Coronavirus: AFC Fylde chairman David Haythornthwaite discusses how 2019-20 National League season could play – impacts Hartlepool United, Barrow, Notts County, Chesterfield and more

All levels of professional football in the United Kingdom are suspended until at least April 3 though many have predicted it will last much longer.

The National League allowed fixtures to go ahead last weekend before announcing its suspension on Monday evening.

Many National League clubs have been quick to comment on the situation with Hartlepool United chief executive Mark Maguire assuring Pools fans that the club are prepared to cope despite the prospect of losing £25,000 per home match.

And with Fylde currently sitting second bottom of the National League, their chairman has given his thoughts as he feels ‘no promotion or relegation’ will take place.

“I don’t think we’ll see any more football until [the pandemic] is over,” Haythornthwaite told the Blackpool Gazette.

“Everything is going to be driven by the Premier League and whatever they decide will determine what happens everywhere else.

“My prediction is that they will give Liverpool the league and I don’t think even Manchester City would argue with that.

“The Premier League clubs will look to protect its own members and say there’s not going to be any relegation. It’s a known fact that if they had their own way, they wouldn’t have an up-and-down system anyway. I think that will follow all the way down and there will be no promotion or relegation in the other leagues.

“The exception potentially is League One, where Bury went out of business and they’re a club short. So they could play another season one short or let one into the EFL, which would probably be Barrow and that would be very hard to argue against.

“Our league would have to decide whether they wanted a season with 23 sides or let one up, which would have to be a play-off between the leaders of the National North and National South. That would be slightly more complex behind closed doors.

“I think everyone is in a difficult position but that’s what I believe will happen. I think the Premier League will dictate everything and everyone else will follow suit.”