Fixtures off as cold snap bites

04 February 2012 10:16

Portsmouth's home match against Hull became the first npower Championship fixture to fall victim to the weather as it was postponed due to a frozen pitch on Saturday morning.

Fratton Park passed an initial pitch inspection on Friday, but referee Darren Sheldrake returned and found the surface to be unplayable following freezing temperatures overnight.

Several matches in the lower leagues have already been called off.

League One leaders Charlton postponed their match with Rochdale, while Scunthorpe called off their meeting with Walsall.

Charlton reported overnight temperatures of minus six on their website, and they called in the referee early to make a decision.

Glanford Park also reached minus six overnight.

The postponements mean six of Saturday's League One matches are off with those between Colchester and Sheffield United, Notts County and Stevenage, Oldham and Leyton Orient, and Preston and Brentford already gone.

The League Two programme has lost all but four matches, with one of those to go ahead that between Plymouth and Southend after Home Park passed a pitch inspection.

The Conference clash between Mansfield and Darlington was also called off due to a frozen pitch at Field Mill, along with Southport's match with Kettering and Lincoln's clash with Braintree.

Source: PA