Referee made the right call

Jay Saunders felt referee Marc Edwards was right to abandon Maidstone’s game at AFC Fylde. Bosses Saunders and Fylde’s Dave Challinor were asked for their views and Edwards abandoned the match soon after. Groundstaff had swept water off the pitch at half-time but were fighting a losing battle. Saunders wanted to get the game finished – and fancied his side’s chances of a second-half fightback – but agreed with the referee. He said: “You could see it was getting worse and worse and as we were coming out for the second half, the fourth official said ‘we’ll keep an eye on it’ and then he’s approached me and just said ‘what’s your feelings on it?’ “First of all I said ‘I don’t want to be coming back up on a Tuesday night’ but then the ball got caught up in midfield and went back to Lee Worgan and it took a funny turn. “If the ball starts to stop, that’s when you have to call it because it becomes dangerous and also the game becomes unrealistic, so you could be losing points on a ball stopping. “When it went back to Worgs and stopped, you’re thinking ‘if they nick that and score…’ “Their manager felt the same so we kind of said you’ve got to make that decision. “They took everyone off the pitch and the referee said ‘I don’t feel it’s playable but what are your feelings?’ “Dave and myself said ‘ultimately you’re the referee and you’ve got to make that decision’ but for me I didn’t think it was playable. It just got too much. It’s a shame because we don’t want to come back here on a Tuesday but it is what it is.” A new date for the game is yet to be announced.