IF last week’s League Two game at Harrogate in Doncaster screamed ‘2020’ the visit of Grimsby Town to the UniBol may be even more on point.

A whole squad plunged into self-isolation following Jock Curran’s positive test for coronavirus, the Mariners were forced to postpone three games.

They emerged from the hiatus on Wednesday to begin preparations for the game at Bolton but still face an EFL investigation into what led to the games being shelved.

Not for the first time during the pandemic, there had been some confusion among clubs for the exact reason that Grimsby’s whole squad pressed pause on their season but Stevenage, for example, were able to press ahead despite recording more positive tests, Suggestion that some training ground protocols may have been breached are being checked out – but Mariners chairman Phillip Day is still unclear about exactly where the problem lies.

“All we’ve had from the EFL is a letter asking us to confirm exactly what happened,” he told BBC Radio Humberside. “We’ve done that, and that’s the last we’ve heard from the EFL, so until we hear anything further from them, I’m afraid I’m unable to comment.

“We were originally told we had two choices: isolate for 10 days, and test at the end of the ninth day, and if everybody was negative, we could continue, or isolate for 14 days. We chose the former, and we are going to do that.

“We were then subsequently told later in the day by the EFL through their medics that we hadn’t got the first alternative as an option, we had to isolate for 14 days, and we were told it was 14 days from the date that Jock had his test.

“We queried this as that’s not in line with government advice, and eventually the EFL came back and said yes, you’re right, it’s 14 days from the date of last contact.

“All I can say is if you look at the Government website, which we have done, the advice from NHS is if you’ve had contact with someone who has a positive test, then you should isolate for 14 days.”

Not so long ago, the only negativity Grimsby were worried about was that of the local press – but after a few difficult years at Blundell Park, plus the introduction of the amiable Ian Holloway, things appear to have calmed on the Humberside coast.

At time of writing Grimsby were planning to bring in two new recruits before their game at Bolton.

Kyle Bennett, noted on his Wikipedia page for his “blistering pace and close ball control,” arrives on loan from Bristol Rovers. And West Brom striker Owen Windsor has scored four goals in three games at Under-23s level and in the EFL Trophy, which is not too shabby.

Danger man: George Williams – On the face of it, a very reasonable bit of business for Grimsby, who brought the Wales international in from Forest Green.

Once tipped for big things whilst on the books at Fulham and a part of Chris Coleman’s Wales squad at the 2016 Euros, Williams was generally regarded more of a creator than a goal-scorer until netting eight times in League Two last season.

Familiar face: Ian Holloway – Sure, he has no actual Bolton connections but ‘Ollie’ has certainly crossed swords with the Whites enough times down the years and even branded Dougie Freedman’s team “boring” after one memorable game at The Den. In seven previous games against Wanderers, he has only once been on the losing side – that at Millwall in December 2014.