Steve Evans: Gillingham boss says EFL season must resume by end of July

Gillingham are 11th in League One, eight points off the play-offs

Gillingham manager Steve Evans says the current English Football League season must be expunged if it cannot resume before the end of July.

Evans is also against promoting and relegating clubs if the campaign is not completed.

“It would be unfortunate for those who were enjoying a good season,” he told BBC Radio Kent.

“But if you start it (the season) you have to finish it. If you don’t, you have to expunge it.”

Elite football in England is currently suspended indefinitely because of the coronavirus pandemic, with every division below the EFL having already been cancelled.

Evans is confident there will be a chance to complete Gillingham's remaining nine fixtures despite his feeling a cut-off point is needed.

“I do think we will be playing in June, subject to a lot of conditions and provisos,” he said.

“But, if we’re not playing by the end of July, there would be a swell of movement to expunge the season.

“We’ve got a big commitment to get football finished and we should be doing that. But there must come a time when it has gone too far and we have to focus on the following season.

“That is really hard for me to say. I know the type of investment that has gone in at two of my previous clubs.

“Leeds United are flying high at the top of the Championship and Peterborough United, where the chairman and his board have probably put in £10m or £12m alone this season in League One to bring Championship football to the city.

“They have a real chance of doing it and to see it taken away on an expunged basis would be really hard.”