Melton Town president Sam Ellis believes suspended UCL Division One season must be completed

Melton Town president Sam Ellis believes that this season's United Counties League Division One campaign must be concluded.

Tom Manship's side looked set for promotion last season before the campaign was declared null and void due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

This campaign has already been stop-start, with matches on hold once more due to the second national lockdown since the season kicked off.

"The situation we know it at the moment, they had a meeting on Saturday, the chairmen of all the leagues in step 3-6. They said they didn't want to do null and void, although the final decision is still down to the FA," Mr Ellis explained.

"They're not going to finish the season now and it looks like football won't start until March.

"One idea is to reduce it down to playing each other once. The other one's to try to get to 20 games and do points per game.

"Most teams have only played each other once."

The Football Association are keen to complete this season with promotions and relegations so they can restructure the non-league pyramid.

However, with sides in Division One having played between nine and 14 games it would be argued that not enough matches have been played to fairly determine final outcomes with so much at stake.

Melton currently sit second in the standings, a point behind leaders Long Buckby, who were also tipped for promotion last season before matches were halted.

"As a club we do not want the season to be null and voided again as it almost means we play one full season but both have been null and voided and we have to start again," Mr Ellis added.

"We've made plans to move up to step five, the ground's been passed as step five and we're ready for step five.

"Clearly looking at some of our results this season we've outgrown this league because, not in every game, but we've been winning 8-1 and 7-1. If you look at our results, overall, ourselves and Long Buckby are top of the table again.

"We can't keep staying in the same league. That's not how football work. It has deliberate promotion and relegation.

"If you've got a team that's too good for the league, who keeps being near the top of the table, you need to move up. That's how the league system works.

"All that's going to happen is it demotivates you.

"We've beaten Birstall 8-1 twice this season (once in the FA Vase) and 6-0 last season. You can't keep doing that as players want more of a challenge."

Town have played 12 league matches so far, including home and away wins against Wellingborough Whitworth.

If the suggestion to play rivals just once to finish the campaign - meaning each team would only have to complete 19 fixtures in total this term - goes ahead, one of those victories would be chalked off.

But Mr Ellis would be happy to drop three points if it allowed the season to reach a conclusion.

He added: "If you went to half a season we've only got effectively eight games left.

"Playing each other once means only three teams in our league have played somebody twice and it would affect us the most as we've beaten the same team twice.

"We'd lose three points, but if it knocks you down to eight games and you can complete the season we'd be happy to do that.

"It would demoralise us to start all over again."