East Fife boss Darren Young has hit out at the “scandalous” treatment of his players after it was left to them to decide whether to take on Clyde just minutes after learning of a positive Covid-19 test in the Bully Wee’s ranks.
Tuesday night’s League One clash was called off just seconds before the scheduled 7pm kick-off with both teams stripped and ready to go when it emerged a member of Danny Lennon’s line-up had contracted the virus.
The decision to abandon the match came as the Fifers players – several of whom have pregnant partners – voiced fears about exposing their families to the illness.
But Young is furious that his team were placed at “unnecessary risk” after they were left with the option of playing the match even though the affected Clyde player had changed alongside his team-mates in the Broadwood dressing rooms.
Clyde released a statement on Tuesday night insisting they had been given the all clear to play the match from Scottish football’s Joint Response Group (JRG) – adding: “East Fife took the decision not to fulfil the fixture, leaving the referee with no option but to postpone the match.”
The PA news agency understands Clyde did follow the required protocols by alerting the Scottish Football Association of the positive test, with the JRG then liaising with both clubs and the match officials.
Young took to Twitter to give his side of events, posting: “I feel it’s only right that I come out and clear up our decision not to play and put our players and staff at unnecessary risk.
“Firstly, I would like to wish the player involved a speedy recovery. A member of the Clyde team received a positive COVID result after being tested on Saturday with the results only coming back 30 minutes before the start of last night’s game.
“We only found this out as we took to the field to kick-off. By this point the player had already been in the changing room, done the warm-up and mixed with all the other players.
“He had also travelled up and down on the bus to Peterhead and played some part in that game (they had two buses with half the team on each bus).
“As a club we were asked the question if we wanted to play. To my knowledge the JRG weren’t consulted or spoken to unlike what is said in a certain statement.
“I consulted the players/chairman and straight away it was a complete no-no. Several of the players’ partners are heavily pregnant and quite rightly refused to put their families at risk.
“Several other boys are self-employed and were also unwilling to take the risk as if they were to isolate due to track and trace, they would then have loss of earnings along with being unable to play for us on Thursday or next Tuesday.
“I find it scandalous that all through the past year and a bit where safety and well-being of the players/staff etc is paramount, we were put in a position and asked if we wanted to or were willing to take that risk!
“We have adhered to all the rules and regulations throughout the period like everyone else and unfortunately now this is the second time it’s happened to us against Clyde this season.
“I one hundred per cent will always back my players especially when it comes to a situation where their health and well being are put on the line.”
