about in the future,” the Hartlepool manager told The Mail.

"Whether it was just a rule where maybe clubs had to complete 50 per-cent or a certain percentage of their games in order for it to be decided on points, otherwise it would be nul and void – that way everyone has an understanding of the situation.

“There was an opportunity to change the landscape and make things clear for everyone but that wasn’t done.

"Now we’re in the lap of those in charge to see how we continue from here.

“For us, the hope is that this season gets completed safely in physical and financial terms or we at least get to a point where everybody has played a similar amount of games so that it’s an even contest.

"If not there may need to be something looked at in terms of what is the fairest outcome.”

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