‘It was a farce’ – Baffins Milton Rovers and US Portsmouth stunned that midweek Wessex League derby was postponed late on

Rovers boss Danny Thompson was stunned when the match referee called off the Portsea Island derby with US Portsmouth less than an hour before kick off on Tuesday evening.

Both sets of players were already at the PMC Stadium, with Baffins’ Tyler Giddings having driven down from London - where he was working - to play.

The official said the pitch was too hard in places, leaving Baffins still having not played a Wessex League fixture since December 17.

Thompson told The News: ‘It was a farce.

‘I met a (different) referee up there at 1pm and the pitch was absolutely fine, 100 per cent playable, nothing wrong with it.

‘I was back at the ground at 5.30pm and nothing had changed. The three officials turned up and at ten to seven the referee said it was too hard.

‘I thought if he was going to call it off it would be because the pitch was too soft!

‘He said the centre circle was too hard but I could put my car key straight in it.

‘The lights had been on for 45 minutes, we’d turned the electric on for the showers, the food was starting to be prepared … it was a nightmare.

‘The game should have been played, I couldn’t believe it was off.

‘I took a video and sent it to Steve Cripps (Baffins chairman) who sent it onto the league, who said they had to back the referee’s decision.

‘I do get the issue about players’ safety, but there was nothing wrong with the pitch.

‘We’ve played on worse pitches this season.’

US boss Fraser Quirke was in agreement with his opposite number.

‘It was a really baffling decision,’ he told The News. ‘It left myself, Danny and 30-odd players massively frustrated. We wanted to play and Baffins were desperate to play.

‘I must have been involved in over 1,000 games of non-league football - playing, watching or managing - and there was no way that game should have been called off, no way at all.

‘The ref said there was a small area he deemed frozen and therefore dangerous, but you could see his boot’s imprint … it was absolutely playable.’

Baffins now hope to return to action when fourth-placed Bemerton Heath visit the PMC Stadium on Saturday.

Dual signed Gosport Borough defender Dan Aitken and midfielder Tom Dinsmore could be set for their first appearances.

Dillon North has resumed training, following his dislocated shoulder back in September, but will get match fit by turning out for former club Selsey in the Southern Combination.

US host Shafesbury this weekend, their first home league game since December 17.

Quirke said the Victory Stadium pitch should be playable, with the Navy women’s team having played on it last night and reported no problems.

Horndean were also victims of a late postponement on Tuesday, when their top of the table clash with AFC Stoneham was called off due to a hard pitch.

But unlike Baffins and US Portsmouth, Deans boss Michael Birmingham was satisfied with the official’s decision.

‘The ref made the right call, I’ve no complaints,’ he said. ‘Stoneham fully understood the situation.

‘It was playable at lunchtime but the temperature plummeted and when I got there at 5.30 the pitch was starting to freeze over - and that was four hours before the game would be finishing.

‘The weather is crazy at the moment, you’re either under 18 foot of water or it’s like an ice rink.’

Starting with this weekend’s scheduled visit of Christchurch, Horndean still have 21 Wessex Premier fixtures left. And at present, there are 14 Saturdays left of the season.

Birmingham isn’t getting worried just yet. ‘I’ll get concerned if it ends up like we had it at Bognor one year when we were playing Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday for two weeks,’ he quipped.