Gillingham chairman Paul Scally has admitted “it’s not looking good for Boxing Day right now” due to the Covid situation at the Kent club.
The Gills’ home match with Crewe on Saturday was postponed as they were unable to fulfil the fixture due to a number of positive Covid tests within their squad. Six players are understood to have been isolating having contracted the virus, while the Gills additionally have several injuries.
Scally says that as it stands their numbers remain very depleted ahead of the game against the Blues, both on and off the field.
"Where’s the world with Covid? I just don’t know at this precise moment in time. We’ve got seven outfield players that are actually training plus both goalkeepers.” Scally told BBC Radio Kent.
"We’ve got six injured players who would otherwise be starting, we’ve got five players with Covid who are isolating and we’ve got one player and two members of staff who potentially have Covid, tested yesterday and are waiting for PCR tests.
"Apart from that, we have a number of staff, matchday staff, stewards, catering staff who have called off because they are either isolating of they don’t want to come and be in public places at this moment in time.
"You can’t play with seven players, that’s for sure. It is a real problem and we are all in a bit of a quandary in life at the moment, what to do, what not to do, what to do for the best, how to keep people safe.
"From a personal point of view, I feel a little bit uncomfortable asking fans to come into the stadium if they feel uncomfortable in doing so and I think a lot of people will be looking twice at that even if we were able to play.
"I will talk to the manager this morning to see if anything has changed and I will talk to the Football League, but my guess with the number of players injured and the Covid players, you can’t put them straight into a football match when he’s come out of a Covid situation.
"It’s not looking good for Boxing Day right now, but like I say, I will talk to the League later today.”
If the Boxing Day game goes ahead, it will be new manager Kieran McKenna' first match in charge. The Northern Irishman took the squad for training for the first time yesterday morning.
Town have confirmed that if the game does go ahead it will be available on iFollow Ipswich.
Coincidentally, former boss Paul Cook's first match as Town boss was also at Gillingham in March, the game ending 3-1 to the Gills.