2021-2022-Season

SEAN Dyche said there was no way Burnley’s clash with Spurs could have gone ahead after it was postponed less than a hour before kick off due to heavy snow fall at Turf Moor. After snow began to fall in late morning, attempts to clear the pitch began around 90 minutes before the scheduled 2pm kick-off but proved in vain, with snow coming down as quickly as it could be moved. Turf Moor’s undersoil heating had been on overnight but was unable to cope. There were also concerns over areas around the ground as supporters began to arrive. The announcement was made shortly after both clubs had named their teams for the match. There has been no information as to when the match might now be played. Spurs, who had stayed overnight in Manchester, had been late to arrive at Turf Moor, seen entering the stadium just before 1pm. Officials, led by referee Peter Bankes, waited until both managers were present and had been consulted before making the call. True to form, Dyche carried out his own pitch inspection without wearing a jacket even as the snow came down, heavy enough to leave a microphone being used by broadcasters to interview Spurs left-back Ben Davies resembling an ice cream cone by the time he was finished. Dyche told BBC Sport: “As you can see, the pitch re-covers every time they clear it. “The referee explained the safety angle as well so it was important to make a decision early. “We were ready for the game and I made it clear if it could be played we wanted it on – as did their manager. “I can’t see how it could go ahead the way the pitch is at the moment.” Spurs had made the trip north with boss Antonio Conte demanding a response from Thursday’s humiliation away to NS Mura in the Europa Conference League. Instead it was a long trip for nothing as the postponement came less than 15 minutes after they were seen getting off the team bus. “It is a big disappointment because we were ready to play and we prepared for the game, and all the travel,” the Italian said. “But at same time I think the Premier League made the right decision to save the situation for the players and the fans. For everybody. It’s disappointing but the decision was right. “Ten minutes before the snow is worse than it was before and in this condition, it’s not football. I want to play football, I want to play. In this type of situation it’s impossible. There’s serious risk of injury and this is not good.” Officials feared that even if the pitch could be cleared sufficiently for the match to start, further delays were likely as the game would need to be stopped regularly to clear the lines, with Bankes telling Sky Sports they risked an “element of farce”. “There was an opportunity to stop the game every 15 minutes but that would have affected the spectacle,” he said. “Both managers agreed the spectacle wouldn’t have been great for the supporters.”