Big freeze decimates UK football schedule
The weekend's football schedule has been decimated in the UK as the freezing weather conditions tighten their grip.
A decision will be made tomorrow on whether Sunderland’s Premier League home clash with Bolton on Saturday can go ahead.
The city’s Safety Advisory Group called an extraordinary meeting today to discuss the implications of the ongoing wintry conditions gripping much of the country.
The group, which comprises representatives of Sunderland City Council, police, ambulance and fire services as well as the club, will meet again tomorrow, with weather forecasts suggesting that conditions will worsen over the weekend.
Group chairman Ken Scott, of Sunderland City Council, said: “It is too soon at this stage to make a definitive decision regarding the status of the match.
“However another meeting will take place tomorrow after which we will make a further announcement.
“In the meantime, we will continue to monitor the weather conditions and associated safety issues.”
Burnley said they are making every effort to ensure their Barclays Premier League match against Stoke goes ahead at Turf Moor.
A spokesperson said: “The pitch has undersoil heating and is currently playable, however our main concerns in terms of spectator safety are the surrounding streets.”
Birmingham say they are ``extremely confident'' Saturday's home game against Manchester United will go ahead.
The club also have an undersoil heating system and are in discussions with the local authorities, emergency services and the Premier League.
Three matches in the Coca-Cola Championship have fallen foul of the cold snap and Leagues One and Two have been even harder hit, with only six of the 24 scheduled fixtures surviving inspections today.
The Championship basement battle between Sheffield Wednesday and Peterborough is one of the biggest casualties, along with Watford v Sheffield United and Preston v Doncaster.
The pitch at Hillsborough was protected by undersoil heating but areas immediately surrounding the ground were covered in a thick blanket of snow, rendering roads and pavements in the vicinity treacherous.
Wednesday chief executive Nick Parker said: “It is highly unlikely these areas could be cleared to the extent that would allow fans to come to the game and be guaranteed of their safety.”
Watford head of operations Glyn Evans said: “We’d made great efforts to make sure the pitch was in good condition but, with freezing temperatures forecast for the area overnight and Friday, this was a clear-cut decision to have to make concerning our supporters.”
Birmingham say they are “extremely confident” Saturday’s game against Manchester United will go ahead but League One is facing a virtual wipe-out.
The casualty list is: Brighton v Brentford, Oldham v Leyton Orient, Southampton v Huddersfield, Charlton v Hartlepool, Bristol Rovers v Stockport, MK Dons v Swindon, Gillingham v Tranmere, Yeovil v Colchester and Carlisle v Millwall, leaving just the fixtures at Leeds, Norwich and Southend to survive the wintry blast.
In the SPL. the Morton v Celtic and Kilmarnock v Falkirk ties were called off yesterday and seven more followed today, meaning just seven of the 16 matches remain.
Today’s postponements were: Forfar v St Johnstone, Raith v Airdrie, Ayr v Brechin, Inverness CT v Motherwell, Albion Rovers v Stirling Albion, Edinburgh City v Montrose and Ross County v Inverurie Loco Works.
