THE dates for the conclusion to the Championship season may have caused consternation at Hampden and friction between the SPFL and Hibernian and Hearts this week, but Cammy Bell, the Rangers goalkeeper, has his own reason to look anxiously at the calendar.
The 28-year-old could find himself double booked in a few weeks time, with a potential Premiership play-off decider for Stuart McCall's side in danger of clashing with Bell's wedding to fiancée Emma at his home in Annan.
Victory for Hibernian in the Scottish Cup semi-final against Falkirk this afternoon, and a win for Queen of the South at Alloa that would deny the Bairns a top four finish in the Championship, will spark another fixture farce and could see the domestic season extended into June.
With the showpiece event of our national game scheduled for May 30 at Hampden and the Premiership play-off final set to be played over two legs on May 28 and 31, the SPFL will have a major headache on their hands. It will be another problem to solve for Neil Doncaster, the increasingly under-pressure SPFL chief executive, but it could be a logistical nightmare for Bell and his soon-to-be wife as they get set to tie the knot on Friday, June 5.
"There are going to be huge discussions because there are players out of contract, players having booked holidays and other commitments too," Bell said. "As a footballer, the only time off you are kind of guaranteed is June. That's the whole reason I arranged my wedding for that date. There will be discussions because they will have to come up with a date sooner or later and it will be resolved. And hopefully we will be in that final - whenever it is - because that's our main aim.
"That's what I want - to play in that game and to take Rangers into the top league. I'm desperate to be involved.
"When we booked it, we looked at the play-off final and Scottish Cup final, which would potentially be our last two games. That's all you can do. That's the reason we booked that date. You can only plan so far, but these things have come up this season and things could change."
While any decision to extend the domestic campaign could cause a problem in the Bell household, it would also be the root of frantic scenes in boardrooms across the country. Clubs involved in the play-off final could have to strike short-term agreements with players who are out of contract at the end of the season in order for them to be able to take to the field in the two-legged tie between the side that finishes eleventh in the Premiership and the one which emerges through the two ties in the Championship.
Rangers have twelve players whose deals expire on May 31 but Bell insists the Ibrox squad haven't pondered what might happen if McCall's side were to reach the final and be forced to play on beyond the original season end date.
"We've not spoken about anything yet," he said. "I've heard about the situation, but I don't know how we are going to deal with that - that's up to the club and the players to sort out with the league. The players haven't looked that far ahead yet. We've got some huge games ahead that we have to deal with first and foremost. We want to finish second and then we'll take it from there."
Rangers' chances of earning a play-off final place this season would be boosted if they could finish second in the Championship and avoid a two-legged tie against either Hibernian, Queen of the South or Falkirk.
The Ibrox club can extend their advantage over Alan Stubbs' side to four points with victory over Dumbarton this afternoon and manager McCall knows winning is the only thing that matters at this stage of the season.
"It is about the result," McCall said. "Obviously you want to put in a performance and there is a way to win but it is about the result. We have a decent record against them this year but it is always difficult going down there. It is a game we have got to go and win, it is as simple as that. It doesn't matter how we do it. It is about the three points."
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