Huge EFL clash CALLED OFF after 9 mins over fears for players as weather wreaks havoc after away fans travelled 400miles
BOLTON’S clash at Cambridge was postponed after just NINE MINUTES due to the weather.
The promotion chasers and their supporters had made the 400 mile round-trip south in the grim and wet conditions for tonight’s League One clash.
Ground staff had been working on the pitch right up until kick-off as they shovelled dry soil to an area pointed out by the concerned ref.
He had also inspected the same spot just before starting the game with the rain lashing down.
However, inside the opening five minutes there was standing water beginning to pop up in several places on the playing surface.
Then, in the ninth minute, the ref whistled to stop the game and after a short consultation with both dug-outs, the teams headed down the tunnel.
But the heavy water on the surface forced the referee to stop play after just nine minutes.
The game started as scheduled at 7.45pm but it did not take long for the effects of today’s heavy downpours to show.
Bolton’s social media account then reported that the referee ran to speak with both Cambridge boss Neil Harris and Bolton’s Ian Evatt.
The official then “called the players into the tunnel with the pitch deteriorating in the rain”.
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That was then followed by a further update that read: “There will be a ten minute wait to assess the pitch.
“The ground staff are attempting to clear the standing water off the surface.
“We will provide more information when we have it.”
Then came the news that the game had been officially abandoned due to the waterlogged pitch.
Fans were left furious earlier when Burton Albion’s clash with Cheltenham Town was postponed less than 90 minutes before kick-off.
And that was followed by the news that the League Two game between Walsall and Morecambe was also off due to a waterlogged pitch.