South Shields FC watching National League vote with interest after seeing promotion hopes dashed

The National League announced on Wednesday that the current campaign would be ended following a vote among clubs, with a second vote to decide how the season is decided.

Clubs will be able to have their say on whether the campaign should be declared null and void, or whether it should be determined via another metric – such as points-per-game.

And the Mariners are one of a number of clubs taking interest in the vote having seen their own campaign declared null and void.

Shields were runaway leaders in the Northern Premier League before the 2019/20 campaign was scrapped, with the FA Council ratifying the decision to deny teams in the third to seventh tiers of non-league football promotion.

But should the National League decide to determine their season on a points-per-game basis, it could see two teams relegated from the National League North.

For while it has been confirmed that there will be no promotion from Shields’ division to the tier above, relegation between the two leagues has not been ruled out.

And while there has been no sign of a promotion u-turn as of yet, clubs are holding out hope that a decision to allow relegation from the National League North could see teams move in the opposite direction.

The National League vote is set to be cast by May 7.