ACROSS a 15-year career you would think John Mousinho had seen it all.

But watching Bury expelled from the EFL this week was a new experience for the Oxford United skipper, who was six the last time a club – Maidstone United – suffered the same fate.

The news came through on Tuesday night 80 minutes after the 33-year-old had struck the winning penalty in the Carabao Cup shoot-out.

On the face of it, aside from having two fewer fixtures to play this season, the crisis does not impact the U’s directly.

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But Mousinho admits it is a worry, which will reverberate throughout the profession.

“Yes, because when you sign a contract as a player your understanding is that’s watertight and you’re going to get paid,” he said.

“I don’t think any player envisages not getting their money.

“There are some players that won’t necessarily need it in terms of paying mortgages and bills.

“There’s a perception outside of football that everyone in it is on a lot of money and it’s just not true.

“There are plenty at Bury who won’t be on much money and this will be a dire situation for them.

“It’s very concerning that it’s been allowed to happen.”

And the players, who have at least had a proportion of their wages covered by the PFA, are just one of the affected groups.

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Mousinho said: “From a basic point of view there’s got to be better systems in place to stop this from happening.

“I know it’s caused a lot of distress, not just to players but the staff and more importantly to the fans.

“Clubs are big parts of the community and it’s devastated a lot of people and it’s not fair because it’s completely out of their hands.”

For boss Karl Robinson, the situation is a timely reminder of the need for a successful conclusion to United’s search for tangible assets amid a succession of seven-figure annual losses.

He said: “It’s an awakening for all of us.

“We have been speaking about sustainability and owning land you can use to make you a better club.

“We were only talking a year ago that we were only a name with no identity really in relation to the ground, the training ground and so on.

“It shows how important this is.”

And while talk of solutions to United’s stadium issue are beyond Robinson’s remit, the head coach acknowledges he has a role to play by sticking to budgets.

He said: “Everyone knew what Bury were doing in League Two and it wasn’t sustainable.

“We do have rules where you can only spend a percentage of turnover, but these clubs haven’t stuck to the rules. There’s the problem.

“I have to learn as well, because when I’m getting criticised for not winning games and I’m going to the board and criticising them for not supporting me, they say we need to do this for the right reasons.

“When fans get disappointed in not bringing in strikers or wingers, there’s always a bigger picture.”