National League integrity at risk with no relegation - Torquay United boss Gary Johnson

Gary Johnson's Torquay United side are six points off leaders Sutton United having played an extra game

Torquay United boss Gary Johnson is worried about the integrity of the National League if no teams are relegated at the end of the season.

National League North and South were declared null and void last month due to the Covid-19 pandemic with no sides set to move between the two tiers.

National League Dover have already stopped playing for financial reasons.

"It's ridiculous that there's no relegation because that does spoil the integrity of the league," Johnson said.

Clubs began the season thanks to grants from the UK Government as sides have had to play almost all their games behind closed doors due to the pandemic.

But after Christmas clubs were told new funding would be in the way of loans, which some clubs refused to take out.

Promotion to and from the English Football League is still set to go ahead, with Johnson's side in the running to move up into League Two.

They led the league for much of the season, but a recent poor run of results has seen the Gulls slip to third place.

"If teams know they're not going to go down they can play differently, it doesn't matter whether they win, lose or draw. That might not affect them, but it might affect other teams in the league," Johnson told BBC Radio Devon.

"It just makes it a little bit of a mockery, especially when one team is not actually playing against anybody. Dover are just refusing to play, so it doesn't do the National League as a whole any favours when it comes to the Football League (EFL).

"You don't want the Football League feeling in any way that the National League is not fully professional if you like, not only in their play, but in their attitude."