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WREXHAM’S washout derby could cost them up to £20,000.
The safety decision to move the derby against Shrewsbury Town to yesterday from Saturday boomeranged when the match was postponed because The Racecourse was waterlogged.
That decision will hit Wrexham where it hurts.
The club face bills for police, stewards and other services. Shrewsbury’s travelling expenses will also have to be met from cash taken at the re-arranged game. A new date has yet to be fixed but tickets bought for yesterday’s scheduled game will be valid.
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Edwards surveys the waterlogged pitch |
The irony of the postponement is there were near-perfect conditions on Saturday. But I understand the safety committee were concerned whether police and emergency services could handle post-Christmas shopping crowds in Wrexham for sales as well as a derby game in town.
Wrexham chief executive David Rhodes said: “Had the game been allowed on Saturday there would not have been a problem with the weather.
"But the postponement, I reckon, will cost us anything from £15,000 – £20,000 in costs and all sorts of other things. Our groundsman rolled and spiked the pitch on Saturday and it was in wonderful condition, but we did have a lot of rain in a relatively short time from Saturday in to Sunday.
“The decision to move the game to Sunday had nothing to do with the club.
“That was a decision taken solely by the safety committee, who have to consider all aspects of public safety. We had to go along with that decision.”
Match referee Graham Salisbury, from Preston, went on to the pitch as soon as he arrived at 9.30 a.m.
Rhodes said: “Graham decided to give it an hour to see if the rain stopped but it didn’t and really he had no alternative but to call it off.”
Wrexham groundsman Johnny Edwards said: “I rolled out and spiked the pitch on Saturday, knowing heavy rain had been forecast. There were thousands of spike-holes in the surface to help the water drain into the soil. But the heavy overnight deluge proved too much.
“Had the rain eased up by 10 o’clock, we could have started at noon, but it tippled down all morning. The pitch is like a big sponge. It will soak up so much rainwater, but at a certain stage it just can’t take any more.”
The postponement was a disappointing end to the year for Wrexham and Shrewsbury.
Managers Denis Smith and Kevin Ratcliffe and their players were keyed-up for the game and Wrexham expected a big crowd.
Wrexham’s 2-2 draw at Rochdale and Shrewsbury’s emphatic 4-1 home win over Bury on Boxing Day spiced the derby.
Smith said today: “It was impossible to play. Had we had an hour without rain it would have been okay but we didn’t. I can’t control the weather.
“It was disappointing because we were all looking forward to it, but there was nothing we could do.”
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