Dover Athletic manager Andy Hessenthaler has called for someone to be held accountable as to why his side can’t afford to play on in the National League.

Imagine being a manager of a club whose Chairman has rightly put the future of the Club before taking a loan to keep playing and then being told that your League has ignored the views of half its’ member clubs to continue playing and because your club isn’t going to play, you’re being hit with “failure to fulfil fixtures” charges every week…

Unbelievably that’s the situation that Andy Hessenthaler finds himself in following the decision made last week by Dover Athletic Chairman Jim Parmenter – which many supporters fully back – that the club will not be taking any loans that they cannot repay to keep playing National League fixtures – all that after the Chairman furloughed Hessenthaler, his staff and his players to effectively save the Club and its’ future.

Speaking to KSN, the usually buoyant Hessenthaler cut a forlorn figure as he told us, “it’s very tough watching everybody keep playing especially when we’re already so far behind already – we’ve self-isolated twice and then the weather came along… every time there’s games and we’re not playing is a sad and frustrating day to be honest!”

“And I really don’t know where we’re going with it all – at the end of a day, me as a manager, and a player, you just want to be outside playing the game. Yes, we’re in a tough position in the League, but that’s the sort of thing that we thrive on – it’s a challenge and we want to continue, but I also completely see the Chairman’s point of view and the reasons behind it – we just cannot carry on anymore because there’s no money coming in, and it’s as simple as that.”

“He can’t pay the wages and he’s had to make the decision to put us all on furlough and see what develops. But the longer it goes on, the more games that we’re going to be behind, so it’s going to be very difficult.”

Reflecting on the news that the National League would continue whilst the North and South Divisions would be null and voided, Hessenthaler said, “It hasn’t really solved anything! By saying that the North and South won’t be playing anymore, it’s solved the problem that they now don’t have any costs.”

“I’ve heard plenty of the clubs in the North saying that they can’t carry on and were refusing to play. But in our League, they’re telling us to carry on playing, but seven of the teams opted to null and void the season. So how can it have solved anything – there’s still no money coming in!”

“The League have put sanctions against us and trying to fine us for not playing, but I know that the Chairman is going to look at that legally – let’s face it, how can you fine someone for not fulfilling the fixture when they’ve got no money to fulfil the fixture and no money to pay the players? I really don’t understand it all and I really feel for the players as they all want to play!”

The Dover boss then questioned, “what’s going to happen to the seven teams who said that they’re not going to play anymore? Is it going to come to the stage that the other six are going to say – as we have – that they’re not going to play whilst there’s no money coming in?”

“I really don’t know – if that does happen, what’s going to happen to the League? If all seven don’t play the rest of their fixtures, that’s a third of the fixtures that won’t be played…”

“It’s a complete mess and someone has to be held accountable for it…”

Hessenthaler then had a chilling warning about the very future of the National League itself: “There’s got to be question marks against the League going forward and I think that the EFL are going to start looking at our League and looking at how it’s run,” he warned.

“This is not going away – it’s getting messier and next year football is going to take its’ time to come back – even at the top level. It’s not going to come back straight away even if we do get the fans back! Our League is just a complete mess now and I think they’re just going round in circles!”