City confident Cup replay will go ahead
Published Date:
12 January 2009
Bristol City are confident the big freeze won't wreck their chances of toppling Pompey.
Neighbours Bristol Rovers had their home League One fixture with Yeovil scrapped on Saturday morning as the cold weather gripped football.
It was one of a host of weekend games to fall foul as temperatures plummeted up and down the country.
City themselves saw their trip to Doncaster called off on Friday morning due to a frozen pitch, while Pompey's Fratton Park clash with Manchester City followed suit.
But the Championship side remain positive tomorrow night's televised fixture will go ahead as planned.
The club are desperate for the clash to take place – the match is worth £80,000 to them following Setanta's decision to screen it live.
As a result, an inflatable cover has been positioned over the Ashton Gate pitch in an attempt to protect it from the icy conditions.
In addition, a number of diesel heaters – similar to the ones used at Pompey last week – have also been installed, pumping hot air on affected areas.
Yesterday's milder weather has also been encouraging, with temperatures around the Bristol area reaching 10 degrees centigrade.
And it's left club officials optimistic the match will take place as planned.
The sides are involved in tomorrow night's replay having fought out a goalless Fratton Park third-round draw more than a week ago.
A home tie with either Swansea or Histon awaits in the next round. That match is scheduled to take place at the Liberty Stadium tomorrow night at 7.45pm.
The full article contains 261 words and appears in The News newspaper.
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Last Updated:
12 January 2009 11:49 AM
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Source:
The News
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Location:
Portsmouth