Blues face League probe into unplayable new pitch

THE Football League will investigate the circumstances which forced Birmingham to postpone their Coca-Cola Championship clash with Leeds today after problems with the new St Andrew’s pitch.

Birmingham’s managing director Karren Brady revealed the club must lay another new pitch after adverse weather conditions rendered the recently-installed surface unplayable.

The club postponed today’s match after a pitch inspection — at which League officials were present — due to “the safety and condition of the newly-laid turf” at St Andrew’s.

And the Football League said in a statement on their website, www.football-league.co.uk, they had “acceded to an official request from Birmingham City to postpone the club’s Coca-Cola Championship match with Leeds United tomorrow.

“A re-scheduled date for this fixture will be announced shortly following consultation with both clubs. The Football League can also confirm that it intends to investigate the circumstances that led to the match being postponed.”

The surface was dug up and replaced after last weekend’s FA Cup clash with Newcastle but concern had been voiced that it would not be ready in time for the meeting with Dennis Wise’s side.

A statement on the club’s website, www.bcfc.com, said: “Following discussions this morning with the Football League’s official turf expert, Steve Baker, the match referee Rob Styles and PGMO referees manager Jim Ashworth, the club has conceded that our game against Leeds should not go ahead due to the safety and condition of the newly -laid turf.

“On this basis the club has no option but to request to the Football League that our Championship fixture this Saturday versus Leeds United is postponed.

“Whilst it is possible for the turf to be laid and prepared in time for the game on Saturday, the pitch inspection this morning has determined that the surface would remain unplayable due to the unexpected atrocious weather conditions already experienced.”

Brady revealed the pitch will have to be relaid yet again:

“Due to the club’s extensive efforts since Tuesday/Wednesday’s freak rainfall to get the game on in the face of adversity, all the areas of turf we have just laid will now have to be dug up and a new pitch sought due to the present saturated conditions.”

The laying of the new £120,000 pitch, which was the ‘spare’ one for the new Wembley Stadium, had been hampered by the recent weather conditions.

The club were going to relay the pitch in Christmas week but because of freezing temperatures were forced to reschedule to this week. Heavy rainfall hampered preparations and the club called in a soil management expert.

This is the first time a senior game in English football has been postponed due to a newly-laid pitch not being ready and the Blues could face a charge of failing to fulfil a fixture. A disciplinary commission could hand out a fine or even impose a points deduction.

City’s need to relay their pitch was emphasised when star striker Nicklas Bendtner suffered an ankle injury after catching it in a divot during the cup tie with Newcastle, sidelining the on-loan Arsenal player for a month.