Argyle hit by fresh COVID outbreak

DEFENDERS Niall Canavan and Scott Wootton had to miss Plymouth Argyle’s 2-0 defeat away to Lincoln City in League One last night after midfielder Conor Grant tested positive for COVID-19.

The trio of Pilgrims’ players live together and although Canavan and Wootton returned negative tests they were not allowed to be in the squad against Lincoln.

Canavan and Wootton travelled to Lincoln individually and independently on Monday as a precaution, while their team-mates were on the team coach.

Even though their results came back as negative the EFL instructed that the two defenders could not be involved against Lincoln and they returned to Plymouth.

Pilgrims’ boss Ryan Lowe explained how his pre-match preparations had been hampered by a phone call he received less than four hours before kick-off.

Lowe said: “We had three lads who live together – Conor Grant, Niall Canavan and Scott Wootton.

“Conor doesn’t feel too well Saturday night when he gets home so we get him tested straight away.

“Because Scotty and Niall live with him we got them tested straight away. We did all the right protocols, Conor went home on his own.

“We had the results back today and Conor was positive, and Niall and Scotty were negative, but we get told from the EFL at 3.20pm that they have to go home.

“Those two have been with the group all day. They came here on their own yesterday just to make sure until the tests came back.

“We did all the right protocols and then we get a phone call to say that they can’t turn up so we lost two experienced centrehalves. It was out of our hands.

“We have followed every protocol properly but when we get told to do something we have to do it.

“Is it the right decision? I don’t know because the two lads have been round all my group of players all day.”