Portsmouth boss Danny Cowley reveals nightmare 48-hour period as clash with Crewe was controversially abandoned

It comes after Storm Eunice had hampered the Blues pre-match preparations, before their meeting with the Railwaymen was controversially abandoned due to a waterlogged pitch.

With adverse weather conditions seeing the Met Office implement red and amber warnings across the country, the club’s travel arrangements were seriously hampered.

Saturday’s football schedule was also in danger of being wrecked, as matches across the country were rearranged.

And the Fratton chief has explained how events before, during and after 3pm on Saturday were tough to take.

Cowley told The News: ‘He (the referee) made the call, and he did it with what he believed was the player's best interest at heart.

‘We had a tough day yesterday because we trained early because we wanted to try and beat the wind. So we trained early, but the coach company said we weren’t able to travel.

‘We then had to wait, and hold, until three-o-clock on Friday. You can understand it because the coach company risk assessment didn’t think it was safe to travel. We ended up getting here about 9 o’clock Friday night. So it was a long day but it was all for nothing, unfortunately.

‘We all wanted to play the game, you don’t get this far down your game and not come here and not want to play.’

A reported 1500 members of the Fratton faithful had travelled 212 miles to Gresty Road, for the game to be postponed an hour before kick-off.

And Cowley has paid tribute to those who had trekked to Cheshire for the game to be, contentiously, scrapped.

He added: ‘We know the ramifications of the game being called off as we’ll all have to find our way back up here in what is an already busy schedule.

‘We’re frustrated and disappointed, for ourselves, but more than anything it fails in significance when you think about our supporters. 1500 of them travelled up the country to get here and find the game called off.

‘Our heart goes out to them.’

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