CITY can start making plans as League Two prepare to pull the plug on their season.

Clubs unanimously indicated in the latest meeting with the EFL that the suspended campaign should be stopped.

No official vote can be taken until the governing body give their say-so but the strength of feeling within the fourth tier has made it clear that playing on behind closed doors is financially not viable.

“It was the most progressive meeting we’ve had for some time,” said Bantams director of communications Ryan Sparks.

“The light at the end of the tunnel has got a little bit brighter.

“It’s not true there was a vote but we were asked to give an indication of our position. In turn, it provides an idea of what a vote might look like – but that would be taken across the EFL.

“We’ve moved forward slightly at this stage and we expect a more formal vote to follow in the coming weeks.

“That could possibly happen next week but it would have to go back to the EFL Board first. Then we see where it takes us.

“But it’s becoming increasingly apparent that the season, from a League Two perspective, is over.”

City have been urging an end to the limbo since football shut down on March 13. They recently took season-tickets off sale because of the uncertainty of when the current campaign might finish.

Sparks added: “We don’t know how the end of the crisis will look in terms of the pandemic. That is still far from clear.

“But we know that this season is coming to a close, one way or another. Whether the play-offs take place and relegation happens remain to be seen.

“I think there’s a strong possibility the play-offs will happen in League Two and League One and even in the Championship. But I don’t think anyone else will be playing.

“It does allow us to start to stare purely towards next season rather than have one eye still looking at this one.

“The only problem is we don’t know what next season looks like in terms of a start date.

“It is likely it will start after the usual August date. We obviously need to see the impact that will have on us going forward.

“There seems to be some idea that the government is attempting to find a way to get supporters back in stadiums this year.

“That is obviously a positive but it still is unclear how that may look.

“We would work with the worst-case scenario to give ourselves the best possible contingencies.

“We can now look at the logistical challenges that we were unable to tackle. The likes of refunds and things like we can process and deal with them in a better way.

“We can't do much until the season is categorically over. Let’s be clear, as it stands it’s not – but, in real terms, it’s unlikely to start again.”

The issues of promotion and relegation are still to be finalised. City are one of the few clubs who feel that a team should still go down this season.

But Sparks insists EFL chairman Rick Parry deserves credit for his handling of a tricky situation.

“He’s got a really unappetising position. But he understood the position of the clubs and was very open, honest and realistic about the future."