York City manager Neil Thompson has joined the chorus of disapproval over the late postponement of the Darlington match on Monday afternoon.

Sophie McGill

While Thompson agreed the match at Feethams had to be postponed, he has slammed the delay in calling the fixture off.

"I just think it was a bit of a fiasco when we went up there," said the City boss.

"The pitch was obviously not playable and I feel sorry for the supporters who made the trip up. It was a wasted journey.

"I certainly think it could have been called-off a lot earlier, first thing in the morning.

"By the time we got to Darlington there had been no more rain, in fact the pitch had improved."

For City fans caught in the middle of the farce extra galling was the sight of the nearby Darlington Cricket Club ground - the pitch there stands in the shadows of Feethams and was in immaculate condition.

But the Quakers' notorious pitch was a quagmire and there was never any real chance of the game starting. There is a genuine fear among Darlington officials and supportes that should further problems surface then it could affect their promotion push.

No wonder the club shelled out £70,000 on an inflatable hot air cover - sadly too late for those who travelled on Monday.

Several fans who went to the offices at Bootham Crescent this week for their Darlington refunds had been given the impression by stewards at Feethams that Thompson had the match called off and were naturally unhappy to have made a wasted round trip.

Unofficial Darlington fan sites on the internet also seemed to be under the same illusion.

But it was referee Phil Richards who called the game off, not the City manager, stressed City's public relations executive Sophie McGill.

"I really do sympathise with those fans who made the journey to Darlington on Monday to find that the game had been postponed at such a late stage. We are currently investigating the matter with the Football League on behalf of our supporters, as the situation that occurred was totally unacceptable.

"The rumours circulating that Neil refused to play the game are of course incorrect, as the referee is the only person with the authority to postpone a fixture. Indeed, the away team has absolutely no say in the matter.

"In my opinion it was the responsibility of Darlington FC to inform the referee of the appalling, unplayable state of the pitch prior to his arrival at the ground at 12.30pm. It is my understanding that the referee had stayed overnight in the area and had made his mobile phone number available to the club the previous day.

"Unfortunately this episode was out of our control, but on behalf of the club I would like to apologise for any inconvenience the postponement of this fixture may have caused."

Richards felt that there was a danger to the safety of the players and that the game would be reduced to a farce.

It seems as though Richards was trying to be fair to both clubs but in hindsight he should have grasped the nettle and called the game off before City and their fans travelled.

On-the-ball City supporters will recall that it is not the first time that they have suffered a wasted journey after Richards called off a game.

On January 21, 1995, City's Second Division game against Huddersfield Town at the McAlpine Stadium was called off after 2pm by Richards following a deluge of rain.

City supporters who travelled on the family coaches to the postponed matches at Mansfield and Darlington can get to the rearranged fixtures at a reduced rate.

McGill said the club was unable to issue refunds for the ill-fated trips as both coaches arrived at the grounds before the postponements were announced.

"We will therefore incur the full cost of both journeys and which means, unfortunately, we cannot give refunds," she explained.

However, McGill said the club had taken steps to try to soften the cash blow for families determined to get to the games at Field Mill and Feethams.

There will be no family coaches run to the rescheduled games at Darlington on Tuesday, January 18, and at Mansfield on Tuesday, February 8.

However, those with original family coach tickets will be able to go on the City Travel Club coaches to Darlington for just £3 and to Mansfield for only £4.

And in an added reminder to City fans, the Darlington match is no longer all ticket.

Tickets purchased for the original fixture last Monday remain valid while those fans seeking refunds must present their tickets at the Bootham Crescent office.

However, there is no need now for fans to buy tickets in advance for January 18.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.