Hornets beaten by torrential rain as Boxing Day game called off (From Watford Observer)
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Watford's trip to Bristol City postponed after torrential rain leaves Ashton Gate pitch waterlogged
3:19pm Wednesday 26th December 2012 in Sport By Anthony Matthews, Group Sports Editor
Referee Michael Naylor looks on as Bristol City groundstaff try to clear the pitch of water. Picture: Action Images
Watford's game at Bristol City has been postponed following torrential rain in the build-up to the match.
Referee Michael Naylor had delayed kick-off by 15 minutes to give the Ashton Gate pitch a chance as water began to lie on the playing surface as kick off approached.
The groundstaff also deployed forks and big roller mops in their quest to shift the standing water - and the official was willing to wait for another ten minutes - but this ultimately proved futile as Boxing Day ended in disappointment and frustration for the at least 700 Hornets fans who were hoping to see their team continue their progress up the table.
Comments(37)
mkhornet
says...
3:46pm Wed 26 Dec 12
D.unstable
says...
3:52pm Wed 26 Dec 12
Thinking of all the players, officials and fans that travelled today.
andyhooked
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4:00pm Wed 26 Dec 12
west01
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4:06pm Wed 26 Dec 12
west01
says...
4:06pm Wed 26 Dec 12
DuffmanWFC
says...
4:11pm Wed 26 Dec 12
The FA need to change the rules as this stupid delay in pitch inspections justs out-pockets the fans! Yes you can return your ticket for a refund but you don't get your fuel or traveling time back do you!
Why can't pitch inspections be done two hours before kick off? That way at least you don't get all the way for nothing!
It's a bit like the Poland vs England game ay? We could all see on the TV hours before kick off that the pitch was compleately un playable!
Why delay? Why pointlessly send a couple of blokes out with garden forks.... It ain't gonna do sh*t!
Really feel for the 700 traveling as if the game was cancelled two hours prior to kick off at least you can turn back home and you've only wasted a few hours... especially when there's family at home on Boxing Day!
andyhooked
says...
4:19pm Wed 26 Dec 12
4:06pm Wed 26 Dec 12
Andyhooked, why don't you read above, it has some clues to your question.. obviously the ref gave it every chance, but the weather proved too much in he end. Well done ref for trying to get the game on.”
Football is not like cricket. They can put the water clearing machine on and you sit around for hours hoping the playing area becomes playable, Not a pop at you but I do feel the ref should have known what rain was coming and said NO PLAY TODAY CHAPS before 3:15. Any answers anyone to what the overture is before the players come out?
Stoney77
says...
4:37pm Wed 26 Dec 12
DuffmanWFC wrote:I think you'll find that the majority of the rain fell in the hour leading up to kick off, so an inspection 2 hours before kick off would have been utterly useless.
Absolute joke that the game gets called off at 3.15pm!
The FA need to change the rules as this stupid delay in pitch inspections justs out-pockets the fans! Yes you can return your ticket for a refund but you don't get your fuel or traveling time back do you!
Why can't pitch inspections be done two hours before kick off? That way at least you don't get all the way for nothing!
It's a bit like the Poland vs England game ay? We could all see on the TV hours before kick off that the pitch was compleately un playable!
Why delay? Why pointlessly send a couple of blokes out with garden forks.... It ain't gonna do sh*t!
Really feel for the 700 traveling as if the game was cancelled two hours prior to kick off at least you can turn back home and you've only wasted a few hours... especially when there's family at home on Boxing Day!
And with regards to the Poland game, the furore around that situation was due to the fact the Stadium had a roof which was not utilised so indeed it was farcical.
It's not an absolute joke at all, it's the weather... And sometimes, s££t happens.
CARDIFFHORN
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4:58pm Wed 26 Dec 12
DuffmanWFC wrote:The torrential rain didn't start until half two and was definitely playable two hours before!! The ironic thing is it stopped raining at about three thirty and Mcinnes did asked for a four o'clock Ko.
Absolute joke that the game gets called off at 3.15pm!
The FA need to change the rules as this stupid delay in pitch inspections justs out-pockets the fans! Yes you can return your ticket for a refund but you don't get your fuel or traveling time back do you!
Why can't pitch inspections be done two hours before kick off? That way at least you don't get all the way for nothing!
It's a bit like the Poland vs England game ay? We could all see on the TV hours before kick off that the pitch was compleately un playable!
Why delay? Why pointlessly send a couple of blokes out with garden forks.... It ain't gonna do sh*t!
Really feel for the 700 traveling as if the game was cancelled two hours prior to kick off at least you can turn back home and you've only wasted a few hours... especially when there's family at home on Boxing Day!
hornets1
says...
5:15pm Wed 26 Dec 12
andyhooked wrote:Theme tune from Friday Night Lights. Drama based around a small town american football team.
What a shame for the travelling fans. Yonks back got all the way to Huddersfield and close to Swansea when games were called off at the last minute. I suspected that today's game would be called off. Why was a pitch inspection not done until 3:15? Anyone know what the overture for our home game comes from? Both my neighbour that sits next to me at the Vic do not know. Grateful for someone's knowledge, and I do like the theme.
DuffmanWFC
says...
5:23pm Wed 26 Dec 12
No chance.... It wasn't playable because its rained heavily in Bristol every day for a week! The ground was that boggy if it wouldn't of rained two hours prior to kick off it would of become a mud bath after twenty minutes!
And regards the Poland game the example I was making us that the groundsman were never gonna get that pitch right! They could of closed the roof, got 100 men with forks and a roller for the water and it still would of been in playable because it was that drenched!
Don't suppose you were there to see it were you?
Travelling Hornet
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7:15pm Wed 26 Dec 12
DuffmanWFC wrote:Duffers how can I put this so you'll understand , the pitch was relatively dry before the heavans opened at 2.30 ish. The players were warming up normally. It was'nt until they finished and went in that it started raining similar to a tropic downpour.
So Cardiff and Stoney your telling me that the pitch was playable upto 2 hours prior?
No chance.... It wasn't playable because its rained heavily in Bristol every day for a week! The ground was that boggy if it wouldn't of rained two hours prior to kick off it would of become a mud bath after twenty minutes!
And regards the Poland game the example I was making us that the groundsman were never gonna get that pitch right! They could of closed the roof, got 100 men with forks and a roller for the water and it still would of been in playable because it was that drenched!
Don't suppose you were there to see it were you?
In the space of 15 mins the pitch was under water.
The ref had no option, yet 30mins before kick off it was playable.
Stoney77
says...
7:25pm Wed 26 Dec 12
DuffmanWFC wrote:It's rained heavily all over the country for the past week, not just Bristol. Having a pitch inspection at 1pm would have changed nothing. It was the deluge of monsoon type rain which persisted for over 30 minutes which rendered the pitch unplayable. Furthermore, having a pitch inspection 2 hours before kick off for every match is not going to assist away fans, by the time news has filtered through, most will already be well on their way to the ground. There's no point blaming the F.A for the weather. Let's just look on the bright side, we have a fresher team for tricky trip to Brighton and by the time we play Charlton, they'll be very tired as they play their 4th game in 10 days and will be ripe for a PASTE-ING!
So Cardiff and Stoney your telling me that the pitch was playable upto 2 hours prior?
No chance.... It wasn't playable because its rained heavily in Bristol every day for a week! The ground was that boggy if it wouldn't of rained two hours prior to kick off it would of become a mud bath after twenty minutes!
And regards the Poland game the example I was making us that the groundsman were never gonna get that pitch right! They could of closed the roof, got 100 men with forks and a roller for the water and it still would of been in playable because it was that drenched!
Don't suppose you were there to see it were you?
lutondown
says...
7:41pm Wed 26 Dec 12
Vet_kills_puppy wrote:Where did you get that beer from as they never sold any in the ground?
Gutted!!!
Sat in the Laptop End with a cold beer, feeling bereft...
lutondown
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7:45pm Wed 26 Dec 12
andyhooked wrote:When we arrived in the ground at 215 the pitch was fine, such was the ferocity of the rain, it all happened in a short space of time.
What a shame for the travelling fans. Yonks back got all the way to Huddersfield and close to Swansea when games were called off at the last minute. I suspected that today's game would be called off. Why was a pitch inspection not done until 3:15? Anyone know what the overture for our home game comes from? Both my neighbour that sits next to me at the Vic do not know. Grateful for someone's knowledge, and I do like the theme.
The ground staff done their level best with what they had, and the Ref was as fair as could be.
I'm as gutted as anyone to have wasted Boxing Day, but the pitch would have negated our superiority if played, and for that reason I'm glad we did not play it.
Fair play to our great players for their gratitude to the fans. Throwing their shirts in to the crowd.
They really don't care do they...!
Vet_kills_puppy
says...
7:52pm Wed 26 Dec 12
lutondown wrote:The fridge Mr Down, the fridge.
Vet_kills_puppy wrote:Where did you get that beer from as they never sold any in the ground?
Gutted!!!
Sat in the Laptop End with a cold beer, feeling bereft...
WessexLad
says...
7:55pm Wed 26 Dec 12
All credit, though, to the Watford team for coming out in the rain to show their appreciation of the support they would have had.
What is it about Boxing Day games and Watford? I remember walking to the Vic for a game v Reading, only to be told by people coming the other way that the game was off for a frozen pitch.
I also remember the Carlisle game, when Watford fans cleared the snow to put on the only game within 100 miles of London. We won 5-1, and it was on MotD.
lutondown
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7:58pm Wed 26 Dec 12
Travelling Hornet wrote:Exactly that. Duffster, the pitch was very playable 215 impossible by 245! Such was the intensity of the rain
DuffmanWFC wrote:Duffers how can I put this so you'll understand , the pitch was relatively dry before the heavans opened at 2.30 ish. The players were warming up normally. It was'nt until they finished and went in that it started raining similar to a tropic downpour.
So Cardiff and Stoney your telling me that the pitch was playable upto 2 hours prior?
No chance.... It wasn't playable because its rained heavily in Bristol every day for a week! The ground was that boggy if it wouldn't of rained two hours prior to kick off it would of become a mud bath after twenty minutes!
And regards the Poland game the example I was making us that the groundsman were never gonna get that pitch right! They could of closed the roof, got 100 men with forks and a roller for the water and it still would of been in playable because it was that drenched!
Don't suppose you were there to see it were you?
In the space of 15 mins the pitch was under water.
The ref had no option, yet 30mins before kick off it was playable.
lutondown
says...
7:59pm Wed 26 Dec 12
Vet_kills_puppy wrote:Good thinking, they don't sell ever in the ground, we didn't expect that..bit like the deluge! What an all round bummer!
lutondown wrote:The fridge Mr Down, the fridge.
Vet_kills_puppy wrote:Where did you get that beer from as they never sold any in the ground?
Gutted!!!
Sat in the Laptop End with a cold beer, feeling bereft...
DuffmanWFC
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8:09pm Wed 26 Dec 12
lutondown
says...
8:15pm Wed 26 Dec 12
DuffmanWFC wrote:It was a dog mate, but I would have rather the postponement than for us to have been beaten by a waterlogged pitch, because no way if it had gone ahead would our passing game, worked. I'm now missing until Middlesbrough. I share you disappointment at us not getting our yellow fix!
Sorry I believe I was wrong then, I got to the ground just before 3 and couldn't believe what I saw! Didn't get the chance to see any warm ups! I'm gutted as it was either this game or Brighton that I was going too! Just picked the wrong one.... Really looking forward to dinner with the in laws on Saturday especially as its at there's and they don't have SKY! :-(
jimbowfc
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8:17pm Wed 26 Dec 12
Not just the FIVE that Bristol city provided, so sadly I have to agree calling it off was the only choice
D.unstable
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8:17pm Wed 26 Dec 12
DuffmanWFC wrote:Sorry that's not on, you'll have to tell them you're not going, very inconsiderate a bit like getting married during the football season.
Sorry I believe I was wrong then, I got to the ground just before 3 and couldn't believe what I saw! Didn't get the chance to see any warm ups! I'm gutted as it was either this game or Brighton that I was going too! Just picked the wrong one.... Really looking forward to dinner with the in laws on Saturday especially as its at there's and they don't have SKY! :-(
lutondown
says...
8:23pm Wed 26 Dec 12
D.unstable wrote:I'm just wondering if I will find Sky in a pub showing the game..in Orlando...I will miss the rain. Not!
DuffmanWFC wrote:Sorry that's not on, you'll have to tell them you're not going, very inconsiderate a bit like getting married during the football season.
Sorry I believe I was wrong then, I got to the ground just before 3 and couldn't believe what I saw! Didn't get the chance to see any warm ups! I'm gutted as it was either this game or Brighton that I was going too! Just picked the wrong one.... Really looking forward to dinner with the in laws on Saturday especially as its at there's and they don't have SKY! :-(
Vet_kills_puppy
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8:46pm Wed 26 Dec 12
Ho Ho Ho etc.
Keep the Faith
goldenboy1993
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9:46pm Wed 26 Dec 12
lutondown
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10:42pm Wed 26 Dec 12
goldenboy1993 wrote:Trust me they could not of cleared that with the machinery at hand. Don't disrespect their efforts. Man v nature? Nature always wins
I was there, the worse rain was at about 2 45. The pitch was definitely playable before that, what I will say is them men with the brooms and sponge things were useless, all they did was the centre area while the goalmouth and corner areas just became puddles, ridiculous.
buckler
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12:04am Thu 27 Dec 12
lutondown
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12:13am Thu 27 Dec 12
buckler wrote:Didn't have my Wellys!
I was there with LD and reckon we should have pitch invaded and joined the players in skidding around in the puddles! Bring on the pink army!
PhilippineOrn
says...
1:03am Thu 27 Dec 12
lutondown wrote:There's many betting sites that stream games online that aren't televised (Bet365 for one); and of course every game that is televised is easily found being streamed online. Google live football streaming.
D.unstable wrote:I'm just wondering if I will find Sky in a pub showing the game..in Orlando...I will miss the rain. Not!
DuffmanWFC wrote:Sorry that's not on, you'll have to tell them you're not going, very inconsiderate a bit like getting married during the football season.
Sorry I believe I was wrong then, I got to the ground just before 3 and couldn't believe what I saw! Didn't get the chance to see any warm ups! I'm gutted as it was either this game or Brighton that I was going too! Just picked the wrong one.... Really looking forward to dinner with the in laws on Saturday especially as its at there's and they don't have SKY! :-(
On cable and satellite Fox Soccer Channel will show live televised FAC games (so not City) and Premiership games.
lutondown
says...
7:50am Thu 27 Dec 12
PhilippineOrn wrote:Cheers. If I can pick up sky go, I'll watch on my ipad!
lutondown wrote:There's many betting sites that stream games online that aren't televised (Bet365 for one); and of course every game that is televised is easily found being streamed online. Google live football streaming.
D.unstable wrote:I'm just wondering if I will find Sky in a pub showing the game..in Orlando...I will miss the rain. Not!
DuffmanWFC wrote:Sorry that's not on, you'll have to tell them you're not going, very inconsiderate a bit like getting married during the football season.
Sorry I believe I was wrong then, I got to the ground just before 3 and couldn't believe what I saw! Didn't get the chance to see any warm ups! I'm gutted as it was either this game or Brighton that I was going too! Just picked the wrong one.... Really looking forward to dinner with the in laws on Saturday especially as its at there's and they don't have SKY! :-(
On cable and satellite Fox Soccer Channel will show live televised FAC games (so not City) and Premiership games.
SAHornet
says...
8:13am Thu 27 Dec 12
Vet_kills_puppy wrote:But the BBC don't allow you to listen to live football streaming on 5 Live or any other BBc channel if you live overseas. They call it "Rights Restricted".
A 'heads up' to Distant Orns in Blighty and afar. The Charlton game is on 5 Live Sports Extra as the featured game.
Ho Ho Ho etc.
Keep the Faith
Also LD, I think you might be at the mercy of whoever it is that handles Sky sports broadcasts in FL as to whether you can watch live. Here in SA, Sky use SuperSport and we can only watch half a dozen selected Prem games per weekend and the occassional Champ game on a Friday or Monday night. Bummer for me but at least I got Hornets Player so I can listen. Enjoy your vacation and travel safe.
Eastsussexhornet
says...
10:20am Thu 27 Dec 12
Forestieri can probably play against Brighton and whilst Cassetti will miss that one now, I have become less concerned about individual players not being available since we have 2 or 3 replacements for every position waiting in the wings.
lutondown
says...
11:49am Thu 27 Dec 12
Not nice, but apt
lutondown
says...
11:50am Thu 27 Dec 12
SAHornet wrote:Thanks
Vet_kills_puppy wrote:But the BBC don't allow you to listen to live football streaming on 5 Live or any other BBc channel if you live overseas. They call it "Rights Restricted".
A 'heads up' to Distant Orns in Blighty and afar. The Charlton game is on 5 Live Sports Extra as the featured game.
Ho Ho Ho etc.
Keep the Faith
Also LD, I think you might be at the mercy of whoever it is that handles Sky sports broadcasts in FL as to whether you can watch live. Here in SA, Sky use SuperSport and we can only watch half a dozen selected Prem games per weekend and the occassional Champ game on a Friday or Monday night. Bummer for me but at least I got Hornets Player so I can listen. Enjoy your vacation and travel safe.
andyhooked
says...
3:44pm Thu 27 Dec 12
Vet_kills_puppy says...
3:42pm Wed 26 Dec 12
Sat in the Laptop End with a cold beer, feeling bereft...