Steve Claridge rejects claims he deliberately tried to get a non league game between Poole Town and Salisbury postponed on Tuesday night.
He denies that he influenced the referee in getting the Southern Premier South game called off, with the decision to do so made at around 7pm.
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Poole Town manager Tom Killick told BBC Solent Sport: “The Salisbury manager [Claridge] thought there was a risk that one of his players could get injured, and he communicated that to the match referee.
“I think that puts the match referee in a very difficult position.”
Mr Killick added: “We called in a local referee to do the pitch inspection at lunch time, who was actually the assistant match referee.
“He said it was playable, and then around 5 hours later, when the pitch was in markedly better condition, the match referee arrived and said it was unplayable.”
But Claridge has rejected this, and said that the decision had nothing to do with him.
Before the idiots accuse me of getting the game off,ref said he was worried about players safety,end of,now go back to your sad little lives
— Steve Claridge (@SteveClaridge) February 11, 2020
He said: “I had no influence in that game being called off whatsoever.
“Me approaching the referee means nothing. We just asked him to look at the pitch, and I watched him throw a ball up into the air and onto the pitch, and it did nothing. It didn’t bounce, it didn’t move at all.
“It was clearly unsafe. We have to think about the players safety, and the referee made his assessment purely on that.
“We wanted to play, we’d named a side, we’d had players that had travelled three hours to be there.
“My assistant manager and a player were there before me, they said the pitch was unplayable, they informed the linesman, and that was it.”
Claridge turned his attention on the next game, where Salisbury face Taunton on Saturday, before then facing Truro at home on Tuesday night.
He said: “It would be remiss of me to be thinking about the play-offs at the moment, to be honest.
“To say our squad is stretched would be an understatement. We had 10 players with injuries on Saturday.
“We don’t have a central midfielder in the building. Our backs were really against the wall against Met Police.
“It’s been a really difficult season, right from the start. I’m not thinking about anything other taking each game as it comes.”
Salisbury currently sit 8th in the table, seven points behind Taunton, who occupy the last play-off position.
Fans gave their reaction after finding out that the game was postponed before reading that manager Steve Claridge rejects claims he deliberately tried to get it called off…
File all your travel expenses and refunds to a mr Steve Claridge at Salisbury FC.
— Nick Storey (@NickStoreyNo1) February 11, 2020
You are an absolute joke of a club. The @SouthernLeague1 have to do something about this. Who do I contact about getting my petrol costs reimbursed as you were confident the game would be on earlier?
— Pete Martin (@PeteMartin2310) February 11, 2020
Warren Bentley came out the dressing room and stated to people that claridge was wanting the game off due to a weakened squad
— Nick Storey (@NickStoreyNo1) February 11, 2020
Absolute shambles of a club just go bust and do everyone a favour!!!
— greebo (@greebo1271) February 11, 2020
? ? ? joke of a club.
— Gary (@garysanderson14) February 11, 2020
Basically came all the way to Poole for a double cheeseburger and some cheesy chips
— shaun cannon (@shauncannon12) February 11, 2020
Our groundsmen deemed it playable, referee says otherwise. Devastated as I’ve just made the drive from Southampton
— Jack Bishop (@JackBishJourno) February 11, 2020
Disgraceful calling it off half hour before kick off, the late postponements continue without a monkeys given for the fans that fund you
— Russell Cox (@RussWWFC) February 11, 2020
Utter shite that @SteveClaridge got the game postponed! That bog of a pitch is waterlogged 11 months of the year & the ref obviously felt it was unplayable.
— Gavin Rumgay (Not) (@cpn78) February 11, 2020
It was the ref mate,honestly I walked the pitch & it was worse last week when we played merthyr
— Steve Park (@Parkie64) February 11, 2020
This is certainly unusual (to leave it so late) however this will no doubt be a late (and unexpected) call from the match officials. This has nothing to do with the club. Any negative posts aimed at the club isn’t going to help. Let’s continue to support them ?
— Thomas Cheetham (@Cheets28) February 11, 2020
What an absolute joke of a club 40 mins before kick off shocking
— Alfie Hawke (@AlfieHawke) February 11, 2020
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