It’s the second successive fixture that the Bantams have seen fall victim to the weather in the space of a week. Last weekend’s trip to Barrow drew much media attention after the referee called the fixture off, a decision which drew public criticism from The Bluebirds.
Before the match, everything seemed to be going well for Notts County, who were supposed to visit Valley Parade. However, yesterday morning, Bradford declared on social media that there would be no pitch inspection. But subsequently footage of the pitch in a terrible condition appeared, sparking suspicions that the game would be in jeopardy.
Despite Bradford’s valiant efforts to get the tie on, the inevitable was confirmed just 75 minutes before kick-off. It’s a decision which drew backlash, especially because many had already travelled to the stadium. However, manager Graham Alexander has defended the referee, claiming it was the right choice to wait until the last minute before making the call:
“The ref didn’t want to make the call if there was an outside chance of getting it on,” the 52-year-old told The Telegraph & Argus.
“He did deliberate for a long time and tried his hardest to get the game on.
“It’s getting to that stage of the season. There were a couple of other games called off elsewhere, ours at Barrow last week was called off and there’s only a certain amount of weeks when we can fit them in.
“I think there’s a bit of pressure on the officials from everybody to give every fixture the opportunity to be on because the weeks are running out.
“But it got to the stage where we had to make a decision quickly because of the supporters.
“They were bringing a large number and obviously we have a large number at home games. He couldn’t hold on any longer.”
There will be a hope that the pitch can recover in time for Tuesday night, when the Bantams are scheduled to host Doncaster Rovers.
Writer’s View
This was a situation where all involved were damned if they do, damned if they don’t. Had they made an early call and then the weather held off, they would have been criticised for postponing the fixture unnecessarily. Unfortunately, holding off put them in an unenviable situation where the persistent rain took the decision out of their hands.
The state of the pitch at Valley Parade has been well documented and Bradford have to be commended for their efforts. With just two months remaining until the end of the season, they can’t afford too many more postponements.
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