Stevenage will have chance to be heard at appeal against Macclesfield sanction

Stevenage finished bottom of League Two in 2019-20

Stevenage will be allowed to be heard at an appeal against sanctions imposed on fellow League Two club Macclesfield Town, BBC Radio Manchester reports.

The Silkmen were deducted two points by an independent panel in June for failing to pay wages on time in March.

The outcome left Macclesfield one point and one place above bottom club Stevenage, meaning Stevenage are set to be relegated to the National League.

The English Football League has said it is appealing against the sanction.

If Macclesfield's existing punishment stands, Stevenage will go down, providing the EFL receives assurances that the top tier of non-league football will go ahead in 2020-21.

A deduction of three points or more in June would have seen Macclesfield drop to the foot of the League Two table, which was calculated on a points-per-game basis after clubs voted to end the season early because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Macclesfield were deducted a total of 13 points during the 2019-20 season.

The disciplinary commission panel stated that Macclesfield's misconduct in March did "not necessitate a sporting sanction which would result in its relegation from League Two" and added that the points-per-game calculation used to decide final positions had adversely affected them, as the 13 points deducted would be equivalent to approximately 16 over a 46-game season.

A further four-point deduction was imposed on the Silkmen, but that was suspended by the panel and carried forward to 2020-21, should the club breach EFL regulations again.

Prior to that case, Macclesfield had been given separate deductions of four and seven points for non-payment of salaries and failing to fulfil league fixtures.