CITY are confident they will ride the immediate crisis that is threatening the future of some lower-division clubs.

The FA yesterday extended the current football lockdown until the end of April, meaning at least another six weeks without any matchday income.

As with every League Two club, City have received a cash boost of £164,200 in prize money owed as part of the £50 million relief package from the EFL.

There is also the option to borrow up to another £120,000 as an interest-free loan taken out of revenue from future seasons – which every team in the division are expected to take up.

That will ease any cashflow concerns regarding paying the wage bill for the next couple of months when City had been scheduled to play five games at Valley Parade.

The club insist they would have been in position to cope anyway but the short-term cash injection from the EFL is likely to have come as a lifeline to several rivals while the sport continues to be on hold because of the coronavirus pandemic.

National League Barnet have placed all non-playing staff on notice as an “emergency measure” as they face potential financial ruin.

“There would have been a danger had the package not been put together that the perilous financial position of several clubs would have become very apparent,” said City director of communications Ryan Sparks.

“I found the Barnet situation shocking. It shows you how close they were sailing to the wind before this.

“It is a bit of an indictment to where we’ve got to in football.

“The race for the dream is very costly and if you get it wrong, you run the very real risk of what’s happening to Barnet now.

“At the end of this month they’ll lose every single member of staff in the business.”

City’s own business remains the same and Sparks stressed that employees are being looked after during the huge uncertainty sweeping the industry.

He added: “Some of our staff who can work from home are now doing that. But nobody’s been docked wages.

“All the salaries and wages are being adhered to. It wouldn’t be appropriate to do anything otherwise.

“I have had meetings with all the staff nearly every day up until this week when the changes from the government came in.

“We’re constantly in dialogue. Every member of staff is well aware of what they need to do.

“Obviously, if anyone feels unwell or are uncomfortable being at work due to what we are seeing on the news then they get the full support of the club.

“I think everyone has been treated with the utmost respect throughout. Again, there is no user manual for this.

“Some people like to go into work, for some it makes no difference. But nobody has been forced to do anything they don’t want to or been punished for it.

"There certainly won't be any changes to our staffing because of this."