"MAYBE for the sake of everyone, we just draw a line under it and go again in August."

Mark Bower has almost consigned himself to the fact Bradford (Park Avenue)'s season will be cut short and ended early.

The Horsfall outfit were fully focussed on their hosting of Kidderminster Harriers before the Vanarama National League North was suspended for a fortnight on Friday.

It comes after clubs refused to continue on the premise their next block of funding would be produced through loans.

The National League have since confirmed they are no longer considering the option of them taking on loans to distribute to their clubs.

The league do not see it as a 'sustainable and viable’ option so it appears the season now rests on a u-turn from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).

In a drastic attempt to try save the campaign, it is understood clubs have been told to ask their MP's to lobby the government for grants.

As the situation lingers on, Bower can, unfortunately, only see one result.

He said: "With the money, time and effort the players have put in to look after themselves and get to training, and the preparation me and my staff have put in for games, it would be a shame if that goes to waste.

"As time has gone on, you realise how grave the situation is coming from the health point of the view and the fact clubs are effectively running out of money.

"The suspension leaves us in a little bit of limbo. It has got to be sorted out quickly and we have to see a clear pathway as to what is going to happen.

"Are we playing again or are we finished? We need to know so we can plan.

"Hopefully in these two weeks people can come up with a solution because we all want to be playing.

"But as it goes on longer, it is looking more and more likely the season won’t finish."

Bower also thinks even this two-week break causes further disruption to a season already plagued by the pandemic, with teams forced to play catch-up.

The late start and postponements mean Bradford are 12 games behind the stage they were at this time last year (28). Completing 26 matches in less than four months seems a tough ask.

"You look at it with a pessimistic outlook," the manager added.

"It is becoming slightly farcical with the number of games being called off. Some teams have loads of games in hand, it takes away from the integrity of it all.

"It is looking highly likely teams will not get relegated from our league. That was our target at the start of the season, make sure we do not go down.

"If that is taken away, it takes the edge off and makes it less enjoyable."

14th-placed Avenue have experienced a thrilling time this term, portraying a much-improved start than its predecessor.

Bower said: "We know when we get most of our players on the pitch, we can match teams in our league.

"The lads were playing well, and we were gradually improving all the time, mixing it with the best. We may still get the opportunity and prove ourselves.

"If it means going back in two weeks’ time or for pre-season, we have stabilised the club and build a good foundation for it to be going in the right direction again."