Tonight’s Sky Bet League One clash between Fleetwood Town and Walsall has been postponed due to a waterlogged pitch at Highbury Stadium. A 3pm pitch inspection conducted by match referee Scott Duncan concluded that heavy rain in Fleetwood earlier in the day has left the pitch in an unplayable state.
More rain is again forecast in the area, so the referee has taken the sensible decision to call off this evening’s match. No new date has been arranged for the rearranged fixture, but an announcement will be made in due course.
Match official Duncan revealed that despites the best efforts of groundsman Dale Frith, there is too much standing water on the pitch and both goalmouths are of particular concern,
“Dale Frith the groundsman here at Fleetwood has worked incredibly hard on the pitch, but there’s an awful lot of surface water still on it.
PHOTOS | @ftfc pitch at 3pm today. Referee felt areas of pitch were treacherous. New date to be arranged.. pic.twitter.com/Vd4IHbTVwD
— Walsall FC Official (@WFCOfficial) January 26, 2016
“The goalmouths are pretty treacherous and certainly on the far wings, and I have to take the players safety and the game as a spectacle into consideration.
“Unfortunately there’s too many suspect areas on the playing surface, with more heavy rain forecast I’m afraid.”
Fleetwood were hoping to continue their four match unbeaten run this evening, their last three games resulting in draws. A positive result tonight would’ve potentially lifted them out of the League One relegation places. Sean O’Driscoll’s Walsall are on a good run of form themselves and a win tonight possibly may have been enough to lift them back to the summit of English football’s third-tier.
