CITY are calling for the EFL to draw up contingency plans to ensure the League Two campaign does not descend into chaos over COVID postponements.

This weekend’s game at Grimsby has been called off after Mariners midfielder Jock Curran tested positive and the rest of the squad were forced to self-isolate. Their training ground is currently shut for 14 days.

But the Bantams were able to play Stevenage on Saturday, despite the Hertfordshire club reporting three positive tests, after it was decided there was “no medical reason” why it could not go ahead.

League Two clubs hold their next divisional meeting tomorrow where City will demand tougher controls are put in place amid the risk of more cancellations.

“There’s going to have to be something put in place as a contingency for what would happen if every week we missed a game,” said City’s director of communications and commercial Ryan Sparks.

“I’ve looked at our calendar with the club secretary and I don’t see the gaps. Where are you going to play the extra games?

“We’re obliged to finish the season on time and there are reasons to do that – which involves not impacting on the 2021/22 season.

“In my view there is a huge amount at stake this season for clubs in Leagues One and Two in terms of the future viability of football in this country outside of the top two tiers.

“I say that with no hidden agenda. That’s just a fact.

“We’ve got to do it safely. Do we think as a club we won’t be impacted by the virus? Absolutely not, we’ve not got the blinkers on.

“We know what can happen but in the same breath we’ll try to take as many steps as we can to ensure we’re as safe as possible.

“The reality of the situation is that we’ve got to do our best to get the season over the line.

“As an EFL member club, we are obliged to fulfil our fixtures and that is what we are trying to do.”

The governing body are investigating the circumstances surrounding Grimsby’s decision to postpone the Bantams clash as well as games against Cheltenham last Saturday and Hull in the EFL Trophy next Tuesday.

Grimsby got in touch yesterday after City had made “many attempts” over the weekend to contact them without success.

Sparks added: “How many weeks can the EFL realistically postpone fixtures for?

“I believe there is a rule in there at the moment that you can have a walkover. Maybe that may need to be considered.

“Obviously, we hope there are no more outbreaks at all and everybody’s fine. But the virus is coming back and it’s hitting the population quite hard in certain areas of the country.

“With that in mind, footballers are not immune from getting it.

“The only thing we can do as clubs is stick to the protocol as tightly as we can. Do everything to make sure our players avoid putting themselves at risk.

“It could happen to us for sure but it goes without saying that we will go about our business in a different way to Grimsby Town if it does.”

Leyton Orient’s game at Walsall was also postponed after they had been forced to call off their Carabao Cup third-round tie with Tottenham, who were awarded a bye.

Sparks said: “Credit to Stevenage for getting the game on Saturday. They went to some lengths to get the game on despite the way they chose to communicate some of it.

“What we’ve currently got is Leyton Orient and Grimsby who have had to down  tools.

“That creates an issue for the game.

“Over the summer, a lot of things we spoke about at our football club was maintaining the integrity of the competition and upholding it.

“That’s why we voted to curtail the season and our view has never changed.

“We are committed to ensuring League Two is viable for the greater good, not just us.”

Meanwhile, a national report claiming that former Swansea chairman Huw Jenkins could be coming to City is understood to be wide of the mark.