WANDERERS boss Ian Evatt has revealed that 14 players have tested positive for Covid-19.

Four members of staff, including Evatt, have also had positive tests and the club’s Lostock Training Ground is now shut until Monday, December 27.

Yesterday, the Whites’ Boxing Day clash with Morecambe was postponed due to the number of cases in the squad.

“Some people have no symptoms at all, some have been quite poorly with it. That hasn’t necessarily depended on vaccinations either,” said Evatt.

“We’ve had people who are double vaccinated and have had some quite severe symptoms. We’ve had people who have only had one vaccine, or none at all, but haven’t had many symptoms at all.

“I’m double vaccinated and boosted. I’m okay - I still know I’ve got something. But it’s difficult and frustrating, but there’s nothing we can really do about it.”

Wanderers are scheduled to face Burton Albion at the Pirelli Stadium on Wednesday, December 29.

But Evatt fears his side will not have enough time to prepare for the fixture following their Covid outbreak and says there needs to be “an element of common sense”.

He added: “If we’re following government guidelines and protocol, we’ll have the majority available or back out of quarantine for the 27th when Lostock will be back open.

“Then we’ll have more back the following day providing that they test negative on lateral flows. The frustration on my part is I do think there has to be an element of common sense and fairness.

“You’re asking a squad of players and staff to rock up back to training, train one day and go straight into a first-team game when we’re already limited on numbers, we already have injury after injury.

“I think that’s a real risk to have further injuries. We’ll be in dialogue with the EFL and we’ll see what we can do about that.

“But as the rules state, as it stands we would have to play at Burton.”


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