Source: Bournemouth_Echo
Cherries: Mitchell fuming over County Sky date
CHAIRMAN Eddie Mitchell has opened up old wounds after Notts County revealed their home clash with Cherries would be televised on Sky Sports.[LNB] Mitchell is aggrieved with the decision to screen the League Two game at Meadow Lane in March just days after County had rejected an offer to face Eddie Howe's men in front of the cameras at Dean Court.[LNB] Cherries' home showdown with the Magpies on Monday, December 21 was due to be televised live by Sky, only for the contest to be postponed two hours before kick-off due to a frozen pitch. The cancellation cost Cherries £30,000 in television cash, while County missed out on £10,000. However, the Magpies then turned down the chance for the rearranged match to be shown by the satellite channel on Monday, February 15 even though Cherries had offered a 50-50 split of the broadcast fee.[LNB] And to compound their frustrations, Cherries yesterday discovered that County had taken up the opportunity to switch the Meadow Lane encounter between the two clubs from Saturday, March 13 to Monday, March 15 to accommodate Sky.[LNB] As a result, County will now bank £30,000, while Cherries who had no say in the decision as only the home club has to agree when fixtures are moved from Saturdays to Mondays will receive just £10,000. Currently fierce rivals for promotion from League Two, there was bad blood between the two clubs in the 1970s when Cherries' pursuit of County's star player Don Masson ended with a bitter courtroom battle.[LNB] Discussing County's decision to accept Sky's advances, Mitchell told the Daily Echo last night: It makes you wonder whether they knew this was on the cards when they declined the chance to come here.[LNB] They said they didn't want to play two games in three days. Their excuse was that they had a tough match against Rochdale on the Saturday and didn't want to travel here on the Monday night. We were more than prepared to go to Dagenham on the Saturday and play again on the Monday.[LNB] It all seems a bit of a fudge to me. They decided to decline our offer of half of the television money and now they are going to cop the lion's share.[LNB] We made a generous offer but I doubt they will do likewise.[LNB] We made a huge effort to get the first game on and tried our hardest to accommodate Sky. It is very disappointing that we won't benefit to the same tune as Notts County. There is a high reward for home clubs having games televised and the money is important to all clubs, Notts County included.[LNB] The £10,000 we are due to receive will be most welcome, as will the opportunity for the team to showcase their talents in front of the viewing public. It's just a slap in the face that it has worked out this way.[LNB] It is going to be a grudge match when we play them here on February 9 and a revenge mission for County when we meet them at their place in March because I am convinced we will beat them here.[LNB]
