Bolton Wanderers boss Ian Evatts call to help Stockport Notts County and Wrexham

IAN Evatt has added his voice to those demanding an additional promotion spot is made available to the National League.

The Wanderers boss, who guided Barrow to the National League title in 2019/20, believes it is time that three clubs dropped out of League Two at the end of every season.

Bolton take on Stockport County at the UniBol this afternoon â€" the Hatters now 10 years out of the Football League.

Alongside them, the likes of Grimsby Town, Chesterfield, Notts County, Dagenham, Wrexham, Barnet, Yeovil, Torquay and Southend, who have also been members of the 92 in the last decade.

Evatt would like to see the EFL and National League work to close the financial gap between the two divisions and offer more clubs a chance to work their way up the leagues.

“It is crazy the clubs in that division now â€" it’s daft that there is only one automatic promotion place and another through the play-offs,” he said.

“For me, we have to sort that out. There has to be a fairer split.

“You can’t have three from the Premier League, three from the Championship, four from League One and then two from League Two. It doesn’t make any sense.

“It should be at least three to allow these clubs a chance to get back up again because the gulf in finances between the National League and League Two in terms of revenue is ginormous. It is too big.

“The amount of money being spent at that level means there should be a fairer split.

“The problem â€" and we saw it in the summer with the votes â€" is that it becomes a case of self-preservation. Football League clubs don’t want to give it up lightly, whether it is fair or not.

“Hopefully the powers that be will override that eventually and give clubs a fairer chance to get promoted but it is a graveyard and a challenging division to get out of.

“You have your Notts Countys, Wrexhams and Chesterfields but then also the Dovers and Boreham Woods, the really tough ones.

“Whoever gets out of that league will deserve to do it and you have seen with the recent record of teams that do, I don’t think anyone has ever been relegated. The levels are very even.”

No National League club has been relegated from the EFL in their first season after promotion since a second place was introduced in 2003.

Macclesfield Town went the closest, finishing 22nd in 2019, three points above Notts County.

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