Ely City joint-boss Luke McAvoy believes his team would not be affected whatever the outcome to the 2019-20 season after it was declared null and void.

The FA made the decision to expunge all results from Step 3 to Step 7 and below due to the coronavirus pandemic last Thursday (March 26), including in the Thurlow Nunn League Premier Division where Ely sat four points clear of the bottom two.

But despite being drawn into a survival battle, McAvoy feels the announcement has made no impact on his players.

“I feel we’re in a position where it doesn’t really matter because we wouldn’t have gone down and we wouldn’t have gone up,” he said.

“If they had gone for a PPG (points per game) finish to the season, we would have been just about safe.

“I don’t think there’s a right or wrong way, they’re not going to keep everyone happy!

“I do feel sorry for the sides that have put a lot of money, time and effort into promotion, like Stowmarket. It gives us a chance to finish the season, regroup and when we get started again, hopefully come back stronger.”

With Ely’s Step 5 status now secured for at least another season, there are still issues surrounding the club off the pitch, like many other non-league clubs.

However, McAvoy alongside joint-manager Ben Farmer aim to build on the progress made as they look to stamp their mark on the squad.

“The bar hasn’t been open for around two weeks. We’ve lost a bit of money, so on that side of things, the club are a little worried,” he said.

“When we went in, we wanted to keep them up. Hopefully this (the break) will give us longer than we thought to put more of a stamp on the side and hopefully recruit the players we want.

“Hopefully this (the break) will give us longer than we thought to put more of a stamp on the side.

“We’re all in contact on WhatsApp groups and it doesn’t sound like anyone’s particularly looking to move on.

“The feeling I’ve got is players are starting to enjoy their football and we’re starting to get a team spirit. We might need one or two.

“We’d love to get ourselves in mid-table so we’re not in a relegation fight. Although they’ve had some great cup runs, they’ve struggled in the league.

“The main thing is to stabilise the club and keep them at step five, and then we can hopefully build from there.”