It is no secret that clubs in the EFL have been financially crippled by the impact of coronavirus.
When the pandemic struck in March 2020 the knock-on effect for football was a halt to all games.
When leagues did eventually return spectators were locked out of stadiums.
The income supplied by match-going fans is a lifeline for clubs in Leagues One and Two.
To offset against these losses the EFL handed out loans to the member clubs who were in most need of them.
Now, Fleetwood Town chairman Andy Pilley has shed light on how the loan worked and why his club were one of many to be placed under an embargo this season.
The embargo is not like a traditional ban on transfers - instead it has strict stipulations clubs must follow, such as a maximum amount of players able to be registered.
Speaking to the League One club's website, Pilley said: "The embargo is something which was offered to all Football League clubs and there are consequences in return for taking a reasonable amount of money upfront.
"We were advanced £2million and given that we are operating in strange times, we have the energy price crisis which affects my core business and it felt like the right thing to do and to make sure there was enough working capital within the football club.
"The consequence of that is that we’re only allowed 22 players.
"We still had a reasonable budget, and a budget that I felt at the very least would get us halfway up the league.
"Now, we have been annihilated with injuries, and that is the reason why we are where we are in the league table but at the time it felt like the right thing to do.
"If I had my time again, I still would take that. It’s something that expires at the end of this season.
"We’re back to normal after April 2022 but again I make no apologies for making those big calls."
Pilley also gave brutally honest comments regarding the future of the club's bright young prospects.
This season has seen a clutch of youngsters rise to prominence, understandable given the embargo situation, and one in particular has been attracting plenty of high-profile interest.
Centre-half James Hill was scouted by Spanish giants Barcelona earlier in the campaign and has also won an England under-21 call-up this term thanks to his impressive performances.
Pilley has no qualms admitting that he fully expects Hill and other talented players such as Jay Matete to use Fleetwood as a "stepping stone".
He added: "We’ve got some outstanding talent. We will give them game time; they can make great use of our outstanding facilities and our coaches and what success looks like is then seeing them move on.
"There’s a cluster of clubs that are very interested in both James and Jay, understandably so and other players as well.
"Their time will come but what will happen is I think both of those players will move on in the not too distant future and now they play for us, they’ll continue to give their very best but success for this football club looks like success for these players who have come through the academy.
"It’s using us as a stepping stone to get to the Championship or the Premier League and that is the objective and that’s what we’re committed to achieving."
The club are searching for a new manager having sacked Simon Grayson last month. They are currently in 19th place in the table.