Mansfield Town

Boss speaks to media after Concord Rangers cup clash falls foul of the weather.

Manager Paul Cox felt it was the correct decision to postpone today’s scheduled FA Cup first round match against Concord Rangers.




Heavy rain across North Nottinghamshire throughout the morning, which got progressively worse after midday, left several areas of the One Call Stadium pitch under water.

Referee Kevin Wright held a formal pitch inspection at 1.30pm and with a poor forecast expected for the afternoon, he was left with no alternative but to postpone the match.

“The rain has been coming down for a while now,” said our boss. “I’m disappointed that it’s been called off, but the balls aren’t rolling. They’re just dropping in puddles of water.

“The referee has made the call and realistically, it’s the right call. The weather would have made a mockery of the game and it’d have been more like a game of water polo than a game of football.”

Cox continued: “I think [the referee] has been excellent in the way that he has dealt with it. He’s been professional.

“We’ve tried our hardest to get it on. ‘Mez’ [Michael Merriman, groundsman] has been out there with his equipment and a massive pat on the back needs to go to him, because he worked his socks off to try and get it on.

“But it’s one of those things. All you can say is that everyone has been professional. The referee has made the call and looking at the pitch, it’s the right call.”

A new date for the fixture will be announced in due course.