- A League Two clash between Swindon Town and Crewe Alexandra was delayed
- The fixture was suspended after just four minutes of action due to the weather
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Swindon Town’s League Two clash with Crewe Alexandra was delayed by 56 minutes after referees determined that conditions were unplayable just four minutes into the game.
The affair initially kicked off at 15:00 GMT, before referee Lee Swaby paused the game soon after, as a thick blanket of fog descended on the County Ground.
Players quickly headed into their dressing rooms, while it was reported that most of the supporters remained in the ground and waited for the game to restart.
The conditions improved and were re-evaluated at 15:30, before the managers made their way back onto the touchline and it was announced that play would restart at 16:00.
Swindon manager Ian Holloway revealed that if the fog worsens or returns to the initial state that it was in when play was first called off, the game will likely be cancelled.
‘If it goes like that again we’ll have to cancel, it’ll be too dangerous,’ he told BBC Radio Wiltshire, before play restarted.
The foggy conditions at the County Ground caused a 56-minute delay in the League Two clash
Play restarted at 16:00 after it initially kicked off an hour earlier, following a weather review
‘It came down right after kick-off. How it was is very different to how it is now. We’re going to try again out of respect to everyone here.
‘I haven’t seen anything like that [in my career]. I don’t know. Is the fog attracted down by the players’ body heat?’
Moments before the game kicked off again, former Swindon defender Paul Bodin revealed just how treacherous the conditions were, but argued that they were still playable.
He said: ‘It is very, very difficult to play in these conditions.
‘If you’re central on the pitch you can now see both sides of the pitch.
‘The linesman can see right across. If it stays like this, it is definitely playable.’
Saturday’s game was one of just two League Two matches to kick-off today after freezing conditions disrupted the schedule.
Eight matches were set to be played but as many as six were called off. These were: Grimsby Town vs Notts County; Gillingham vs Fleetwood; Carslile vs MK Dons; AFC Wimbledon vs Cheltenham; Port Vale vs Barrow; and Accrington Stanley vs Newport County.
Most fans reportedly remained in the 15,728-capacity ground despite the delay to proceedings
The latter game was rescheduled as Accrington faced Liverpool in the FA Cup, where the Reds won 4-0 at Anfield.
The only other League Two game that carried out as planned was Walsall vs Tranmere earlier in the afternoon, which saw the hosts pick up a 5-1 win at Bescot Stadium.
