AFC Fylde wages now deferred after change of plan by owner David Haythornthwaite

David Haythornthwaite has had a rethink after announcing a 50 per cent pay cut for all AFC Fylde employees last week

Season suspended 'indefinitely' for AFC Fylde and other National League clubs

But following conversations with the Government and the club’s employees, those wages will instead be deferred.

In an update given to The Gazette, Haythornthwaite said: “We couldn’t wait to hear what was happening with the Government or the FA and I made that point really clear.

“We felt we had no option but to ask the players to take a 50 per cent wage cut but we’ve moved on from that situation now.

“We think we’ve got a little bit more clarity from the Government, although nobody is still 100 per cent sure.

“But we’ve now decided, as other clubs have, to defer the wages of all our players and all our staff.

“That will give them a better income than having their wages halved. A lot of them still won’t make what they would have normally but they’ll certainly be better off.

“All the players were informed on Tuesday or Wednesday by letter and we’re still having those conversations.

“The tricky part is – and this is where the FA need to give everybody guidance –if you don’t pay players in full you are technically breaking their contracts.

“This allows players to effectively leave the club if they’re not happy or their agents could get involved.

“We’re not able to pay the players in full at the moment but we think we’ve got a consensus everybody will accept. Those conversations are still ongoing.”

The Coasters are waiting to find out how the National League season will be resolved after it was suspended indefinitely on Tuesday.

Talks about how to end the season if it proves impossible to play on have so far failed to reach an agreement.

National League leaders Barrow are pressing their claim for promotion, while the idea of deciding matters on a points-per-game basis could doom second-bottom Fylde to relegation.

Further developments are expected tomorrow, when all the major football authorities meet.

All levels of the game below the National League have seen their season simply scrapped and nullified.

Haythornthwaite last week branded the lack of support or guidance from the FA as “shambolic”.