Cove Rangers boss Paul Hartley feels both clubs and supporters will be short-changed by not allowing crowds into grounds.
With fans unlikely to be back in stadiums any time soon, after Scottish Government announcements earlier this week regarding further restrictions, already stretched clubs are going to be hit in the pocket further.
Two test events of 300 fans, at Aberdeen and Ross County, were all Scottish football managed before Holyrood reigned in further plans and imposed fresh measures to curb the second wave of the pandemic.
Hartley, whose Cove side face Hibernian in the Betfred Cup in a fortnight with minimal prospect of fans, feels for those who have to weather another financial storm.
Hartley said: “I saw what Jim McInally had to say and I echo what he said, about no fans being allowed back in. I think clubs are going to struggle in general.
“A lot of fans have put money into clubs, out of good faith to try and help the club. They’re not going to be seeing a product on the park. In this current climate, people haven’t got money to go and spend, so I think we’re all worried. There’s a real concern with the clubs.
“We thought we might have got crowds in in October but obviously there’s been a spike in cases. People’s health is most important. Our club is properly run but like everybody else, we all need fans back at football. I want to see fans back in because I’ve watched a lot of the games and it’s not the same.”
Earlier this week, Hartley expressed fears over the season being completed, with a great deal of uncertainty surrounding how the virus will be contained.
They returned to training last month and held a friendly at the Balmoral Stadium on Tuesday night against Dundee, who they face again at Dens Park this afternoon.
He added: “It was a tough game against a strong Dundee team. I was pleased with how we played and we had some good opportunities. But overall it’s a good workout. It’s only their second 45 in six months; we had two teams but kept Stuart (McKenzie) and Strachs (Ryan Strachan) on to give them 90 minutes.
“If we can maybe bring one or two bodies in, we’ll try. Our squad is nearly there in my eyes. I’ve seen a lot of teams that are playing with a lot of trialists; we’ve got the majority of our squad together. If we can add one or two we’ll try but we’re not far off.”