CAMPION treasurer Andy Shepherd thinks the Football Association should have used a points per game ratio to end Division One of the Toolstation Northern Counties East League.

The FA brought steps three to six of non-league football to a finish last week, expunging all results, meaning there will be no promotion or relegation for the 2019/20 campaign.

The Manningham-based side (step six) were in a good position, riding high in fifth, just four points off the top four with two games in hand over the side above them, North Ferriby.

Shepherd thinks it was ‘unfair’ to end the season without any teams reaping the rewards for their efforts, and believes his side had a great chance of finishing in one of those four promotion spots.

He said: “It is very disappointing after (how hard) everybody has worked for eight to nine months. Players, committee, matchday helpers, supporters and sponsors.

“We are in the middle of a pandemic which none of us have experienced before, so I fully appreciate that people’s safety is paramount.

“But teams should be rewarded for their hard work in trying to get promotion and teams who have not had a good season should then get relegated. It is totally unfair.

“We had won the last three and were on a good run. We had players coming back and were confident that if the season had continued we would have come in the top four.”

Campion lost out agonisingly last season too, as they missed out on promotion on the last day by losing 4-2 at Grimsby Borough.

A win would have seen them go up as champions at Grimsby's expense.

Shepherd added: “I was speaking to our chairman and a couple of other committee members and we think that we must have upset somebody somewhere.

“I think last year was the first time a team had come runners up and not got promoted.

“This year we get the coronavirus pandemic. From a sports perspective, it is really disappointing what has happened.”

Shepherd also said the club would lose out financially for not hosting their remaining nine home games.

He added: “All clubs are going to be struggling. We had the top four teams all to play at home.

“I estimate, with us having nine games still to play at home, we have probably lost between £4,000-£5,000 on matchday income.

“Two of them have lots of supporters in North Ferriby and Selby. We could have attracted gates of up to 200 for both those games.”

It emerged yesterday that chairman Dave Keegan had made Campion one of 64 clubs who had put their name to a letter, asking the FA to reconsider their decision of voiding the season from step three and below.