Portsmouth Game Off
Sunday, 4th Jan 2026 11:26

Town’s Championship match with Portsmouth has been postponed due to a frozen pitch.

Following a pitch inspection at Fratton Park, referee Leigh Doughty made the decision to call the game off due to an unplayable surface.

Temperatures dropped below freezing overnight on the South Coast, with the pitch showing little signs of improvement ahead of a scheduled 3pm kick-off.

Fratton Park has not got undersoil heating or a hybrid pitch, but Pompey confirmed they have had frost covers on since Friday.

A new date for the Blues’ trip will be confirmed in due course.

Elsewhere in the Championship, Sheffield United’s match against Oxford United also succumbed to the conditions with the fixture postponed due to a frozen pitch.

Photo: Action Images via Reuters

Please report offensive, libellous or inappropriate posts by using the links provided.

Page:
1
2
3
4

cressi added 11:28 - Jan 4 What a surprise with all the players they have missing.
30

muccletonjoe added 11:28 - Jan 4 Very late. I think most people will be on the road by now
12

BangaloreBlues added 11:29 - Jan 4 Damn, I was looking forward to three points.
4

Mark added 11:29 - Jan 4 That's very convenient for Portsmouth with their injury list! I thought being on the south coast today would have gone ahead.
12

Marcus added 11:30 - Jan 4 Fair enough. At least they announced it reasonably early. Still means those who booked travel, other than through the club, lose out
2

Paulc added 11:32 - Jan 4 It’s the ref calling it off, not Portsmouth. And as for saying this is a late decision, you have to balance giving enough notice and giving enough chance for conditions to improve. I’d say this is about right, disappointing as it is.
25

WalkRules added 11:32 - Jan 4 I'm sure Portsmouth, with all their injuries, were very sad
4

CustardCream added 11:33 - Jan 4 I’m from Portsmouth and the rumour is that they ‘forgot’ to put the frost coverings on
9

dirtydingusmagee added 11:34 - Jan 4 Cressi read it, they havnt got undersoil heating ! the ground will be rock hard, same as in my garden cant get a fork into the ground .
6

Churchman added 11:42 - Jan 4 I saw Portsmouth at Ipswich when they had no injuries and we were better than them all over the pitch to who cares what team they put out. Refs decision, extreme weather. Personally, it means our best players get a little break and some good training time. After an excellent Christmas, this could work in our favour.
17

Motown added 11:43 - Jan 4 That's a shame. Pretty sure Matusiwa would have picked up a booking today so the cup game was one of the two he had to miss.
0

billlm added 11:43 - Jan 4 3 degrees at KO, No effort to play it but no surprise either
1

blues1 added 11:45 - Jan 4

All the daft comments about it being convenient for them bcse of their injury problems. You do realise it was the referee who called it off? Not portsmouth.
Custard cream. Thecrumour? Typical of a town fan to believe a rumour. Tho even if it was true, would havecu likely made any difference with the temperatures. Col utds pitch was covered, but their match is off. Air can still get under the covers. We had a game v watford called off a few years ago in the same circumstances due to just one part of the pitch being frozen. Which is all it takes.

RobITFC added 11:49 - Jan 4 Surely at this level grounds should have under soil heating as a part of being allowed to play in the championship ?
7

churchmans added 11:50 - Jan 4

I got as far as chelmsford! Im not surprised!
Remember 2 seasons ago we didnt have any undersoil heating!
A lot of these clubs in the seasons to come will have to find the funds to install undersoil heating as it will become mandatory in the championship

As for the comment insinuating a fix or deliberate! Have a word yourselves! Go and take ya dogs out for a walk or something

ArnieM added 11:50 - Jan 4 Oooo what a surprise...Pompey with their massive injury list make little effort to get pitch playable....
-1

bluesteal74 added 11:50 - Jan 4 If they didn't put the frost proff covering on is sneaky but guess if we didn't have under soil heating and had loads of injuries we'd maybe do the same. I just feel sorry for fans who travelled maybe last night or even really early this morning let alone our players who would of already been there.
4

churchmans added 11:53 - Jan 4 @ArnieM why is everytime i come on here your biching and moani.g about everything team selection,manager game beimg called off! Da hell is the matter with you! Why you alwsys negative about everything
5

jas0999 added 11:53 - Jan 4 Agree it’s the referees decision and I have little doubt the pitch is unplayable and therefore the right decision. How much effort Portsmouth put in to protect their pitch considering the injury list is of course debatable. Still, we move on.
12

churchmans added 11:55 - Jan 4 Arniem your like an old man/woman moaning and gossiping !about everything and everyone
3

Paulc added 11:59 - Jan 4 RobITFC have you forgotten where we come from? We’ve only had undersoil heating for 2 years.
5

Gforce added 12:00 - Jan 4 The only consolation is by the time the match is replayed,we will hopefully have an even stronger team,with possibly 2 or 3 new signings.
5

poet added 12:01 - Jan 4 It may help Portsmouth’s injury problems, but another way of looking at things, is hopefully, it will give us time to reinforce our squad with new recruits before the game is rearranged.
8