Saturday’s game at Peterborough United has been postponed after Posh informed the EFL they would not be able to fulfil the fixture after an unnamed player tested positive Covid-19 and the subsequent requirement for their other players and staff to self-isolate for 10 days.

In a statement on their website, Posh announced that their next three games are off: “Peterborough United can confirm that our scheduled Sky Bet League One fixtures with Ipswich Town, Gillingham and Charlton Athletic have been postponed.

“The club can confirm that an unnamed player has tested positive for Covid-19 and three others are displaying symptoms. The safety and health of our players is paramount. The club have notified the EFL of the postponements.

“The next scheduled league fixture is on 2nd January 2021 against Doncaster Rovers at the Weston Homes Stadium. The club will be making no further comment.”

In addition to the player who has tested positive, three more are understood to be showing symptoms.

Details regarding the new date for the fixture will be released in due course, according to Town with Blues next in action against Northampton at Portman Road on Boxing Day.

Fans who have bought an iFollow match pass for the Peterborough match will be automatically refunded.

Although the postponement will lead to further fixture congestion for the Blues, Town might have some of their currently injured players available by the time the game is played.

Prior to the decision to call the game off, manager Paul Lambert spoke about going into the busy period of Christmas fixtures which he believed would be even tougher than usual.

“Any other time, apart from this year, I’d have given you the same answer, that it’s a tough time because of the number of games you’re playing,” he said.

“But it’s doubly tough because there are no fans, nobody knows if there’s a shutdown coming, nobody knows if there’s going to be a lockdown again, nobody knows what injuries you’re going to have. Nobody knows what Covid tests are happening, all those sorts of thing. This is doubly hard at the minute.”

Reflecting on visit to London Road with Posh third and the Blues fifth but both on 32 points, top points behind leaders Hull, he added: “We know we’re going to have to really play well. We’d have to play well with our strongest team.

“We’re going there with maybe not the strongest team but we’ve got a big heart, and I think that’s a big thing. We’ve got a big desire.

“Is that going to be good enough? I don’t know, but they’ll have to match our desire as well and we’ll have to match them. It’ll be a hard game as well, they’re strong but we’re not a million miles away from it. So, it’s a really good game.”

Lambert played down summer reports that he was interested in signing Peterborough striker Jonson Clarke-Harris prior to his move from Bristol Rovers in the summer.

“If I had some of your wages I might have been able to buy him!" he joked. “Unless there was going to be money from somewhere, we can’t do it, we can’t do it.

“The lad’s a handful and he’s done well for them, but we couldn’t go and buy anyone.”

He added: “At the top end of the pitch, they’re strong, you can see that. We have to try and be ourselves and play in our own way and try and cause them problems as well. We know it’s a tough game.

“They’ve got some good players there without a doubt. Darren’s done well with them there.

“I think it shows you how well we’ve done with the problems we’ve encountered here that we’re round about it with them and that’s without most of our big hitters. As I say, I can’t be more happy with what the guys have given me.”

Photo: Action Images

Uhlenbeek added 13:12 - Dec 18 Well as they are a top 10 side the fairest thing to do would just be to award them the 3 points and be done with it 😉
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Skip73 added 13:19 - Dec 18 So, we couldn't afford Clarke Harris but the mighty Peterborough could. How pathetic.
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Orraman added 13:22 - Dec 18 Can't say I'm too disappointed. Perhaps by the time the fixture is rearranged we might have at least a couple of our stronger players back (unless of course they have been back and got injured again in the meantime!!!). Our players also get a bit of recovery time before heavy Christmas schedule.Sunderland and Posh now looking at fixture pile ups so hope everyone at ITFC and of course my long suffering colleagues on the terraces stay clear of the virus and enjoy Christmas such as it will be.

10

Bluearmy_81 added 13:25 - Dec 18 Joke club Skip, it's not good enough. Injuries are a joke, not good enough. Town fans need to stop accepting dross and underachievement/chronic failure and demand better for THEIR club.
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RobITFC added 13:30 - Dec 18 What a great result :D
2

StringerBell added 13:33 - Dec 18 Inevitable humiliation avoided - result!
3

Nobbysnuts added 13:36 - Dec 18 Phew!!! That was a close one....embarrassing drubbing avoided!!!😃😃😃
6

Timefliesbyintheblue added 13:39 - Dec 18 Bluearmy_81; you are correct, it is our club, but at the same time, it is not yours. If you can not spread a little joy what with the pandemic, the game being called off etc, may I suggest you concentrate on your own family and well-being. The last thing we need or even deserve is someone like you, telling folk like us, how to behave.
29

dingus added 13:45 - Dec 18 I'm not sure Peterborough have more money, they just have a smaller squad so they can spend more wages per player. We've got a bigger squad so our wages budget has to be spread a bit thinner.
5

NITFC added 13:45 - Dec 18 I hate that term "busy Christmas period" that gets rolled out every year. The last time I looked at the fixture list we had a number of Saturday games with just one Tuesday match in between. It's the same every year (maybe Sunday / Wednesday fixtures etc but it's the same effect!!! How can that be called busy???
9

Tony88 added 14:08 - Dec 18 Boringarmy 81. You are a sad sad man. Happy Christmas.
4

Len_Brennan added 14:09 - Dec 18 I think Dingus is right re: Clark-Harris, it's not that we couldn't compete with Peterborough in terms of club & cash; it's the legacy of already having a large squad, most of whom are on post Championship wages, in the new reality of the League 1 salary cap, which had come in before he moved. Clark-Harris was brought in as a direct replacement for Ivan Toney also, so Peterborough had a significant transfer budget to work from this summer if needed; although with Clarke-Jonson in his final year with Bristol Rovers & rejecting a new deal, I can't imagine the fee was particularly high.

5

blues1 added 14:13 - Dec 18 Skip73. Just typical of the ill informed comments made by so called Ipswich fans. The reason we couldnt sign Clarke harris was down to the salary cap. Their wage bill last season was £3.5m, they then sold their top earner, and a few others went, which gave them the leeway to sign him. Our wage bill last season was between £8-9m. Wed have had to sell half our 1st team squad to fit him into the salary cap.

10

Bigeze added 14:20 - Dec 18 The irony that a team who's chairman who upset about being put into tier 3 and having no fans allowed to attend suddenly can't play 3 games. When's the next tier review?
3

vanmunt added 14:21 - Dec 18 This is bad news for Shambert, he was already getting in his lots of games at Christmas excuse in early.
1

ArnieM added 15:05 - Dec 18 Would this be Posh's top scorer with the virus by any chance? When KD had the virus I dont recall the whole of our Club having to self isolate and games cancelled. Any I missing something here ?
7

Bluearmy_81 added 15:07 - Dec 18 Toni, thanks happy Christmas to you too. Hope you get the 'how to be a decent football fan' book for Christmas!! 😂
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BIuearmy_81 added 15:17 - Dec 18 I'm looking forward to Christmas. This year I'm hoping to get more than just a lump of coal in a stocking. I don't know why my family thought that was funny? Anyway, it won't be a problem when I figure out a way to pay my bills with relentless blind negativity. I might ask Marcus for £5m a year - because as I keep saying, that's loose change.
1

dirtydingusmagee added 15:29 - Dec 18 incredible, really really incredible.
0

dirtydingusmagee added 15:37 - Dec 18 well that will give us a break , we always do well after a break ! ... dont we ?
1

Westy added 15:39 - Dec 18 Disappointing but can't be helped. It may allow a little time for players with injuries to recover but cause a fixture pile-up later. It's not beyond possibility that this Season could be curtailed and final positions calculated on a points per game basis as last Season. I hope not, though, as we have a relatively favourable run-in. Not that there are any easy games.
0

MonkeyAlan added 15:52 - Dec 18 Lucky let off Lambert. Useless manager, weak as water players, muppet for an owner.
1

Bluearmy_81 added 16:11 - Dec 18 Shhh monkey!! He's got loads of money you know! That means you have to respect him and call him Mister. 😂 If you don't wa*k over the thought of how much money he has and how much more he could have spent on Town over the years (but didn't) because its his club and his choice you're not a proper fan...
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Scuzzer added 16:17 - Dec 18 ...but when Jackson had to isolate it didn't have any affect on our fixtures. Probably a bit of a two fingers up at the government now that they are in Tier 3 and unable to have fans in the ground.
0

fifeblue added 16:26 - Dec 18 "The club can confirm that an unnamed player has tested positive for Covid-19 and three others are displaying symptoms." How come they have a player without a name? Do the other three have names?
2

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