It was a unusual night in League Two on Tuesday as one game gets abandoned 4 minutes in while another match has a 10 minute delay.
Just four minutes of play took place in the fourth tier clash between Forest Green Rovers and Mansfield before being abandoned due to fog.
It was initially scheduled to kick off at 7:45pm, that was put back until 7:55pm, and then again at 8pm, then four minutes into the game the referee stopped and delayed the game for another 10 minutes, and then another 10 minutes come 8:19pm with players sent back to the changing rooms and then finally made the decision to not play on.
⏱️ 4′ And the match has been delayed by 10 minutes.
0-0 | #WeAreFGR 💚
— Forest Green Rovers (@FGRFC_Official) January 18, 2022
😶🌫️🌫 15 min delay to kick off, played for 3 mins, now back off again. I think it was 0-0 when they came off 🧐🔭 #ForestGreen v #Mansfield pic.twitter.com/glIkk1RzJo
— Kris Temple (@kristemple) January 18, 2022
Forest Green Rovers’ boss Rob Edwards said: “I’m really disappointed, I thought we started the game well.
“We couldn’t see the far side and we don’t want a game like that.
“You’ve got to think about the safety of everyone involved.
“The linesman couldn’t see the other side so one team’s going to get done by someone being four yards offside.
“We all wanted to play. Everyone wanted the game on, but it was probably wishful thinking.
“I’m not an expert, we wanted to give it every chance but it wasn’t to be.”
Mansfield Town manager Nigel Clough vowed to try to arrange some compensatory travel back down to Forest Green for the frustrated supporters who made the long journey for the game.
“It was unavoidable. There was nothing the referee could do. There was nothing anybody could do about it,” said Clough.
“The fog came in and we gave it every chance to clear, but it just got worse.
“It’s probably worse for the supporters, having trekked down here.
“As a club we will see if we can come up with some travel arrangements when the game is rearranged and see what we can do to look after them.
“The last thing we wanted, with two such good teams on show tonight, was the supporters not to be able to see it having travelled there, especially our supporters.
“And you don’t want it to be decided by a lottery. We couldn’t see the far side and the linesman couldn’t see it, so he doesn’t know about offsides. You don’t want any mistakes.
“With two good teams you don’t it to be decided on that.”
He added: “The referee got it absolutely spot on. There were all sorts of issues.
“The main thing is it was a game between two good teams and people have got to see it.
“Conditions did improve and it lifted a little bit. But within four or five minutes after eight o’clock it had come down again. And it got worse.
“You can only give it so long. The players can’t keep stop-starting as much as we wanted to play the game.”
“We had prepared for it and we are on a reasonable run of form, so we were all desperate to play,” he said.
“We had travelled down and done all the preparation. There are few worse feelings for a footballer than being denied a game of football when you’re ready for it.
“They said let’s play, but once we kicked off we couldn’t really see the ball, when it went over a certain height as well, and the two wide men, Elliott Hewitt and Stephen McLaughlin were saying they couldn’t see each other and had no idea where they were on the pitch. That’s no good for football.”
As the League Two game gets abandoned 4 minutes in, there was another match which has a 10 minute delay but managed to end up playing the full 90.
Salford snatched a 1-0 win over Port Vale in a game halted due to a damaged goalpost.
The Valiants started the brighter side, dominating the opening period, Ben Garrity went very close to breaking the deadlock when his powerful goal-bound strike was cleared by Theo Vassell.
Then the fixture was temporarily delayed after Connor Hall collided with the post and a tractor was required to straighten the woodwork. Hall returned to the action but was forced off before half time by injury.
The stoppage didn’t effect Vale too much when it came to ascendancy with Garrity again having an effort cleared off the line before the interval – this time denied by Donald Love.
A double substitution was made by Gary Bowyer, and that was a boost to the Ammies in the second half, going on to take an unlikely lead when Tom Elliott made sure the ball was across the line for his fourth of the season, converting from close range.
Meanwhile over at Vale Park… pic.twitter.com/wkripTQqUS
— Edward Walker (@edward_w97) January 18, 2022
Twitter users reacted as one League Two game gets abandoned 4 minutes in as another match has a 10 minute delay…
ON THE ABANDONMENT:
@hayesmatt903: As if it’s not bad enough being a derby fan at the minute. Decided to go to forest Green with the Mrs to watch Mansfield. Game gets abandoned having only played about 3 minutes of football. Please lord give me a fucking break
@memumwicket: tell the ref that fog doesn’t go away at this time lol
@ShaunReid19: Stags look the better team I thought
@jonjevons: Seen many matches played with fog far worse than that!
@TGITGP: Oh Fog off. 💨
@eddie_broomhead: How is 10 minutes going to make any difference ? Bizarre thinking
@WBAHazzaFT: It’s not gone since we stopped 10 minutes ago, it’s not gonna magically go in 10 minutes time
@mtfcroan: Who the fuck schedules a game between two teams that are 3 hours apart for a Tuesday night in January
@JimCalverley: You feel the ref does not understand how fog behaves overnight.
Forest Green v Mansfield – 445 Miles from Newcastle to get called off 😂 twice in about 3 years I hate this place. pic.twitter.com/BJ7ufI78ZT
— Owen (@Owen25__) January 18, 2022
ON THE DELAY AT PORT VALE:
@Jamie_Hudson_: This league 😂 love it sometimes 😂
@DUCKmagstoke: Tell me you’re Port Vale without telling me you’re Port Vale
@BenjaminGrocott: Looking back we should’ve tried pull the goals a little wider while we were there, may have helped
@DylanFGRbanks: Sums port vale up really doesn’t it
@RyanMusselburgh: Parking the Tractor. Love it
@wwindsor1972: Can’t we use jumpers. 😂😂😂
@Molloy_00: I love port vale so much. What a fabulous footballing institution
@Josh_pvfc: Connor Hall is hard as fucking nails
— Lou🇬🇲 (@LJA_53) January 18, 2022
Park the B̷u̷s̷ TRACTOR!
— Port Vale FC (@OfficialPVFC) January 18, 2022
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