Award-winning Town groundsman Alan Ferguson said he was gutted after the Blues’ Boxing Day home game against Watford succumbed to the weather. Referee Grant Hegley called the match off at 1.15pm because a small area of frost on the pitch in front of the Cobbold Stand.

Ferguson, who had employed the club’s tent and hot air blower in the days prior to the game, explained what happened to the club site: "We took the covers off at about 11am and the pitch looked fine. But as we got to the east side of the ground [Cobbold Stand], there was a small area of frost.

“What had happened, I think, was that the condensation that had built up froze as we pulled the covers off, with the air in the stadium still at zero.

"We attempted to thaw that small area out by pouring boiling water on to the pitch and then forking it. When you know the soil underneath the frost is OK, you can fork through to it and it softens up.

"It was working and the referee was fine with 95 per cent of the pitch but he wouldn't go beyond 1.15pm and when he looked at it, he made his decision.”

Ferguson says that had he and his staff been given longer they might have resolved the situation: "I think we could have made it but there was no way he was going to shift on the time.

“I know Stuart Attwell [who refereed the Leicester game] got a lot of criticism for playing the game here last week, so perhaps he didn't want to start the game and then have to take another look if the temperatures dropped in the second half.

"I'm gutted that the game didn't take place. I could accept it if it was the whole pitch but it was five per cent."

Tickets for today’s match will be valid for the restaged game with non-season ticket holders who don’t want to attend the rearranged match having until kick-off on the new yet to be set date to obtain a refund.

Photo: Action Images

msmlsjones added 20:06 - Dec 26 Great attempt lads!! Thanks for trying.
0

jas0999 added 21:42 - Dec 26 Not a good attempt in my mind. Game was called off!!
0

blueblood66 added 22:10 - Dec 26 the ref is a complete twonk then if only 5% was dodgy, are footballers men or not? Pathetic
0

TractorRoyNo1 added 22:22 - Dec 26 can i be the first to blame keane?
0

EatonBlue added 22:43 - Dec 26 Ah diddums, a bit of frost here and there. Jeeeesus.
0

andy77 added 23:08 - Dec 26 BLUEOFF - Do one!!! Maybe you should go to one of the many non league teams and see what they play on! We have probably one of the best pitches in England. Infact just go there and don't come back! Undersoil heating is rubbish. I'm sure the ground staff did everything possible to get this game to go ahead. Boxing day games are one of my favorite of the season. Oh well, i'll be there next monday.

0

h32 added 23:08 - Dec 26 How pathetic, 'a small area of the pitch' (approx 5 per cent ) was considered unfit. Disgraceful for all concerned - and what a totally inconsistent decision by a Referee after last week. Whatever has happened to this so called man's game ? I wonder what would be said about supporters if they decided to stay away everytime there was frost/ice around - again absolutely PATHETIC.

0

JonTheBass added 23:15 - Dec 26 @ Blueoff "if the head groundsnan doesn't like it then go and join one of the many non league clubs in Suffolk where he will be more suitable, thanks for nothing ! " Alan Ferguson is the longest serving ITFC star there is, our pitch is legendary through the country for the reputation of it's condition. Why do you think he was mooted for head groundsman for the new Wembley? And why was it him the TV guys came to for opinions when that pitch was so bad? Thanks to him the Leicester game was completed. I don't think you'll get many supporters for your views here.

0

blueoff added 23:29 - Dec 26 It's all about opinions and I happen to think the pitch used to be better than it is these days & no other club marks it's lines in blue which looks ridiculous !!!!!!
0

blueoff added 23:39 - Dec 26 Oh and another thing, what sort of groundsman would agree to boiling water and salt being spread on his pitch, unbelievable !!!!!!
0

bluechick added 23:46 - Dec 26 Ref and players need to man up and get out there. 5% a bit frosty, pathetic! Expect the Watford fans won't be very happy after travelling. Isn't undersoil heating obligatory in the premier league??
0

Big_Foot_Blue added 23:51 - Dec 26 Blueoff The kind of groundsman which agrees to salt and boiling water is a loyal servant desperate to get a game on for so called fans such as your self. Thats the 1st game postponed in a DECADE and it was the refs fault not the clubs yet you still just moan and moan and moan. Aln Ferguson is one of the best if not THE best groundsman in the country and you giving him that abuse is out of order. Blame the ref for not inspecting earlier or not manning up or even blame the club if you really want to moan about a lack of communication with the fans but Alan ferguson has done nothing wrong. And the blue lines? So the games with West Brom and Leicester werent postponed due to the snow. But of course if he left them white and those were postponed then you would have moaned at those cancellations wouldnt you! Of course you're entitled to you're opinion but that one is ridiculous sir.

0

blueoff added 00:09 - Dec 27 Rosenior just said ferguson doesn't know what he's doing as you don't get rid of days of hard ground frost with boiling water !!!!!
0

bigfish added 00:15 - Dec 27 Should have been called off by 10am as all the fans that had to travel ie watford etc - i am fully behind safety however should be a deadline of 10am on the morning of a 3pm match to decide. Re groundsman he has many awards he know what he is doing and didnt he turn down wembley a few years back ???
0

JonTheBass added 00:22 - Dec 27 There's no doubt that it was a very late cancellation. I had travelled already myself before I heard. But please, ask the ref why he didn't arrive earlier since it's his call, but don't blame the groundsman for the frost.
0

blueoff added 00:29 - Dec 27 Re the groundsman ! He didn't make the request to have the pitch inspected early which is why the referee inspected it at the normal time so it wasn't the refs fault as the club are to blame for not making that early phone call
0

KangarooBlue added 00:36 - Dec 27 For christ sake people, moaning because this game was called off but the Leicester game wasn't, the Leicester game went ahead because the ground wasn't frozen due to the covering of snow which thawed the ground, the Watford game was called off because of the frost even though there was only approximately 5%, at the end of the day, the players safety is paramount, would like to see you people play on frost and then not moan when you get a severe injury, I've played on frost before because the ref thought it was ok to play, nearly broke my leg, would you want that to happen to players? Thought not, rant over

0

JonTheBass added 00:37 - Dec 27 Blueoff... please accept my apologies. You are clearly the man for the groundsman's job, since although he knew that 95%+ of the pitch was fine he didn't expect the unexpected. Forget Keane out, let's go for Ferguson out. And when he's gone we'll all call for you to get the job. At least, we will when you turn 16 and are therefore old enough to work. And have an opinion.

0

WREXHAM_BLUE added 01:28 - Dec 27 Ferguson is a legend; get off his case (those of you who are on it!). Is nobody spared criticism these days? We're all so bloody perfect aren't we?!
0

adamisablue added 03:24 - Dec 27 from what it sounds like it was a freak of nature spotted just in time. if the match had been played and a player (on either side) had (insert srious injury here) it would have been disatrous all round. player safety (no matter how much they are paid) is paramount and if its not safe to play it cannot be played no matter if its a week beofre or 5 minutes to 3. personaly i think (as i mentioned in a previous post) that a winter break is called for. the lower leagues are struggling to get games on as it is, and the fixture list is just plain silly. the benifits way out-weigh the costs imho

0

Back_The_Boss added 07:22 - Dec 27 Poor decison by the ref, I have no problem with him calling the gane off but not with just over an hour to go until kick-off.
0

bobble added 09:44 - Dec 27 if he had done his bloody job right it wouldn't be called off . still we probably would have lost as watford have a very good away record. it just gives that other useless idiot mr keane another bloody couple of weeks to damage the club.man this is seriously disappointing can any one in this club do their job right ?
0

Hermann_eats_puffin added 09:52 - Dec 27 I can't believe the amount of abuse being directed at Ferguson. Against Swansea he's a hero & then a week later people are calling for his head. He's been a great long standing servant to our club & doesn't deserve the abusive comments above. Surely the situation yesterday was the making of the referee for not arranging an early inspection! Also making direct comparisons with the Leicester game aren't helpful because you're not comparing apples with apples because the conditions were not the same. The fact that the air temperature inside the ground was low enough to freeze the condensation as we took the cover of is just weather & there's nothing that anybody can do to control that.

0

blueoff added 09:57 - Dec 27 It was the clubs fault not the refs, clegg & co thought they knew best (unlike there counterparts at Blackpool, everton etc) and didn't call the refin for an earlier pitch inspection, a very unproffesional way to do things but then that sums up itfc these days !
0

Hermann_eats_puffin added 09:57 - Dec 27 Sorry for the typo as obviously meant, "Against Leicester he's a hero"
0

Blogs 297 bloggers

Ipswich Town Polls