Gillingham boss Steve Evans has given his full backing to the Football League's decision to suspend play.

Professional football in England has been halted until April 3, at the earliest, when bosses will look again and decide whether to restart play.

For Evans, football comes secondary, and he was one of those calling for the EFL to halt action because of the coronavirus.

He said: "When you take your football heart out and your football head off, it's one million percent the correct decision.

"I would dread to think that it was me or anyone around me who caught this virus and passed it onto someone and that ends up causing someone to lose a loved one.

"I think most of us as adults have experienced that feeling of losing a relative close to you and know the pain and anguish that causes.

"Could you imagine that any of us are responsible for passing it on to someone and they lose a loved one because of it? It would be such a bad feeling and none of us want that do we?"

The Football League originally said on Thursday that games were likely to continue but changed their mind once a number of people within the game at the top level became infected, including the Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta.

Evans said: "I feared for it on Thursday night when I watched the news like everyone else and heard our prime minister say that in the next months ahead we would lose loved ones who have gone far too early. It really rings alarm bells in your head straight away.

"Even before the announcement, I knew meetings were taking place and I was one of many, many managers who called for it to be temporarily halted. Let's go away for two or three weeks and then come back and see if we can all finish the season."

Evans spoke to many managers about the situation before the EFL's decision, among them was Newcastle boss Steve Bruce. The former Gills defender said: "The welfare of every individual is far more important than a football match."

Gillingham's games against Fleetwood Town this Saturday, their trip to MK Dons on March 21 and Rotherham a week later (March 29) have all been suspended. Hopes are that the Football League will resume on Saturday, April 4. The Gills are set to host Accrington Stanley that day.

Those suspended games would, it's assumed, be added to the three free midweek dates in April, meaning a hectic end to the season for all.

If there are no further delays to the league then it's possible that the season will end on schedule and for the play-offs to continue as planned. Gillingham still have an outside chance of making the top six in League 1 and a place in those end of season play-offs.

Elsewhere, the National League are going ahead with the fixtures, but the Isthmian League - the level below - have called their games off for a week.

The Southern Counties East League are continuing with the programme of fixtures this weekend, all except Erith & Belvedere. Their trip to Tunbridge Wells was postponed on Friday after two players were sent home from work having reported symptoms of the virus.