SALTASH United manager Dane Bunney says he is “relaxed” over how the South West Peninsula League season will be completed.

For a second year running, the Ashes are in a very good place to secure a top-two finish in the Premier West table and win promotion to the Western League.

But, for a second year running, those aims could be thwarted by the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on non-league football.

The FA have asked clubs at Steps Three to Six to vote on what outcome they would like to see to the season.

However, those votes could be swayed based on where clubs are situated in their respective league tables.

Fighting for a title or promotion, you are likely to want the season to be played out, or a points per game outcome.

But if you are facing relegation or mid-table mediocrity, a swift end to the campaign is likely to be your preferred choice.

Declaring the season null and void, deciding positions on a points per game basis, or spilling this season into next, on the basis that a full programme of league fixtures might not even be possible in 2021-22 due to coronavirus, seem to be the three options on the table.

Bunney, who spent the start of 2021 feeling very poorly after catching COVID himself, said: “Part of me doesn’t want to win promotion unless we have earned it, and you could argue that we have earned it over the last two seasons (a league table combining this season’s results with last season’s null and void campaign would leave Saltash in top spot), but from a purely selfish point of view, as the manager, you want a league title to your name.

“I am quite relaxed to be honest on whether they carry this season forward to August, or whether they null and void it and we start again, under the provision that the situation allows us to have a full and proper season, which I would like to think we will.

“They seem to be getting the vaccine out quite quickly now.

“I think, by the time we play the next football season, we should be able to get a full season in as normal.

“My only concern about carrying this season forward is that you have a third season in a row with a reduced programme of matches.

“We have played 15 games so far, so next season we would play 15 games less than we would normally do.”

The Saltash boss said gaining promotion based on calculations drawn up by someone sat behind a desk would deny the players a special occasion if they were to go on and achieve that goal.

“You lose so much, you lose the day, you lose the celebration, the euphoria of winning the league or gaining promotion,” he said.

“It is the memories that make it special.

“When we won the Cornwall Senior Cup a few years ago, I bet most of the lads can’t even put their hands on their medal, but they will always remember the party after.

“But I don’t think the FA will allow promotion this season as it will open up such a can of worms.

“I think they will keep it black and white – either carry it forward to August or start again.”

Millbrook are sitting in a very good position in Premier East, lying three points behind leaders and near neighbours Torpoint Athletic but with four games in hand.

Brook manager Mackenzie Brown favours trying to play out the current season as he has fears over the 2021-22 campaign.

He said: “It’s going to be extremely difficult to finish this season, I would still try to though.

“I think the only way that is fair is to just make everybody play each other once and I don’t see how that couldn’t be achieved nationwide.

“Even for the leagues where only five league games have been played, that would only mean 14/15 games maximum to play.

“There maybe a small issue of home/away but something has to give.

“However, my biggest concern is those people that think let’s just null and void and get to next season and it’ll all be okay and back to normal.

“This current season should have been adapted from the start and it wasn’t, and we are all paying the price again.

“It is very dangerous to think starting from scratch in August with 38 league games to be played plus cups, etc, is the way forward as who knows if there will be more lockdowns next winter?

“There is a fine line between optimism and naivety and a third season with no outcome will be disastrous. So, given the options, carrying over this season to next makes complete sense; if not, then next season will need to be adapted significantly in my opinion.”