Crawley Off / postponed  (merged)

Just announced on their website !!

Going to be some serious fixture backlog coming up…

Great decision made nice and early not like Saturdays...

On Towns website

https://gtfc.co.uk/crawley-town-match-postponed/

This decision is as bad as Saturdays was. It's going to be between 3-5C in Crawley for the next 24 hours, it is *not* forecast to be freezing there overnight and there's plenty of time for the pitch to thaw. Why on earth are they citing "temperatures set to drop again" as a reason to call this off over a day in advance?

3 - 5 ° is only just above freezing, not warm enough to thaw it out properly

Quoted from mimma

3 - 5 ° is only just above freezing, not warm enough to thaw it out properly

Indeed. Think how long a frozen chicken takes to thaw in a fridge.

Been sunny all day here and the temperature has been above freezing for hours, only just dropping to zero now, yet the ground is still hard as rock.

Sensible decision, their pitch is clearly solid like ours was and even if temperatures hover just around 4, it’s highly unlikely the pitch would thaw out enough to play a game safely…

sodomist! That's a Billy no mates beer and curry for me in Crawley.
Booked weeks ago very cheap both Travelodge and choo choo so might as well use them.

I’ve been digging a hole in my garden this afternoon 10 miles from Crawley and the top 2 inches is frozen solid even though it’s been 3 degrees since mid morning so it’s probably a good decision considering it’s going to freeze again down here .

By the time we play them we’ll have a few new players in who will guarantee 3 points as well…… maybe.

I dare say it seems very cold all week not forecast much above 5-6 degrees for much longer than a couple of hours all week in Luton….

Quoted from louth_in_the_south

I’ve been digging a hole in my garden this afternoon 10 miles from Crawley and the top 2 inches is frozen solid even though it’s been 3 degrees since mid morning so it’s probably a good decision considering it’s going to freeze again down here .

By the time we play them we’ll have a few new players in who will guarantee 3 points as well…… maybe.

Incineration of evidence is typically better than burying it...

Thank God its not the same Referee from Saturday or he would have called it off at 6pm tomorrow evening

Quoted from WayneBurnettsJockstrap

Thank God its not the same Referee from Saturday or he would have called it off at 6pm tomorrow evening

Exactly.

Quoted from louth_in_the_south

I’ve been digging a hole in my garden this afternoon 10 miles from Crawley and the top 2 inches is frozen solid even though it’s been 3 degrees since mid morning so it’s probably a good decision considering it’s going to freeze again down here .

By the time we play them we’ll have a few new players in who will guarantee 3 points as well…… maybe.

Need any help digging the grave...I mean hole? I know someone who's going to be in Crawley tomorrow evening with not much else to do other than drink beer and eat a curry...apparently

Quoted from Southwark Mariner

Need any help digging the grave...I mean hole? I know someone who's going to be in Crawley tomorrow evening with not much else to do other than drink beer and eat a curry...apparently

Yupz, I'll help.
Lime, plenty of shovels of lime.
Worked a treat on my patio.. err.. foundations.

Think ourselves lucky, my local town Taunton (conference south) are 9 games behind some teams!

Quoted from GYinScuntland

sodomist! That's a Billy no mates beer and curry for me in Crawley.
Booked weeks ago very cheap both Travelodge and choo choo so might as well use them.

Oh my god, are you serious?! That’s horrendous! Are you going, honestly? I’ve never heard anyone do that before, it’s  dedication unlike any other!

Quoted from Heisenberg

Oh my god, are you serious?! That’s horrendous! Are you going, honestly? I’ve never heard anyone do that before, it’s  dedication unlike any other!

It's called being tight and not wanting to waste.
Plus there's naff all in Ashby on a Tuesday. 😉

Good call at Crawley. Its in a frost hollow so gets colder there than here.

I'm very grateful for the early heads-up as I was going. I came over from Donny today to pick up several Crawley and Luton tickets and was told our pitch was still frozen despite it being warmer up here than down there.

Made a day of it over in Cleethorpes and at least the would-be travellers can make other plans tomorrow now instead of feverishly checking social media for news as I was doing on Saturday.

Quoted from Limerick Mariner

Incineration of evidence is typically better than burying it...

12’ x8’ x6’ deep wouldn’t be big enough for my good whale … I mean wife 🤣

Quoted from lew chaterleys lover

Indeed. Think how long a frozen chicken takes to thaw in a fridge.

Right, you have to spend multiple days defrosting poultry in the fridge because of how dense it is and because the interior takes longer to thaw than the surface. A pitch, which is not like a frozen chicken (can't believe i'm having to write this), only needs the surface 1-2cm thawing to reach a state where studs can be inserted safely into the pitch. Unlike a frozen bird, a pitch is flat and has a much bigger surface area exposed to the air and will defrost to a useable state much quicker.

There is a reasonable chance that by kick off tomorrow there'll have been 30 hours straight of above freezing air temperatures in Crawley, so without any further frozen temperatures forecast it makes zero sense to call it off over a day in advance. I realise that town made plans to travel down this evening and it avoids a wasted trip for the players and staff, but it would have made way more sense given the fixture backlog to have done a pitch inspection tomorrow morning to see if there's a chance of getting the match on as scheduled. If the pitch is still frozen solid tomorrow morning then by all means postpone it, but this decision is too hurried for me.

Quoted from Chrisblor

Right, you have to spend multiple days defrosting poultry in the fridge because of how dense it is and because the interior takes longer to thaw than the surface. A pitch, which is not like a frozen chicken (can't believe i'm having to write this), only needs the surface 1-2cm thawing to reach a state where studs can be inserted safely into the pitch. Unlike a frozen bird, a pitch is flat and has a much bigger surface area exposed to the air and will defrost to a useable state much quicker.

There is a reasonable chance that by kick off tomorrow there'll have been 30 hours straight of above freezing air temperatures in Crawley, so without any further frozen temperatures forecast it makes zero sense to call it off over a day in advance. I realise that town made plans to travel down this evening and it avoids a wasted trip for the players and staff, but it would have made way more sense given the fixture backlog to have done a pitch inspection tomorrow morning to see if there's a chance of getting the match on as scheduled. If the pitch is still frozen solid tomorrow morning then by all means postpone it, but this decision is too hurried for me.

So a pitch inspection in the morning??
Were would that leave the travelling supporters?

It’s not just about taking a stud…

Quoted from Chrisblor

Right, you have to spend multiple days defrosting poultry in the fridge because of how dense it is and because the interior takes longer to thaw than the surface. A pitch, which is not like a frozen chicken (can't believe i'm having to write this), only needs the surface 1-2cm thawing to reach a state where studs can be inserted safely into the pitch. Unlike a frozen bird, a pitch is flat and has a much bigger surface area exposed to the air and will defrost to a useable state much quicker.

There is a reasonable chance that by kick off tomorrow there'll have been 30 hours straight of above freezing air temperatures in Crawley, so without any further frozen temperatures forecast it makes zero sense to call it off over a day in advance. I realise that town made plans to travel down this evening and it avoids a wasted trip for the players and staff, but it would have made way more sense given the fixture backlog to have done a pitch inspection tomorrow morning to see if there's a chance of getting the match on as scheduled. If the pitch is still frozen solid tomorrow morning then by all means postpone it, but this decision is too hurried for me.

I was half joking really but when the top inch thaws it's like a skating rink as I found out when walking the dogs this afternoon.

In any event Hurst is playing a blinder knowing we wouldn't need any new players for January due to the bad weather. Another bad joke but more believable than the chicken.

Quoted from Chrisblor

Right, you have to spend multiple days defrosting poultry in the fridge because of how dense it is and because the interior takes longer to thaw than the surface. A pitch, which is not like a frozen chicken (can't believe i'm having to write this), only needs the surface 1-2cm thawing to reach a state where studs can be inserted safely into the pitch. Unlike a frozen bird, a pitch is flat and has a much bigger surface area exposed to the air and will defrost to a useable state much quicker.

There is a reasonable chance that by kick off tomorrow there'll have been 30 hours straight of above freezing air temperatures in Crawley, so without any further frozen temperatures forecast it makes zero sense to call it off over a day in advance. I realise that town made plans to travel down this evening and it avoids a wasted trip for the players and staff, but it would have made way more sense given the fixture backlog to have done a pitch inspection tomorrow morning to see if there's a chance of getting the match on as scheduled. If the pitch is still frozen solid tomorrow morning then by all means postpone it, but this decision is too hurried for me.

Jeez…. You’re a pheasant plucker aren’t you

Bit of a choker.  One Tuesday night game I could have watched.

Quoted from GYinScuntland

sodomist! That's a Billy no mates beer and curry for me in Crawley.
Booked weeks ago very cheap both Travelodge and choo choo so might as well use them.

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attractions-g187051-Activities-Crawley_West_Sussex_England.html

Quoted from GYinScuntland

It's called being tight and not wanting to waste.
Plus there's naff all in Ashby on a Tuesday. 😉

Spending an afternoon in Crawley is pretty low on my list of things to do.  I had to work there for a year - it really is quite a depressing place.  I guess you can head down to Brighton....  or watch the planes at Gatwick.  Or just spend the afternoon in London.....

Pretty mild in London and all the grass/earth I walked past en route to work today is completely soft. Someone closer to Crawley in a WhatsApp group saying the same.

They've called this off too early. I'm saying this match could have easily gone ahead. The Crawley weather forecast indicated this was going to be the case too.

Frustrating, was looking forward to a few beers after work and hopping on a train to watch Town.

Yes I’m not far from Crawley. Out this morning to walk the dog and grass seemed a lot softer than I expected. Think it would have been playable.

People moan when a game's called off too early.

People moan when a game's called off too late.

You can't win!!

Quoted from Les Brechin

People moan when a game's called off too early.

People moan when a game's called off too late.

You can't win!!

There's a middle ground between calling a 3pm game off at 1:15pm on the same day and calling a 7:45pm game off at 5:45pm the day before though.

Quoted from Les Brechin

People moan when a game's called off too early.

People moan when a game's called off too late.

You can't win!!

Yes, because in both cases they've got it wrong, and in this case if they'd bothered to pay attention to the overnight weather forecast instead of some of the terminal bores on here we'd have been likely able to play the match this evening.

We are speculating somewhat, as we haven't seen the pitch so don't really know (speculating without the information? On the fishy? Never!)

However living in South London the ground is pretty soft today, which is surprising.

I wonder if all the criticism this weekend has made the Ref's go to far the wrong way. I think, on the face of it with limited knowledge, calling yesterday seems a little to early. Don't see why they couldn't have assessed this morning. But with the fixture pile up across the leagues I can't see them wanting to do that when they don't need to... so who knows!!  

Whitehawk were also due to play at home tonight and called their game off after a 10am inspection so maybe it is possible that all of us living in London poking the ground at the local common/park and declaring that the game definitely could have gone ahead are indeed incorrect.

I could be wrong but I believe I am the closest Mariner living nearest the Crawley Town ground (10 minute drive) and I can confirm even after a night of non freezing temperatures (still very cold) and today of the same  the ground is still like concrete, Not a chance tonight’s game would of gone ahead even if they had a pitch inspection at 6pm tonight, the ground is solid, So all of you weather/football pitch experts stop making yourself look stupid, the match was rightly called off….move on

Out with dog and ground is still hard enough to be unplayable here in Clee. Can't see it being a whole lot different in Crawley.

If our groundsmen know if our pitch is likely to be playable the day before a game and following a cold spell, surely the Crawley groundmen will know if their pitch is likely to be playable the day before a game and following a cold spell?

Quoted from Sussexmariner

I could be wrong but I believe I am the closest Mariner living nearest the Crawley Town ground (10 minute drive) and I can confirm even after a night of non freezing temperatures (still very cold) and today of the same  the ground is still like concrete, Not a chance tonight’s game would of gone ahead even if they had a pitch inspection at 6pm tonight, the ground is solid, So all of you weather/football pitch experts stop making yourself look stupid, the match was rightly called off….move on

Which obviously doesn't include your good self.

Surely he’s best placed, or at least better placed than several who are indignant and seem to have a furiously certain(but I’ll informed) idea about the playability of the game, to have and share an informed opinion, based on his geographical situation?

Quoted from GYinScuntland

Which obviously doesn't include your good self.

At least there isn't freezing fog. You'll be able to watch the aircraft coming in and out of Gatwick.

Hope you make the most of your trip anyway. Had plenty of wasted journeys in my time.

Quoted from 800

At least there isn't freezing fog. You'll be able to watch the aircraft coming in and out of Gatwick.

Hope you make the most of your trip anyway. Had plenty of wasted journeys in my time.

Ironically the fcuking train was cancelled so couldn't be arsed with it and took the refund.
Hopefully Travelodge customer services are doing me a deal too.

Quoted from GYinScuntland

Ironically the fcuking train was cancelled so couldn't be arsed with it and took the refund.
Hopefully Travelodge customer services are doing me a deal too.

FFS.

I'm getting coaches to London and back at the moment. The trains are less reliable.

Just had an email from Barnsley FC (I've bought tickets there before).

Match called off 5pm. They were travelling to Exeter.