Reading FC boss Mark Bowen spoke about his decision to defer a substantial percentage of his wages to help the club during the Covid-19 outbreak.

Bowen was joined by chief executive Nigel Howe, who agreed to delay their wages amid the uncertainty of the current football season and beyond.

The club have also confirmed a number of other senior non-playing staff will delay their monthly income and a number of non-playing staff have been placed on furlough, with the majority of other staff are now working from home.

Speaking on BBC Berkshire, Bowen said: “I fully understand that at this current time that everyone is trying to find something we can do to try and help things.

“In our case at Reading Football Club, we’ve got a very generous owner who has committed so much to this club so far – so as we are struggling with a little bit of cashflow, you naturally try to do anything you can to help.

“It’s something Nigel, myself and Eddie Niedzwiecki and John O’Shea, who are also making contributions – something we just decided upon as, at this time it was right for the club.”

Bowen also confirmed that he believes the players will be ‘doing their own thing’ in relation to their own wages during such a tumultuous time.

“I know the players want to help too. I know that our players are currently in discussions with the club – thinking about what the best way is for them to make a gesture.

“It is perhaps a little easier for Nigel and I to agree on something because it’s just the two of us, when you’ve got a lot of players on a lot of different levels of pay, it is slightly more complicated.

“Be in no doubt, the players are going to do their own thing.”

“Yes, there are more important things than football right now, we all know that. The focus now is rightly on the NHS workers on the front line.

“But if we can get this season started again, when the time is right, we might be able to give everyone a lift, because everyone misses football.”