LOUIS Ramsay ruled himself out of contention for Billericay Town’s 2-0 defeat at Welling United due to fears of contracting coronavirus.

Ramsay, 22, lives with his grandparents and those aged 70 or older are thought to be among those most vulnerable should they suffer from Covid-19.

And Jamie O’Hara, Billericay’s player-manager, admits he was unable to call upon Ramsay as National League South fixtures went ahead at the weekend because of the full-back fearing the worst.

“We were put in a situation because there was no-one at the top making the decision to say this can’t continue,” said O’Hara.

“Everyone was left to their own devices and my players didn’t want to play.

“You could see that in the performance and it’s impossible for me, as a manager, to get my players up for a match when they’re asking ‘Why are we playing? What is going? Are we guinea pigs for the National League to earn some money?’

“After listening to the players, watching the performance and their mentality, there is no way we can continue playing.

“I had a right-back who refused to come to the game. I totally supported his decision because he lives with his grandparents.

“How can I expect my starting right-back to turn up when he potentially thinks he can’t risk the virus coming home?

“My best centre-half (Ronnie Henry), five minutes before the game, said ‘I’m not happy about this situation. I’ve got a pregnant wife at home’.

“I’ve never been involved in this situation before and you’re relying on the people at the top of the governing body and the leadership of the country to make those decisions for you.”

O’Hara, who moved into the hotseat in September, admits to feeling helpless at Welling.

“I was surprised that the game went ahead,” added O’Hara.

“Obviously, there were a few players that were concerned about the situation. That made the day a little bit more difficult than it needed to be but we had to take the advice from the National League.

“It was probably the toughest day I’ve had in the job, to be honest.

“As a manager, you want to be the man that steps up, gets the boys going and gives them a lift. But it was a difficult day to get the best out of the players and demand 100 per cent.

“Being on the pitch was not the most important thing for them.”

The National League suspended the season yesterday, but O’Hara felt those in charge felt obliged to allow the weekend’s fixtures to go ahead in an attempt to stop clubs going out of business.

“I think the National League were under massive pressure from a lot of teams because these clubs rely on revenue,” admitted O’Hara.

“They’ve come under intense pressure from clubs because they’re like ‘we need these games because otherwise we could potentially go bust’.”