Essex Senior League: Ice at Stansted leaves Ilford manager Allan Fenn fuming after another postponement

Ilford manager Allan Fenn believes the Essex Senior League must put a plan in place to prevent midweek matches being called off just before kick-off.

The Foxes squad made the trip to Stansted last night (Tuesday) for a first round Gordon Brasted Memorial Trophy clash.

Both clubs knew the temperature was set to drop in the evening, yet the match wasn’t postponed until 6.30pm.

“Last night was frustrating and the Essex Senior League has got to look at this I think,” said Fenn.

“We all knew yesterday morning the game wouldn’t be played. Stansted kindly gave us an update around three o’clock saying the pitch was in a beautiful confident.

“But we had both looked at the weather forecast and could see it was going to be frozen by kick-off with the temperature dropping.”

With trouble on the M25 and M11, the journey for Ilford’s players on the road was difficult with others travelling by public transport.

And yet it was a wasted trip with the referee deeming the Hargrave Park pitch unplayable an hour and 15 minutes before kick-off.

Fenn added: “I got up there around quarter to seven and the referee turned up at 6.30 and called it off. At Ilford we have a local referee turn up and he makes a decision, which the league listens to.

“I don’t know what has happened yesterday whether it is the referee’s fault or what, but we all knew it was going to be frozen.

“Some of my lads paid train tickets and have wasted their petrol and we don’t get it back. It was disappointing and it was such an avoidable situation.”

It is understood Stansted wanted to postpone the fixture earlier, but had to wait until the match official had checked the pitch, which only occurred at 6.30pm.

George Sessions
Ilford Recorder