Ipswich Town striker Kayden Jackson has tested positive for coronavirus, but the rest of the first team squad have received negative tests ahead of tonight’s League One match at Doncaster Rovers (7pm ko).

A club statement released this morning reads: “Kayden Jackson reported feeling unwell last Friday and was told to stay at home and not to attend training. He was tested for the virus and has been self-isolating since showing symptoms.

“Although not required to do so by the EFL, Town took the decision to test all the first-team players and coaching staff on Monday morning and all results have returned negative.”

Jackson will now self-isolate for 10-14 days, meaning he will also sit out games against Lincoln (a) and Gillingham (h).

Town received news of the squad’s clean bill of health last night, but had young players on standby to travel to Doncaster tonight had several first team players received positive test results.

The club’s stringent Covid-19 protocols, which sees a continued banned use of canteen and changing facilities at Playford Road and players stay in separate hotel rooms for away trips, are thought to have helped stop the spread of the virus among the squad.

Blues physio Matt Byard said: “The most important thing is that Kayden is feeling a lot better now.

“He was clearly unwell and was displaying moderate symptoms of the virus and, with the test proving positive, he will be self-isolating for at least 10 days but it’s more likely to be 14.

“We tested all the first-team players and coaching staff first thing yesterday and the results have come back clear.

“It’s obviously a relief because we could have been missing several players or staff if the virus had been passed on. It’s a reminder to everyone about the situation we are all facing at the moment.

“I think it also backs up the stringent measures we have in place at the training ground that minimise contact as much as possible and that could well have been a factor in the virus not being passed on to other players and staff.”

It’s understood that Ipswich Town have been testing their players, at a cost of around £5k a time, once every two to three weeks.

Town’s general manager of football operations, Lee O’Neill, said: “There are no guidelines to say we had to test the players and staff. No one has reported any symptoms but we felt we had a duty of care to test everyone – and a duty of care to Doncaster as well.

“We have made the training ground as safe as we possibly can. We have strict protocols in place and it’s been that way since the players returned for pre-season.

“It provides challenges for sure and, over the last 24 hours or so, we didn’t know who would be available and who wouldn’t.

“We were always going to travel on the day (to Doncaster) but if we hadn’t got the results before setting off this morning, then we would have looked at the players driving at least part of the journey to Doncaster in their own cars which is obviously not ideal.

“As I said, challenging times, but Covid is challenging everyone at the moment.”