League One promotion rival reveals they are losing £700,000 per month

With last season curtailed and then football going behind closed-doors until fans are allowed back in, the crisis has had a major impact on clubs up and down the country.

And Portsmouth chief executive Mark Catlin has opened up about the club's finances amid a huge drop in matchday ticket sales and hospitality.

Catlin told the Portsmouth News: “The pandemic not just at Portsmouth but football in general is having a massive effect.

“With a club like Portsmouth we’re a very large club with a large cost base to support such a big fan base.

“We’ve been operating with no gate receipts or revenue which make up to 50 to 60 per cent of our overall turnover in any normal season.

“It’s having a devastating effect where we are losing in the region of £700,000 per month in lost revenue. That’s just because of the losses in matchday revenue.”

Meanwhile, Harrogate will start life in the English Football League next season at League One Doncaster's Keepmoat Stadium.

Town have secured promotion to the Football League for the first time in their 106-year history and have begun work on upgrading their CNG Stadium to comply with EFL rules.

The North Yorkshire club began ripping up their artificial 3G playing surface on Tuesday in preparation for a new grass pitch.

The work will not be completed until October and the new Sky Bet League Two season is scheduled to start on September 12.

Harrogate said: "We are now able to confirm an agreement with Doncaster Rovers to use their ground for our EFL home games while our new grass pitch is laid.

"The groundshare will be in place until October 10 when we anticipate our new grass pitch will be ready at the CNG Stadium."

Harrogate beat Notts County 3-1 in the National League play-off final at Wembley on Sunday and had already been granted permission by the EFL to groundshare in the event of their historic success.