BY CHRISTOPHER DODDS

Oldham Athletic goalkeeping coach Greg Hartley believes that it could take up to three years for football clubs to recover from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Football teams across all levels and in particular the lower Leagues of English and Scottish football have been hit the hardest, being forced playing the remainder of last season as well as the beginning of this season behind closed doors.

This has meant losing out on crucial matchday and gate income in that time.

The former FA Youth Cup winner revealed the impact that the six-month lockdown had on himself and the club, insisting that every club up and down the country had been hit by the killer bug.

Hartley told the UWS Newsroom,

“It (The COVID-19 pandemic) has been bad for a lot of teams, not just in the lower leagues but it’s great to see that local clubs have been able to get back up and running.

“I think that it could take maybe up to two or three years for teams to rebound from the pandemic really.

“I think a lot of them have only got through the lockdown by the skin of their teeth really.

“It’s been a struggle for a lot of teams, even as high up as the Premier League they’ve taken a massive hit.

“I don’t think that there will be any big marquee signings any time soon, especially when you’re talking about your teams in the Championship, League One or League Two and that’s the same across the board.

“It’s happened across all aspects of business across the country.”

Listen to the full interview here: