Due to the pitch still being frozen and the forecast not showing anywhere near the required change to make a difference in the next 24 hours, the sensible decision to postpone the match early has been made.
But why?
There have been several messages over various social media platforms asking what is the point of an inspection 25 hours before the match. The Club always tries to get every game that’s scheduled on and many staff go above and beyond for every single fixture. To face a postponement is the last thing we want as all the work is for nothing.
Knowledge of the pitch and the forecasted conditions means that we know with a good degree of certainty that the surface will not be fit for several days.
It isn’t always possible to make the call to postpone early. We get negative comments when it’s called off late too. The hate we got when the fog rolled in 45 minutes before kick-off a few years ago was amazing. Like we could do anything about that.
Most of the players have full-time jobs alongside football. If they know as early as possible, they then don’t lose half a day’s work. Supporters now know they have the evening free to do other things rather than wait and find out the exact same outcome mid-afternoon tomorrow.
Ultimately the decision is down to the officials. We invite them in as we believe there is going to be an issue with the pitch. They then make the call given all the information they have. It isn’t an exact science and the decision isn’t always the right one but most of the time common sense is used and it is correct.
We know you want some football, we’re the same. The Club, the staff and the officials all do their best to keep things safe and running smoothly for all.
