Boss is full of praise for Rick Parry and the EFL for the way they have handled the pandemic.

David Artell has told the club’s official website that the EFL and its chairman Rick Parry deserve great credit for helping clubs remain in business during almost two years of the global pandemic.

The Alex boss believes that their lobbying to the government through the crisis helped clubs starved off bankruptcy when the season was ended prematurely in 2020 and then restarted without supporters inside stadiums.

Artell told the club’s official website: “The EFL and its chairman, Rick Parry, often get a bad rap and I can never understand that when it comes to the impact of the pandemic.

“I remember when it first came in 2020 and the season was ended in March. There was talk then of 20, 30 plus going out of business at the time. We have lost none and the EFL deserve great praise for that.

“They lobbied the government and helped get a financial package in place to help clubs and they don’t get the credit they deserve for that.

“Now if there was a short break without fans then we would have to cut our cloth accordingly and re-look at budgets and all that – but if that means you sign one less player in the January transfer window then so be it.

He added: “The health of people has to come first and you have to adjust to what this pandemic throws at you.“