Following tonight’s unfortunate postponement of our fixture with Aldershot Town FC, Gateshead FC wishes to make the following statement.
Due to the expected forecast of overnight rain, the club were in communication with Aldershot Town and the match referee. A decision was made for a 9:30am pitch inspection to allow plenty of time for Aldershot to be aware of the state of the pitch prior to their scheduled 11:00 am departure.
The pitch was duly passed fit by a suitably qualified referee, in conjunction with the match referee and the National League, and a report of the pitch was sent to all parties.
Given that rain was forecast between 12pm and 3pm, the stadium staff agreed to work on the pitch throughout to give the match the best possible chance of being played.
At 2pm, when the rainfall was heavier than anticipated, and mindful of the fact that Aldershot had already departed via rail and were staying in the area overnight, a monumental joint effort by the council, the football club and volunteers to remove the standing water from the pitch was undertaken.
The referee was informed at 2:30 pm of the maintenance plan, and he kept Aldershot fully informed at all times.
Due to the concerted effort over several hours, we believed the pitch to be in a similar state to how it was at 9:30 am, and therefore very optimistic of the match going ahead. We were encouraged by the positive impact of the maintenance plan and how the works were progressing.
The referee then agreed a delay with the National League to ensure that the match had the best chance of being played, and this was permitted of up to one hour.
Gateshead FC desperately wanted the match to go ahead, but following discussions with Aldershot Town FC, they made it clear that they did not think the pitch was playable and that they did not wish the match to be further delayed by an extension of time.
In fact, Aldershot’s players and management asked that the matter just be called from the time they arrived at the stadium at 5:30pm, without having stepped foot on the pitch.
The referee worked with both teams to ensure they were aware, with all parties being out on the pitch.
For the sake of clarity, the referee said that he would further allow the work to continue following his initial inspection and would reconvene at 6:45pm.
Following the inspection, an agreed remedial package was agreed, only for it to be revoked, and ultimately the decision was made that the match would be postponed.
It is unfortunate that the match did not go ahead and impacted both sets of supporters, many of whom had travelled.
Gateshead FC are extremely disappointed and underwhelmed that given they had travelled and were staying overnight, the opposition did not wish to give time to see if the match could be played with a delayed start.
We would like to place on record our thanks to our staff, supporters, volunteers and Gateshead Council for the huge effort today, and we are immensely grateful to all.
