Evans reveals Gills were hit by COVID scare before Cobblers clash and blasts 'pathetic comment' from EFL

Gillingham manager Steve Evans revealed his side suffered a COVID scare before Tuesday's Sky Bet League One fixture with Northampton Town.

Gills back-up goalkeeper Joe Walsh showed signs of COVID and was therefore left out of the squad, meaning the visitors had only five players and no substitute goalkeeper on their bench. The club's kitman and injured striker Dominic Samuel have also had the virus.

Tuesday's game at the PTS Academy Stadium was one of just five League One fixtures to go ahead with the other seven matches called off all due to COVID, prompting further calls for football to be temporarily suspended.

“We are elite and it is a pathetic comment from the Football League," said Evans. "We are elite but the group hasn’t been tested since October. How are we elite? They are making it up as they go.”

Asked if they should carry on playing, Evans added: “There is a call now to perhaps look at it. If the Prime Minister has a lockdown in January then I think there is a call to protect every life. We had a COVID scare but got told we had to play so we went with it.

“Northampton also had a COVID scare, with their chief exec and a couple of others, and that was in the back of our minds, but not the players so there were no excuses for the defeat.

“Our kitman who has had Covid and is now back in and we are told Dominic Samuel has Covid but he is injured. Now Joe. We have to be very careful.”

Gillingham asked the EFL if they could sign a replacement to join the squad on Tuesday but were told no.

Evans continued: “The Football League said ‘you go with one goalkeeper.'

“We made the decision that Joe couldn’t be involved because if it is COVID you wouldn’t want him in the group. He will be tested and then we will get a result Thursday but we are not allowed to bring a goalkeeper in unless (Jack) Bonham (first-choice goalkeeper) is ill or injured.

“Those are the rules but I will watch it with interest because I think at the minute with the COVID issues that a lot of clubs are experiencing there are people at the Football League making these rules up as they go along.

“I see Blackpool lost a keeper and got a lad in from Reading. Didn’t they have another professional goalkeeper at Blackpool? They probably did, I don’t know.”