Michael Dawson says Championship promotion race must finish
Nottingham Forest are fifth in the Championship, on course to reach the play-offs
Tuesday 24 March 2020 10:38, UK
Nottingham Forest defender Michael Dawson says it should be "impossible" for teams to be promoted from the Championship without the season being finished.
Leeds and West Brom currently occupy the division's two automatic promotion places and there has been speculation that those two clubs could be promoted to the Premier League if the season wasn't able to be completed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Forest are fifth in the table, and currently on course for a play-off semi-final meeting with Brentford, with third-placed Fulham on track to meet one of several teams battling for the sixth and final spot.
"For me I think that the season will finish at some point," Dawson told Sky Sports News. "It has to finish.
"I don't know how you can just say with nine games to go that the top two teams get promoted and go on like that, that for me is impossible to happen.
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"Whenever it may finish, in September, October, November - we haven't got a timescale - but the games for me have to finish in whatever way and capacity they can be."
The English Football League said last week its main priority is to finish the season to "protect the integrity" of the competition, and confirmed that it was in touch with the Football Association and Premier League to assure a "collaborative approach".
'Safety is most important'
Dawson admitted that it's a "strange" situation not knowing when training and matches could resume, but urged fans to follow government advice to help prevent the spread of the virus.
"You've got no end goal because we don't know when this is going to change," the former Tottenham and England centre-back said. "It's really scary.
"We go on about football and how important it is to everyone, and one day we will be back out playing and everyone knows that and we can't wait, but the message to everyone outside is we have to slow the virus down.
"Safety is the most important thing - for your loved ones, family, friends - everyone please stay at home just to calm this virus down and give the NHS a chance to get back on its feet."
