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Late non league postponements leaves clubs, fans and staff frustrated – 16th January 2024

A number of late non league postponements leaves clubs, fans and staff frustrated having been notified either on their way or upon arrival.

The country this week faced the big freeze as arctic winds and frost meant much of the UK struggling to get above minus temperatures as bitter conditions sees the Met Office issuing yellow weather warnings for snow and ice until Thursday, with northern parts of the UK especially affected.

English football was once against affected with a batch of midweek games called off, but some of those calls not made until opposition teams and their fans had already made the journey.

One club that wasn’t too happy with the decision was Dorking Wanderers, who tweeted just after 1pm on Tuesday: “Disappointingly tonight’s fixture at York City has just been called off with players and supporters already either in York or en-route.

“We will share on here the rescheduled date once confirmed 🗓️

“See you all on Saturday for the home fixture vs Gateshead 🏟️”

Dorking add that owner and manager Marc White was also annoyed, with a further tweet posted: “Shambles.com. MW.”

York City owner Matt Uggla said: “Just like to apologise to @DorkingWDRS players and fans who already made their way up. Seems very unfair to have left it this late to cancel. Hope you all get home safe and look forward to seeing you guys later in the year 🐔”

York City add: “🤝 As a gesture of goodwill, Co-Chairs Matt & Julie-Anne Uggla will offer @DorkingWDRS supporters half price tickets for the rescheduled fixture.”

Truro City said their game at home to Dartford also called off at 6:42pm: “After much consultation between the match officials, tonight’s @TheVanaramaNL South clash with @dartfordfc has been postponed. A small section of the pitch is frozen.”

“Further to the match this evening being postponed, the club wish to clarify that the decision to call the game off was taken by the match officials after serious deliberation. City were ready to play. #FootballsComingHome”

Dartford said: “🚨 We have been informed that tonight’s’ game against Truro is OFF due to a frozen pitch…”

They also retweeted a post by Truro who earlier in the day said the game is ‘definitely on’ before being subsequently postponed.

Dartford further added: “A massive thank you to all that travelled down to support us today! 👏

“We look forward to seeing you all in Bath where hopefully they can tell whether a pitch is frozen or not.”

A club left unhappy was Guiseley, who made the trip to Whitby Town, only to be called off just minutes before it was planned to get underway.

Guiseley inform fans on Twitter at 7:44pm: “Tonight’s trip to @WhitbyTownFC has been called off due to a frozen pitch.

“Thank you to all the travelling supporters who made the journey to @WhitbyTownFC tonight.

“We’ll bring you news of the new date as soon as it has been confirmed.”

Whitby Town tweeted at 7:43pm: “❌ Despite both sets of players completing a full warm up, the match referee has decided to call tonight’s match with @GuiseleyAFC off due to a ‘frozen’ pitch.”

Guiseley Football General Manager & Football Secretary James Pickles tweeted: “Extremely frustrating night for players, staff and supporters travelling all the way to Whitby in freezing conditions only to have it called off 5 minutes before kick off!

“With the pitch being frozen at 11am this morning and no prior inspection being arranged due to the home club’s confidence in the pitch thawing, the match officials were ultimately put in a very difficult position upon their arrival and being greeted with a frozen section either side of the far touchline.

“Although the pitch was worked on and given until the very last moment to be rectified, the pitch was still deemed unsafe to be played on.

“Very disappointed that an earlier inspection couldn’t have taken place to avoid everyone’s wasted time but ultimately the right call was made for the players safety.”

Guiseley add: “As a gesture towards your fantastic support and commitment in travelling up to Whitby last night, Gary Douglas has confirmed that the club will be covering the cost of a supporters coach up to Whitby once it is rearranged.”

POSTPONED MATCHES (16th January 2024)

FC Halifax Town v Solihull Moors
Oldham Athletic v Boreham Wood
Southend United v Wealdstone
Woking v Gateshead
York City v Dorking Wanderers
Chorley v Gloucester City
Peterborough Sports v Farsley Celtic
Spennymoor Town v Alfreton Town
Braintree Town v Weymouth
Farnborough v Welling United
Hampton & Richmond v St Albans City
Taunton Town v Slough Town
Truro City v Dartford
Whitby v Guiseley
Coalville v Nuneaton
Stamford v AFC Telford
Didcot v Walton & Hersham
Hayes & Yeading v Bracknell
Hungerford v Gosport
Poole v Winchester
Bognor Regis v Wingate & Finchley
Cheshunt v Margate
Concord v Potters Bar
Folkestone v Cray Wanderers

As mentioned, late non league postponements leaves clubs, fans and staff frustrated, here’s more of what they said…

@exquisiteworf: After letting Dartford travel all that way mid week when it was always going to be frozen, joke of a club

@AJYates: Whitby throwing shade at the ref on Twitter… If it was unplayable this morning it shouldn’t have gone ahead. Feel for you Guiseley 🫶🏻

@darthscrote: Sorry @TCFC_Official but that is absolutely diabolical. No consideration for @dartfordfc or their fans. Should’ve been assessed at lunchtime, any doubts call it off then. Shambles. I’d give the 3 points to the Darts.

@DazzMace: How you can call off this game at this late stage is an embarrassment and hope the league give you a heavy fine as no doubt Dartford will put in a complaint and expenses claim for players and fans (and rightly so) !

@jane36london: Seriously late that one by the ref. Good grief.

@niners_dave: Who thinks it’s a sensible idea to make a part time team do a 500 mile round trip midweek in January? 🙈🙈

@DonnyNo6: Makes us at Slough thankful Taunton made the call early today to stop us going down. 👍

@Tjadamson10: shocking to make people travel when you was always going to cancel

@colspaz: The league should look into why Truro did not ask for a eatlrlier pitch inspection, that pitch has probably be frozen since last night at least.

@Rickj1: That’s mental an hour before kick off, feel for the away fans that made the trip

@DeanLawson88: That’s embarassing from your club, our fans and team have all travelled down for that and not one apology from your club, JOKE

@Benf1yde: Minutes before the game? Feel bad for fans who have travelled all that way to be postponed that close to kick off

@Chesterfcarewe: This has got to stop! Clubs at this level cannot afford this unnecessary financial losses.

@seanbaker87: Honestly that is some sort of joke surely

@TimLanc51323800: A question to the officials, is that ‘small section’ of the pitch being frozen as dangerous proportionately as making Dartford travel 500 miles for nothing in this weather?

@hardyad_tony: That is absolute tinpot!! You should be ordered to compensate @dartfordfc for that. Disgrace!

@Jamieloveday5: As much as I hate dartford I feel sorry for them this is disgusting by truro some players and fans had to take the day of work joke

@matt_edmeades: No apology from you to the players, coaches and fans who may of lost a days wages to come to this and will now have to do the journey again? Massively amateurish on your part.

@Matt_CAFC: An hour before kick off when an away team has to make that sort of journey midweek is outrageous 🤯 Saying it’s definitely on mid-afternoon doesn’t help either 🫣

@Luke_Wilson89: Hahahah this mob are at it again season after season taking the piss out of clubs, people losing a days money at work to travel knowing full well at no point that game was on. When will they be punished?

@jglennh01: That is fucking shocking.

@TakenHyper: That’s a fucking joke mate after you replied to me 6 hours ago saying ‘Game is definitely on’

@kstthedart: Truro should be made to cover all the costs and Dartford given the points . The pitch was clearly frozen in the photo so what dod you think the Ref was going to do . Joke of a club !!!

@hardyad_tony: An official apology from the club rather than a condescending announcement I’m sure would have been appreciated at least for your own travelling fans – or don’t you get any? 🤔

@adam_deadman: Disgrace is the only word that. Absolutely outrageous

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