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Dover manager Andy Hessenthaler fears this weekend’s crunch National League trip to Yeovil could be their last game of the season.
Hessenthaler admitted he felt it was a “50-50” call as to whether the season will continue amid uncertainty over additional grants for teams at Steps 1 and 2.
Many clubs have already voiced concern over taking on loans, and even the league appear to have taken that option off the table.
“A lot of people are saying that this weekend could be our last game and that worries me,” said Hessenthaler.
“My gut feeling is that it’s 50-50 if we are going to carry on. It worries me and the chairman is saying it is doubtful.
“It will be a shame. It would mean everyone going back on furlough and then we’d have to start planning for next year.
“It’s been on our minds but the players didn’t show it (against Barnet on Tuesday). It’s always talked about and it seems to be going round in circles.
“Money is going to run out – every club is saying that. I’m hoping that a decision will be made by the weekend so we know.”
National League clubs received £11million in grants for the first three months of the campaign but the expectation when the season started was that fans would be back at grounds in the new year.
Instead, the country is in a third national lockdown and spectators are unlikely to return to grounds until the 2021/22 season.
That leaves a massive hole in club finances and Hessenthaler was also bemused by the decision to pause the National League North and South season for a fortnight.
“I don’t understand that because we’re all the National League, one league of three divisions,” said Hessenthaler. “They’ve classed us all as elite so I don’t understand what they’ve gained by doing that.
“The majority of National North and South are part-time clubs but they are classed as elite because they wanted to finish the play-offs last season and it’s backfired now.
“Should we be playing morally? I’ve said for some time I don’t think we should be during a pandemic.
“It will be nice to know what we are doing so we can focus on the next 30 games.”
Hessenthaler also believes that testing should be carried out across the National League.
The EFL are testing players and staff twice a week, a move funded by the PFA. But with clubs struggling to find money for wages in the National League, Hessenthaler doesn’t know how they can fund testing as well.
“I know there’s been a lot of conversations about testing but we don’t get tested in the National League,” he added. “We don’t get any testing – that’s what they’ve got to find.
“If we are being classed as elite, then we’ve got to be tested like League 2 clubs who get tested twice a week now.
“That’s the worry, this pandemic is still around, and testing was one of the concerns for part-time clubs, let alone full-time ones in the National League.
“A lot of our players are PFA members and always will be but the PFA are not going to step in as they have done for the EFL. Who would fund it?
“Clubs need to find the money for wages but who pays for the testing as we can’t afford to do that.”
