Portsmouth, Sunderland, Ipswich, Peterborough, Oxford and Fleetwood are not the rebels for wanting to finish season

The Fratton Park chief executive insisted the Blues are only following government guidelines and are towing the EFL party line.

Last night, Peterborough chairman Darragh MacAnthony took to Twitter to issue a statement on behalf of the Posh, Pompey, Oxford, Sunderland, Fleetwood and Ipswich. It confirmed their collective belief the 2019-20 campaign should be completed.

All 71 EFL members are currently meeting to thrash out how the season will be concluded amid the coronavirus crisis.

Speaking to TalkSport ahead of the meeting, Catlin said: ‘We’ve got to be positive and be looking forward.

‘I can't speak for other clubs, obviously, but the mood throughout has been “let’s try to get through this and supportive of each other” and I hope that carries on during the call.

‘It's a big day potentially for all clubs and football generally.

‘What’s important to remember is, what we have done throughout this process is to follow government advice.

‘Government advice at this moment is there's a potential to open sport behind closed doors from June 1.

'We, as a club, are looking to keep that on the table once it's safe to do so.

'The government have specialists, we’ve followed their advice throughout and have to keep following their advice – and that of our governing body that, likewise, will have medical experts advising them.

‘The EFL has been strong on that (the season should be completed). It's not like we're rebels as a club or other clubs that want to continue.

‘That's actually towing the party line. The EFL have been strong, the Premier League as well and the FA and governing bodies generally around the world have said we want to finish this season.

‘Obviously, financial consideration then comes into it, self-interest comes into it and all of that has to be thrashed out, look at all the options and make a final decision and move on.

'Our point, at this moment, is where there looks to be a possibility to reopening up sport, albeit behind closed doors, why would we make a decision having roughed it out for two months to shut it down? That just seems crazy.

‘We don’t know the full financial impact, the impact it will have it on supporters - how engaged will they be? If we suddenly say “we're really sorry, we weren’t prepared to go on for another few weeks exploring all the options and are going to shut it down.

‘You lose a lot of integrity with fans throughout the country.’

Catlin pinpointed every club will have their own self-interests at heart.

Already, League One rivals Rochdale and Southend have declared they want to see the season finished.

But Catlin insisted every financial implication needs to be examined before a decision is made.

He added: ‘Every club, in their own way, has to protect their own interest.

‘We take season-ticket money in good faith, enter into contracts with the likes of Sky and media providers in good faith and take centrally-distributed money in good faith.

‘The least we can do is throw our hands up in their air just as the government are saying it is safe potentially to continue behind closed doors.

'We've roughed it out for eight weeks so let’s go out and examine all of the potential financial impacts.

‘The problem is not going to be in the first three months through money advanced by the EFL. Government support - such as holiday period of rates, grants and furlough – have all been great to keep clubs on life-supporting machines.

‘But, moving forward, we're going to have to get back to work. Otherwise, clubs are going to start going bust left, right and centre.’

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