TREVOR Senior was left flabbergasted after his side made the 150-mile round trip to Brislington on Saturday for absolutely nothing.
The Bees arrived at Ironmould Lane just minutes after being told the referee had deemed the pitch too dangerous to play on – a conclusion both teams strongly refute.
Senior told Echosport: “It was an absolute joke. We got the call to say the referee had called the game off when we were just five minutes away from the ground. ...
See the whole story here, from DorsetEcho.
Kicking Back Comments: Abandoning a match due to pitch conditions can be a tricky thing. At the very young ages it can be easy as often the decision is made my other (usually in-town) people. If for some reason it is not, err on the side of safety which is the primary concern for the youth player. Nets that are not anchored, large amounts of standing water, grass that is way to tall (I've seen this one) are all legitimate reasons to not play a match. With youth and with the amateur matches, be accommodating if you can. If there is an adjacent field that is fine, play that one. If there is a broom to sweep water, or kitty litter to soak it up, do it ... if it can be done safely and in the time frame that requires the match to start, or close to it.
Know however that even if a team is traveling a great distance (as this story describes) and the pitch is not ready, ultimately it is not the fault of the referee, but of the home team. Don't be afraid to remind an opposing team's manager of that if your judgement is questioned when abandoning a match due to the pitch conditions.
Even easier than the youth level is the professional or international level where the grounds are generally beautiful, and if there are adjustments that need to be made, there is a staff on hand to do so.
That is a beautiful thing.
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