Calls for seismic football overhaul impacting Liverpool, Manchester United, Leeds United, Arsenal and rest of game in battle against time-wasting from Portsmouth boss

And the Pompey boss believes it’s just a matter of time before the landmark innovation is introduced into the professional game.

Cowley believes playing two 30-minute periods is the way to go moving forward, with the clock ticking when the ball is in play and stopped when it isn’t.

It’s a potentially huge change, but one the 43-year-old believes will be beneficial for observers while helping to eradicate teams who look to break up and slow down games.

The EFL last week spoke to clubs over the prospect of introducing a multi-ball system, which is now operating at Premier League level.

Cowley would take things much further, however, after seeing his team frustrated by opponents this season looking towards some of the game’s dark arts in an effort to pick up results.

Analytics company Opta’s research shows the average time the ball has been in play in the Premier League has never been above 60 minutes, since it started collecting that data.

The International Football Association Board (Ifab) who make the game’s laws have looked into the concept of a stop-clock, but Cowley thinks that has to be what football moves towards.

He said: ‘There are ways we can manage time-wasting much better in an effort to eradicate it.

‘I think eventually we will see a stop-clock.

‘I can see the game being reduced in length.

‘At the moment in a 90-minute game, we know the ball’s in play for somewhere between 48 and 55 minutes.

‘In the Premier League it’s maybe 30 minutes each half, In the lower leagues maybe less.

‘If we went to a 60-minute game with a stop-clock then you would eradicate all the time-wasting. You’d stop it all.

‘I think that makes sense, and I think we will get to that eventually.’

Cowley pointed out that a stop-clock is successfully operated in a number of other sports, so sees no reason for football not to follow suit.

American football and basketball are among those who see game length work in such a fashion.

Cowley added: ‘It’s used in a lot of other sports and we have the technology for it, so I don’t see why we don’t do it. Why not?’