As football clubs continue to count the cost of the coronavirus lockdown, Huddersfield chairman Phil Hodgkinson warned that up to 60 clubs in the English football pyramid could go out of business if action is not taken now to reset the way the game is run

Championship clubs returned to training today, 11 weeks after the season was first suspended, with no matches now having been played since March 8.

Clubs in the second tier have vowed to finish the season, but the situation looks bleak for sides in League One and League Two.

And writing in the Yorkshire Post, he said: "Let's not pretend that football didn't cause this problem, it did.

"Football has created the position we are in. What we have now is the opportunity, with this COVID-19 pandemic, is to get football back into a place where it's run better.

"Football has caused this problem and football should fix it. If this isn't solved, you could be looking at 40, 50, 60 clubs in the pyramid ceasing to trade within the next six to 12 months; that's how big this problem is."

Meanwhile, former FA chief executive Mark Palios has warned EFL clubs the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic could be even greater than the £200 million blow first feared.

EFL chairman Rick Parry estimated the cost of the shutdown earlier this month but Palios, also chairman of League One Tranmere, believes the sum will continue to grow.

"While you may look at the 'hole' which has been articulated as £200 million to September - I think it's bigger than that,” Palios told Sky News.

"There is a real financial maelstrom coming towards the league at this point in time.

"I personally believe we haven't seen the worst of it yet, and, during the course of the summer, you'll see a lot more financial stress on the clubs as we move onwards and continue to pay wages.

"I think what you'll see is a lot of clubs will stumble down the road to insolvency. You might see people getting high court orders against them. They'll bumble on for a period of time."