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Merthyr Town Football club is to be "mothballed" for 2020-21 because of the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Southern League Premier club has taken the decision to suspend playing until the start of next season.

Chairman Howard King told ����ý Sport Wales the move had been made to avoid possible bankruptcy.

"We had to make a decision to carry on playing or stop for the long-term future of the club. It was not a decision we took lightly," he said.

"But it was for the benefit of the club."

Merthyr follow in the footsteps of Guernsey, who have pulled out of the Isthmian League for the 2020-21 campaign due to travel restrictions.

The Merthyr players have been told they are free to find other clubs, though manager Gavin Williams is being retained.

As Merthyr County Borough goes into lockdown from 18:00 BST on Tuesday, 22 September, King said: "We were left with little choice at our board meeting.

"We had to tell the Southern League before Saturday what we were going to do.

"If we stopped playing they would allow us back into the league next season.

"If we carried on playing, which the Welsh Assembly Government had said would be behind closed doors, we would have had to pay the players and coaches.

"By the middle of November we would have eaten into our reserves and the club would have been bankrupt."

The move by the Martyrs board will not affect their off-the field business activities at their Penydarren Park base.

The first game affected will be Tuesday's scheduled FA Cup first qualifying round match at home to Poole Town, though that game was in doubt anyway.

Merthyr are fan-owned, having battled back to regain their Southern League status following liquidation.

As Merthyr Tydfil FC they won the Welsh Cup for the third time in 1987 before achieving one of the most famous Welsh club triumphs in European competition- their 2-1 victory over Italian club Atalanta in the European Cup Winners Cup first leg at Penydarren Park in September that year.