DEAN KEATES admits it was always going to be difficult completing the National League season due to a lot of players in the division being out of contract at the end of April.

The campaign has been suspended until April 3 at the earliest because of the coronavirus outbreak but League chiefs have asked the Football Association to help "close the season as soon as possible" due to the pandemic.

The last round of fixtures were scheduled for April 25 but it appears that the National League will officially finish the campaign in its three divisions now "for the purposes of player contracts".

Unlike Football League clubs who give contracts until the end of June, a lot of non-league outfits only offer players deals until the final game of the season and Wrexham boss Keates says that makes extending the campaign a huge hurdle to overcome.

"The biggest stumbling block is contracts," said Keates.

"We have got a few on a 40-week contract which finish in April, a few that go beyond April into May and a couple into June.

"It is whatever is negotiated at the time because a lot of clubs will just pay from first game to the last game which is in April, and if you do make the play-offs it is easy enough to extend it for three weeks.

"A lot of this has got to do with contracts and it would be a bit of a minefield trying to get it all sorted out so it looks like the league are trying to finish the season as soon as possible."

Wrexham are 20th in the fifth tier, one point above the drop zone with nine games remaining.

A decision on promotion and relegation issues has not been made yet, and Keates admits this is a tough call for the League.

"We are just waiting to see which way they go," added Keates.

"Whether it is null and void or whether they go points per game, which I find quite hard how they are going to make that work."