There were fresh fears on Saturday night that Bolton Wanderers and Bury would both go bust after the English Football League set the crisis clubs a new deadline of 5pm Tuesday to safeguard their futures.

The EFL warned that failure by Bolton to complete a long-awaited takeover or produce “credible plans” for them to continue the season in administration would put their membership of the league in jeopardy.

And despite granting Bury a stay of execution after owner Steve Dale agreed to sell to Rory Campbell – the son of former Downing Street spin doctor Alastair – and Henry Newman shortly before a deadline of midnight on Friday, they gave the pair less than one working day to conclude a deal.

Bolton had already been given weeks to do so after the EFL allowed them to start the season on the basis that a sale to the Sharon Brittan-led Football Ventures had been all but agreed.

But Friday produced the latest in a series of delays, prompting the league to issue an ultimatum late last night.

It said in a statement: “If a successful conclusion to a sale is not found or there are no credible plans for the club to continue the season in administration by the planned board meeting at 5pm on Tuesday 27 August 2019, then the EFL board will consider lifting the suspension on the Notice of Withdrawal of the club’s membership of the league, which was issued when the club entered into administration in May 2019.”