Cheltenham vs Grimsby called off after player tests positive for coronavirus ahead of League Two fixture

‘A revised date for the rearranged fixture will be confirmed in due course,’ read a statement by the EFL

Grimsby Town's ground, Blundell Park (Getty Images)

Cheltenham’s League Two fixture against Grimsby has been called off after a Mariners player tested positive for coronavirus.

Grimsby players and staff have been forced to self-isolate as a result, with the club telling told the league that they will not be able to carry out the match safely.

Grimsby’s training ground will also shut down for 14 days, and Mariners chairman Philip Day told BBC Radio Humberside that their league game with Bradford City on 3 October and EFL Trophy tie at Hull City on 6 October must also be called off.

A statement by the EFL, who deemed the game “suspended” on Friday, read: “A revised date for the rearranged fixture will be confirmed in due course.”

Grimsby told the BBC that midfielder Jock Curran, 19, was the player to test positive. He is at home with mild symptoms.

"The rest of the squad and staff, who fill in a questionnaire and have their temperature taken every morning, have not displayed any symptoms of the virus," Day said.

"Our initial aim was to get everyone tested, and they should be okay as they are not showing any symptoms. But the medical advice was that the incubation period is a minimum of five days, so those tests would be of no use whatsoever.

"We don't know if the players, having had contact with Jock on Monday and Tuesday, have the virus or are asymptomatic.

"We have put safety first and asked the EFL to call off the game."

This week, Leyton Orient had to forfeit their Carabao Cup third-round match against Tottenham Hotspur after a number of their first-team players tested positive for Covid-19.