Town’s Championship game at Portsmouth has been postponed for a second time with the Fratton Park surface waterlogged following overnight rain.

The match was initially called off four hours before kick-off on January 4th due to a frozen pitch and now the restaging has similarly been put paid to by the weather.

A statement on the Town website reads: “Following heavy overnight rain, this evening’s game away at Portsmouth has been postponed due to a waterlogged pitch.

“The decision was made following an agreement between the two clubs this morning, along with the EFL, with the Fratton Park pitch unplayable.

“The club pushed the EFL for a decision to be made as early as possible in order to give fans clarity regarding travel for this evening’s fixture.

“This was especially important given the events of last month, when the original staging was called off at late notice due to a frozen pitch, with supporters already en route to Portsmouth.

“Following these conversations, a decision has been made to postpone the game. Further details regarding a rearranged date will be communicated in due course.”

The game is the third involving the Blues to either have been postponed or abandoned this season following the first match at Fratton Park and the fixture at Blackburn Rovers in September which was curtailed after 80 minutes as the pitch had become unplayable due to heavy rain.

This second postponement at Portsmouth will add to Town chairman and CEO Mark Ashton’s frustrations regarding the standard of pitches in the Championship.

Speaking at December’s PLC AGM in the wake of the Ewood Park abandonment, Ashton told shareholders that the club has been lobbying the EFL to introduce a minumum standard.

“We’ve made legal representation to the league and to the relevant football authorities about investment in pitches,” he said.

“I think we’ve seen a number of times this season where we’re all spending multi-millions of pounds on football players when actually I think there should be a minimum criteria on pitches.

“At the start of each season, we have to have electrical tests and certificates to make sure that the floodlights are up to standard because if the floodlights just go in a game, what’s going to happen? Same with the pitch. So we have made a representation.”

He added: “We think there needs to be a minimum investment and criteria set at the start of each season to prevent that [the abandonment].”

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