THE Ladbrokes League 1 and League 2 clubs who voted overwhelmingly in favour of the SPFL resolution to end to 2019/20 season last week may not require the final league placing payouts as desperately as many of their Premiership and Championship counterparts currently do.

Receiving the money won’t be the difference between surviving the coronavirus crisis and football shutdown and going out of business for the likes of Dumbarton, East Fife, Montrose, Stirling Albion and Stenhousemuir.

The desire to see a line drawn under the current season, though, is just as great at many part-time provincial outfits as it is at their famous full-time rivals for non-financial reasons.

Forfar Athletic, who were second bottom in the third tier and in danger of being involved in the end-of-season play-offs when the game in this country was suspended a month ago today due to the Covid-19 outbreak, were one of 16 clubs to back the proposal.

Ross Graham, the Station Park club’s chairman, revealed that an eagerness to receive clarity on the way ahead coupled with a concern for the wellbeing of the Scottish game as a whole had been their motivations.

And Graham expressed hope that, as clubs across the land await the vote from Dundee that will determine whether the resolution is passed or not, a final decision is made as quickly as possible in the coming days to enable them to move forward.

With league reconstruction and a potential move to a 14-10-10-10 set-up now appearing distinct possibilities, clubs need to know the make-up of their leagues in order to budget and prepare properly for the 2020/21 campaign.

“It’s vital,” said Graham. “Our main concern is that a definitive decision is now made. We must respect whatever decision is made. We just need to know a) whether the season finished or not and b) what next season looks like. Not even when it starts, just what it looks like.

“There are so many variables being thrown about just now. If Partick get relegated and Falkirk don’t go up then we have got Partick and Falkirk in our league next season. Having those clubs will generate between £75,000 and £100,000 for us next season.

“The other possibility, no relegation and two up, will mean we there’s no Partick, Raith Rovers and Falkirk next season and we have Cove Rangers, Edinburgh City and Stranraer in our league. If that happens the dynamic financially is quite different.

“Neither scenario will mean we are necessarily under any financial pressure, but once we know what’s happening we can cut our cloth to suit the situation. We can discuss contract extensions, target new players, because we know what is beyond us next season.”

Graham continued: “Finance never crossed our mind when we made our decision. We get around £4,500. That’s not going to make or break us. We’re not shouting from the rooftops to get that money in.

“But I can 100 per cent appreciate that is a concern further up the leagues where there is a far bigger pot of money to be distributed. A lot of teams have taken massive gambles to get into a position they feel they should be in.

“Falkirk and Raith Rovers expect to be Championship clubs, Dundee United expect to be a Premiership club. Getting the money is a massive carrot from their point of view. We are just looking for a decision for a bit of sanity.”

The SPFL resolution has been overshadowed by controversy since it was presented to the 42 member clubs at a meeting last Wednesday and Rangers called for chief executive Neil Doncaster and Rod McKenzie to be suspended on Saturday pending an independent investigation into their stewardship of the vote.

Yet, Graham, despite serious allegations being made about clubs being bullied and coerced into voting in favour in the build-up to the 5pm deadline on Friday night, fully expected the majority of League 1 and League 2 clubs to back the proposal.

“We have been discussing matters in WhatsApp groups,” he said. “The communication has been there. It was pretty obvious which way most clubs were leaning.

“We voted to adopt the resolution. You have definitely got to look at the bigger picture and what is best for the whole of Scottish football. Let’s get this distribution money paid out so that it helps clubs financially, but also for everybody’s sanity. Let’s get closure on the season. The uncertainty has a knock-on affect for everybody.

“People at the SFA and SPFL are working tirelessly on this situation. I think it is important once the decision is made it is respected by everybody going forward, by supporters, by players, by clubs, by everybody it affects.”

Graham felt the Rangers resolution – to have prize money distributed now, but the final league games played at a later date – would have made the coming months unnecessarily complicated for clubs in the lower divisions.

“We need a decision at this point,” he said. “Even if the Rangers resolution went through. But if that happens we’re just delaying things. It is just prolonging this situation

“I think 85 per cent of clubs want closure. We have been told there is no football before June 10. Well, 15 of our players’ contracts finish in June. I know of two clubs where all of their players are out of contract. It gets far too messy. You then need to get players signed up for a short period of time.

“FIFA have said that contracts can be extended. But the player has got to agree to that. Some players have signed pre-contracts. They could be doubling or even trebling their money elsewhere. They could be going from part-time to full-time football. They aren’t going to give up that opportunity.”