NEWPORT County AFC striker Alex Fisher has tested positive for coronavirus but the League Two trip to Rochdale is still set to go ahead.

The 31-year-old targetman returned a positive lateral flow test result on Thursday and is waiting for news of a PCR test. He is not a close contact of any teammates.

Fisher, who has made 17 appearances and scored two goals since arriving from Exeter City in the summer, will sit out the clash with Rochdale.

Defender/midfielder Scot Bennett will also be missing because of a niggle while veteran midfielder Kevin Ellison is out for two months with facial injuries.

County travel north today and are now following the EFL’s red protocols after a raft of fixtures fell victim to the coronavirus pandemic.

"We are quite vigilant at the club to ensure that we follow the guidelines to the best that we possibly can,” said manager James Rowberry.

"We've got an excellent medical team who drive that forward and I support them in what we do.

"We will ensure we meet the guidelines set by the EFL because ultimately we need all our players available to be successful.”

County are scheduled to face Rochdale then host Forest Green Rovers on Boxing Day before trips to Leyton Orient on December 29 and Walsall on New Year’s Day.

"The most important thing for me is the health of my players, staff and their families,” said Rowberry.

"We all love football, it motivates and drives us. We love the game but family is the most important thing and we need to ensure the safety of everybody."

So far the Saturday games between Carlisle and Bradford, Colchester and Hartlepool, Crawley and Oldham, Forest Green and Mansfield, Northampton and Barrow, Port Vale and Exeter, Scunthorpe and Bristol Rovers, and Swindon and Walsall have been postponed in League Two.

Other fixtures still set to go ahead are between Salford and Stevenage, Sutton and Harrogate and Tranmere and Leyton Orient.