ANGRY fans have demanded answers after Ipswich Town’s Championship fixture with Watford was postponed due to a frozen Portman Road pitch.
The match was called off following a pitch inspection at 1.15pm.
Referee Grant Hegley was unhappy with the consistency of the playing surface with some areas having thawed more than others.
The postponement comes only a week after Town beat Leicester City 3-0 in blizzard-like conditions at Portman Road.
And many fans have been left frustrated because it was cancelled at such short notice.
Richard Hill, a Watford fan, had travelled from Southwold with his friends Dean Warne and Chris Remblance, who support Ipswich.
He said: “I’m pretty disgusted. There was no notification before 1.15pm. I looked at the club website right up until we left and there was nothing. There just doesn’t appear to have been any consideration for the spectators. A lot of people have travelled a long way today.”
Mr Warne continued: “The notification was too late. Considering when they played last week it was in the middle of a snow storm its a huge surprise. It seems to be a bit half measures. You’d have thought they would have known a lot earlier.”
Town fan John O’Neil had made the trip from north west London for the Boxing Day fixture.
He said: “I don’t know what the logic is. There were no announcements on the way here. The first I heard about it was when I was told by a policeman. It’s possible the pitch is unplayable but I’m sure the decision could have been made earlier.”
Phil Rose, who lives in the Pinewood area of Ipswich and has been a Portman Road season ticket holder for 10 years, said: “It is very disappointing. The whole point of it is if its too dangerous to play. If that’s true then fair enough.”
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