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[Ballers]

It wasn't rock hard and 'surprisingly' after a further hour of mild weather was softening up nicely.

It was a terrible postponement, Chris Lane and Robbie Lawton were of the opinion that it was exactly the same as it had been at 6.30pm on tuesday night. The sun was out, it wasn't getting colder, rest of the pitch was fine The Eastbourne players I spoke to were more than happy to go with it.

The ref himself and his linesman weren't sure but for some reason the (older) 4th official was moaning all the time about it and was the main reason for it being called off.

Seriously, if that is the benchmark for calling a game off then you would have to call of every game when it has dipped below frezzing the previous night regardless of game day conditiond.

Absolutely disgraceful decision, still he got his £200 travelling expenses/fee and f**ked off back to MIddlesbrough. Nice work if you can get it.

[AltyTunnelSteward]

There was an area in the shadow of the main stand which was still frozen hard.

The Referee inspected in his kit wearing the boots he'd have worn for the match. He did a 5 or 10 yard jog on the affected area hbut when he tried to stop to turn could get no purchase on the pitch and slipped nearly falling.

When Mr Harrington inspected the pitch was not fit.

As has been said previously the earlier inspection would have prevented people travelling had there been no chance. Eastbourne travelled yesterday and were staying in Tarporley hence additional time was available to allow the pitch to improve.

I am advised that the Referee who inspected this morning did express major concerns about the area which eventually caused the postponement and the match Referee therefore travelled early.

So could only today's ref only have the power to call the game off?

No Mr Cestrian....had there been no chance of it being playable then the local Ref could have called it off but with about 5 hours before kick off, no clouds, the Sun out and Eastbourne already in Cheshire it was possible to give it chance to improve

[AltyTunnelSteward]

Ballers,

I'm surprised I have to say that someone who HAS played at something above local parks level seems to be so unaware.

Also the " (older) 4th official" wasn't actually the fourth official whom I actually know and who didn't arrive until about two minutes before he called it off but the assessor, a guy who had refereed at senior level and was very experienced.

Your comment "Seriously, if that is the benchmark for calling a game off then you would have to call of every game when it has dipped below frezzing the previous night regardless of game day conditiond." absolutely beggars belief I'm afraid.

Are you just trying to be confrontational and controversial?

Would you have been happy to play on that? Would you be happy for the Youth Team to have played on a surface like that? Would you have been the one to have to explain a serious injury?

[dino]

ATS is absolutely spot on with his summary. there was no chance of players keeping their feet,or turning and to suggest the officials got that decision wrong is ridiculous. I dont believe either manager wanted to play, but it should have been called off much earlier

[fuertes]

I realise there will have been people who were more affected, but it's infuriating for one ref to say 'game on' and the other to decide a small patch that was thawing out was too dangerous. I walk 25 minutes to Liverpool Lime Street, spend the best part of an hour and a half and £20 on public transport, then walk to the ground to be told it's been called off at the last minute.

RUBBISH.

[WiganAlty]

Shades of the fiasco at Torquay last December!! We know only too well what it's like to have spent good money on long distance travel, only to find out that the game has been called off.

Have to feel for the Eastbourne fans as they will not be getting their travelling expenses paid (unless as a goodwill gesture as per Altrincham after the Torquay decision).

I have to admit that I was surprised that the game had not been called off last night, and even more surprised that it was still showing as being on this morning when I checked at around 10:00.

[blackpoolalty]

I'm still annoyed at the waste of money that could have been spent elsewhere. To be told the game was 'ON' states to me the bloody game would be on, if there was a doubt it should have been communicated ! A decision of 'MAYBE' would therefore have placed the decision in my hands, and if I had chosen to travel would have been in the knowledge that the game could have been postponed. Disappointed is one way of expressing how I feel 5 and half hours after trundling down Moss Lane.

Yes, Maybe and No !! Can't be that bloody hard

[Mallorca Alty]

There was an area in the shadow of the main stand which was still frozen hard.

The Referee inspected in his kit wearing the boots he'd have worn for the match. He did a 5 or 10 yard jog on the affected area hbut when he tried to stop to turn could get no purchase on the pitch and slipped nearly falling.

When Mr Harrington inspected the pitch was not fit.

As has been said previously the earlier inspection would have prevented people travelling had there been no chance. Eastbourne travelled yesterday and were staying in Tarporley hence additional time was available to allow the pitch to improve.

I am advised that the Referee who inspected this morning did express major concerns about the area which eventually caused the postponement and the match Referee therefore travelled early.

So could only today's ref only have the power to call the game off?

No Mr Cestrian....had there been no chance of it being playable then the local Ref could have called it off but with about 5 hours before kick off, no clouds, the Sun out and Eastbourne already in Cheshire it was possible to give it chance to improve

I just feel this could have been avoided. There was a similar situation with Fulham V Man City when that was called off late. The game didn't get called off till the ref got there. I can't believe the game was off. It was lovely weather in Chester(though it 40 miles away). I was wearing a short sleeved shirt when I was Assistant Ref  at Blacon today.

[ebfc1]

Bloody Joke that was.

That ref or 4th official is a complete w*anker.

As our Supporters Club chairman was saying, Referees should travel down the night before or early in the morning. Who cares if he dont like it, its only one person. But no they just do it 2 hours from kick off and piss 30-40 people off including players by calling it off.

Well what a day to spend your Saturday. A nice 12 hour round trip to Manchester/Birmingham (where ever we were) and back. I know we were 40 mins from the ground.     

[ebfc1]

And i also guess you have to pay for our players travel expenses ?

[Mallorca Alty]

Bloody Joke that was.

That ref or 4th official is a complete w*anker.

As our Supporters Club chairman was saying, Referees should travel down the night before or early in the morning. Who cares if he dont like it, its only one person. But no they just do it 2 hours from kick off and piss 30-40 people off including players by calling it off.

Well what a day to spend your Saturday. A nice 12 hour round trip to Manchester/Birmingham (where ever we were) and back. I know we were 40 mins from the ground.     

I think the trouble is the local ref and the match ref had different opinions about the state of the pitch. My opinion is that if the pitch wasn't playable during the morning inspection. It should have been called off.  You can't expect a ref at this level to travel down early or have an overnight stay. Because the refs are only part-time at this level and they don't get paid as much as the football league and Premiership refs. A local ref of a similar or higher level should be able to judge whether a pitch is playable or not.

[chrisrufc]

The weather has been good for the last 2 days so I'm shocked that it was called off.  Was that part of the pitch covered last night?  How much would have it cost if it wasn't?

Mass skive Britain strikes again, I would suggest turning football into a summer sport but I know ATS and dino would want the games called off for excessive heat 

[AltyTunnelSteward]

Wrong Chris and to be honest, although I know you wont care, I resent the implication.

All I have ever tried to do in situations such as today (when by the way I was present...were you?) is to relay what happened and, with the benefit of a number of years refereeing experience how and why it has happened.

Do you actually know me?

If not then what the hell gives you the right to second or third guess what I would or would not want

I regularly referee tournaments in high summer (end of July, beginning of August, temperatures in the high twenties C) and do quite enjoy the pleasant weather although of course I'd much rather go out in a howling gale and a hail storm.

This of course is totally irrelevant  because, as usual the referee, in fact all referees got it wrong because it didn't tally precisely with what you thought should happen.

[stevio]

Well, what a disappointment, in what was supposed to have been my first visit to the great and historic non league team of Altrincham FC. Set off from Droylsden at 1pm, having only just read on the Official site that the game was definitely on. After a bit of a diversion at Manchester Piccadilly, i get on the tram and reach Altrincham station at around 2.25pm. I then make my way to the ground to find, along with other Groundhoppers(some having travelled from Leeds), that the game has been postponed! In all honesty, i was a little surprised the game had been given the go ahead to start with, considering Droylsden, Stalybridge, Curzon Ashton, Mossley & Salford City had all been postponed already. Will now just have to wait, weather permitting, for the visit of Woking on February 21st. Thanks to Ballers for the directions(spot on).

[chrisrufc]

ATS, i don't know you beyond following the forum.  Sorry for the little dig, I couldn't resist