St Mirren player self-isolates after getting coronavirus

St Mirren goalkeeper Jak Alnwick has tested positive for coronavirus, the Premiership club has confirmed.

The player is currently in isolation and will not take part in the match against Hibernian this weekend.

A club statement read: ” Following our recent round of testing, St Mirren Football Club can confirm that a member of the first-team has tested positive for COVID-19.

“The player is currently self-isolating in line with government guidance and, as a result, will be unavailable for our match against Hibernian.

“The club has complied robustly with the official testing and hygiene regime, using a private testing facility in accordance with the Scottish Government and the SPFL/SFA Joint Response Group protocols.

“Everyone at the club wishes the player a speedy recovery and look forward to welcoming him back once he is fit and ready.”

St Mirren boss Jim Goodwin put no blame on his 27-year-old English goalkeeper.

He said: “We obviously don’t like naming names, I think it’s quite a private issue but at the same time somebody has managed to leak it online so there’s no point us denying it.

“I think it’ll be perfectly clear to everyone when the team is selected on Saturday.

“So we’re a bit disappointed for Jak but at the same time he’s doing well, he’s recovering, he’s following the instructions given to him by the doctor.

“He is getting the best of treatment, we are not overly concerned about it and hopefully he will be back fit for the Dundee United game.

“This is something that’s just going to continue to happen throughout the course of the season as long as this virus is here, then, footballers and every other member of the public will continue to get it.

“We are confident Jak has not been in a pub or a nightclub when he shouldn’t have been. It is just an unfortunate situation.”

The Buddies boss stressed that St Mirren have stuck by the rules in terms of making their training ground and stadium safe areas.

He said: “What I can say from our point of view as a club, there’s no way that Jak has picked it up while he’s been here at Ralston (training ground) or down at the stadium.

“The club have done everything they can, they’ve followed the strict guidelines that have been set out by the SFA, the SPFL and the Joint Response Group and we can’t do any more as a club.

“Players and the staff members, everybody needs to go home and some of our partners and wives are going out to work every day.

“I’ve got three kids at home or going to school on a daily basis and mixing hundreds of other children.

“So we can only do what we can within the environment that we work in.

“We can’t unfortunately control everything so it’s just been a really unfortunate situation but as a football club we can’t do any more.”

In his interest in Ross County striker Lee Erwin, Goodwin was positive.

He said: “We got wind that Lee was wanting back down to the Glasgow area for family reasons.

“He’s a player that I’ve always liked, a real kind of good young Scottish prospect, a great age for us and a kind of an old fashioned number nine if you like.

“And if we do manage to get that one over the line then that’s where we would see him play in and it would be great competition for Jon Obika but also, we would like to see the two of those guys playing together as well because I think they’d be a real handful for any opposition.”

The club has also revealed that it was planning to allow fans back in the ground for a test event before new restrictions were put in place in Renfrewshire.

Provisional approval had been given for 300 supporters to attend the game but new measures put in place locally after a rise in coronavirus cases mean that the plan has been shelved.

A spokesperson said: “Whilst it is disappointing following the hard work the club had put in to be selected as a pilot event, we fully appreciate that the health and safety of the public is of paramount importance.

“We would like to thank the SPFL, SFA and Scottish Government for considering us for a pilot event and look forward to having the opportunity to host supporters at St Mirren Park when it is deemed safe to do so.”