Kidderminster Harriers’ officials, players and supporters were disappointed and angry at the decision of referee John Hopkins to postpone this fixture just two hours before the scheduled kick-off time of 2pm.

Harriers’ team coach was informed at 12.20pm yesterday that the game had been cancelled.

But, being only five minutes from the Broadfield Stadium, they arrived at the ground in the hope of persuading the referee to delay his decision with temperatures around the 11 degree mark and in glorious sunshine.

The referee’s only area of concern was focussed on, in his opinion, a 10 yard area around one goal area that had not sufficiently thawed.

But upon inspection of this area by both players and officials it was suggested that the actual area was indeed just a few feet and with the sun coming round it was possible that the surface would melt and the pitch would be playable.

Referee Hopkins would not change his mind and left the Broadfield Stadium through a side exit so as not to be confronted by Kidderminster supporters who had made the 170-mile journey.

Harriers Chairman  Barry Norgrove was incensed at the decision and attempted to discuss the situation with the match officials as they prepared to leave.

“I had better not say anything at the moment as I will get into trouble but I am angry with this situation,” he said.

Mark Yates, the Harriers boss, was equally upset.

“I asked the referee if he could wait and see if the conditions improved. He told me his decision was made and he could not change it because the delegate had left the ground. I spoke with Steve Evans (Crawley Manager) who appeared to want to get the game to go ahead but when I asked him to go with me to see the ref he made his excuses and said he needed to go to his office.

“We did everything we could to accommodate Crawley in playing this fixture on a Sunday, but the disrespect shown to the club and its supporters by the match officials has left a sour taste.

“You cannot blame the referee, he would insist the pitch was dangerous but he could have made the decision with us in attendance as we were literally just up the road, that is what is annoying.”

About a hundred Harriers fans arrived at the ground having left Kidderminster at around 8.30am and, despite the obvious disappointment, they conducted themselves in an excellent manner talking with the Harriers players in the car park whilst the coach drivers took their break before leaving the Stadium complex. 

Ironically, given the circumstances, Steve Evans instructed his Crawley team to embark on an 11-a-side friendly fixture playing on the pitch which had just been deemed unfit as a warm up to next weekend’s FA Trophy tie at Torquay United.