Parachute and solidarity payments from the Premier League to Football League clubs have been cut for the first time since the system was introduced.

The 72 EFL clubs have been informed that the payments they will receive for this season and are just over 2 per cent down on last season.

The cut has alarmed some club chairmen, and will hit those lower-league teams in financial peril. The crisis at Bolton Wanderers has led to the club postponing tonight’s Sky Bet League One match against Doncaster Rovers, while Bury are in an even worse position and have not played a fixture this season.

The reason for the drop is that parachute and solidarity payments — money given to clubs not receiving the former — are