Mad Friday of Covid cases at AFC Fylde saw Chorley rematch postponed

Three positive tests on Friday and another on Saturday morning left the injury-hit Coasters with insufficient players.

Like the EFL, the National League allows clubs to postpone fixtures if they have fewer than 14 players available.

Fylde had been hoping to avenge their Boxing Day home defeat by Chorley but the Victory Park clash must now be rearranged.

Ironically, Fylde boss Jim Bentley had spoken to The Gazette on Thursday evening about the club’s success at keeping Covid at bay.

That all changed the following morning and Bentley takes up the story: “A player phoned in on Friday to say he was feeling under the weather and when he took a lateral flow he tested positive.

“Two more players reported in for training feeling unwell on Friday. Our normal testing days are Wednesday and Sunday but we tested everyone before training and those two tested positive.

“The chairman paid for them to go to Manchester Airport for PCR tests and they came back positive.

“We then had a fourth player test positive on Saturday mornin and with all the injuries on top of that we didn’t have a team for Chorley.

“We’ve shut the ground down and are staying away until further notice.

“We’ll carry on testing every day and see how the four players are later in the week.

“All our players are double-vaccinated and a lot have had boosters. We will just follow all the league regulations and all the protocols.”

Fylde’s match was among four in National League North to be called off yesterday.

The games which went ahead saw the two teams above Fylde, Brackley Town and Gateshead, lose away to Kettering and Blyth Spartans respectively.

Fylde’s next scheduled game is on Saturday at home to York City, who were also kept out of action yesterday after a Covid outbreak among opponents Bradford Park Avenue.

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