Away Match Day Thread 16/01/21 L1 Northampton Town v OUFC - POSTPONED

[Sir Winston]

It’ll be interesting to hear what KR says

 

[bazzer9461]

Is that water on the pitch or at the side of the pitch?

 

[bazzer9461]

Looking at that, their is no way that can be played on, doubt even with the best of efforts that could be made playable in time

They probably haven’t even tried to get the pitch playable

 

[Fred]

Just up the road for kr so he would have been happy for a late postponement if necessary. No fans traveling either, be interesting to know how much rain has fell.
We need a photo locally in an hour of the pitch.

 

[greatunclekip]

Well thats a shocker. And with their starting centre back pairing out, a new loan striker to get familiar with team mates. In my opinion, they certainly wont have been busting a ball to get this game played.

 

[ttg17]

OUFC matches are one of the only things that I actually look forward to and get excited about at the moment. This is so gutting. I wasn't going to leap on the conspiracy bandwagon, but the pictures that are coming out to show how 'unplayably waterlogged' the pitch is are underwhelming at best, while the reaction from NTFC fans makes it clear they think they've had our pants down here.

It's absolutely baffling to me that there's no way the two sides could creatively come to an alternative solution. After all the noise about how difficult it will be to get the season finished due to fixture congestion, a 'waterlogged pitch' seems like such a trivial obstacle to a game being played. I appreciate it may be tricky finding another ground at short notice (imagine cameras need to be set up for iFollow / individual teams' scouting purposes, journalists need a good vantage point and set up, etc.), but playing the game tomorrow shouldn't be out of the question, should it? Or just delaying the match until later on this evening, even, when it's drained out a bit?

You fundamentally get the sense that, in a period when the future of football, and the Football League in particular, is teetering dangerously on the precipice and all clubs should be acting in good faith to just get through the season safely, many are not doing so, and are still acting with naked self-interest. It's a real shame.

 

[arthurturner]

20 miles from northampton - it's blazing sunshine now!

The decision as to whether the pitch is playable is the referee's not the club's..Whatever the shenanigans over the non playing of matches due to Covid, about which decisions have yet to be made, surely no one is suggesting Northampton Town bribed the referee to call it off, are they? I live on the Northants border, 30 minutes from Sixfields; it pissed down here last night and was still doing so until midmorning. Even if it doesn't rain again before 3pm it's highly unlikely the surface will have drained sufficently to be playable and not dangerous for the players. If it went ahead a one of ours did a cruciate there would be an outcry that the game should have been called off. And blazing sunshine it isn't. not that there's any chance it would dry out a pitch in 3 hours even if it was.

 

[Concretebob]

Well thats a shocker. And with their starting centre back pairing out, a new loan striker to get familiar with team mates. In my opinion, they certainly wont have been busting a ball to get this game played.

Good grief, who has hacked your account and posted some common sense?

 

[ljs]

Looking at that, their is no way that can be played on, doubt even with the best of efforts that could be made playable in time

Camera angle is deceptive. Looking closely there are huge areas where it's all grass. Get a few forks on that for a four hours and it would have been much better.

Then a pitch inspection at 2pm. It's not as if anyone will be all that inconvenienced with a much later postponement.

 

[Concretebob]

The decision as to whether the pitch is playable is the referee's not the clubs..Whatever the shenanigans over the non playing of matches due to Covid, about which decisions have yet to be made, surely no one is suggesting Northampton Town bribed the referee to call it off, are they? I live on the Northants border, 30 minutes from Sixfields; it pissed down here last night and was still doing so until midmorning. Even if it doesn't rain again before 3pm it's highly unlikely the surface would have drained sufficently to be playable and not dangerous for the players. If it went ahead a one of ours did a cruciate there would be an outcry that the game should have been called off. And blazing sunshine it isn't. not that there's any chance it would dry out a pitch in 3 hours even if it was.

Local referee.

 

[OX14]

OUFC matches are one of the only things that I actually look forward to and get excited about at the moment. This is so gutting. I wasn't going to leap on the conspiracy bandwagon, but the pictures that are coming out to show how 'unplayably waterlogged' the pitch is are underwhelming at best, while the reaction from NTFC fans makes it clear they think they've had our pants down here.

It's absolutely baffling to me that there's no way the two sides could creatively come to an alternative solution. After all the noise about how difficult it will be to get the season finished due to fixture congestion, a 'waterlogged pitch' seems like such a trivial obstacle to a game being played. I appreciate it may be tricky finding another ground at short notice (imagine cameras need to be set up for iFollow / individual teams' scouting purposes, journalists need a good vantage point and set up, etc.), but playing the game tomorrow shouldn't be out of the question, should it? Or just delaying the match until later on this evening, even, when it's drained out a bit?

You fundamentally get the sense that, in a period when the future of football, and the Football League in particular, is teetering dangerously on the precipice and all clubs should be acting in good faith to just get through the season safely, many are not doing so, and are still acting with naked self-interest. It's a real shame.

Exactly. Could of moved the game to a 7.45pm kick off tonight if they had to. Glorious sunshine in Abingdon now, becoming more of a fast the longer time goes on.

 

[AbsoluteZero]

Well thats a shocker. And with their starting centre back pairing out, a new loan striker to get familiar with team mates. In my opinion, they certainly wont have been busting a ball to get this game played.

This may be true that they haven't tried very hard to play the game, but how have they managed to twist the arm of the referee 4.5 hours before kick off with no further rain predicted in the weather forecast. It's the referee that needs looking at.

 

[ljs]

Even if it doesn't rain again before 3pm it's highly unlikely the surface will have drained sufficently to be playable and not dangerous for the players. If it went ahead a one of ours did a cruciate there would be an outcry that the game should have been called off. And blazing sunshine it isn't. not that there's any chance it would dry out a pitch in 3 hours even if it was.

The pitch doesn't need to be dry, just no standing water. They still had four or more hours to work on the pitch to get it drained. I'm in Northamptonshire and it hasn't rained since 8am.

 

[Fred]

It is one of the few matches in recent years that a late decision could have been made.

 

[Fred]

Camera angle is deceptive. Looking closely there are huge areas where it's all grass. Get a few forks on that for a four hours and it would have been much better.

Then a pitch inspection at 2pm. It's not as if anyone will be all that inconvenienced with a much later postponement.

Agree

 

[Concretebob]

The pitch doesn't need to be dry, just no standing water. They still had four or more hours to work on the pitch to get it drained. I'm in Northamptonshire and it hasn't rained since 8am.

I'm very close to the Northants border and there hasn't been any rain since around the same time.

Why they can't do an inspection this afternoon is beyond me.

 

[Fourthstand]

Anyone spotted watering that pitch this morning?

 

[Malc]

Just got back from shopping and all I can say is.... oh bother.

 

[Concretebob]

I appreciate it may be tricky finding another ground at short notice (imagine cameras need to be set up for iFollow / individual teams' scouting purposes, journalists need a good vantage point and set up, etc.), but playing the game tomorrow shouldn't be out of the question, should it? Or just delaying the match until later on this evening, even, when it's drained out a bit?

Stadium MK is available today and indeed tomorrow.

 

[Fred]

Can we make history and be the first ever uncancelled match?