Could land be Southampton FC's saviour from Football League punishment?

In what has been a rapidly changing scenario, it appears the Football League board will definitely discuss Saints’ situation at their meeting on Tuesday after it was confirmed that the club’s parent company was in administration.

Initially it appeared that, because the rules state a points deduction only applies to football clubs in administration and not holding companies of a football club, Saints would escape any sanction.

However, there has been widespread anger from other clubs in the Football League at Saints possibly avoiding the deduction.

Of Saints’ Championship relegation rivals, Barnsley have been the most vocal in their criticism of any potential dodging of the deduction.

But several others, such as Plymouth and Nottingham Forest, are said to be monitoring the situation.

Southampton Leisure Holdings administrator Mark Fry will argue that the holding company is a separate entity from the football club and therefore shouldn’t face a deduction.

He said: “There is a legal position which I’m not prepared to comment on at this meeting.

“I certainly don’t want to put any situation into jeopardy so all I can say is there is a distinct difference in law between the holding company and the operating company.”

When pushed, he admitted that the assets of Southampton Leisure Holdings are mainly football related .

But, perhaps crucially, not the Jackson’s Farm land which he believes gives the holding company a development arm to it.

Jackson’s Farm was the land donated to the club by former club president John Corbett, the late father of ex-Saints football club board director Mary.

Full story in today's Daily Echo.