AFC FYLDE A (2) Finley 16, Muldoon 29 MAIDSTONE UNITED A (1) Pigott 25

DREADFUL weather conditions at Mill Farm saw AFC Fylde’s National League fixture against Maidstone United abandoned three minutes after half-time.

The Coasters were leading the match 2-1 when referee Marc Edwards put a halt to proceedings and both managers reluctantly agreed with the decision.

Goals from Fylde captain Sam Finley and Jack Muldoon, either side of Joe Pigott’s strike, had seen the saturated hosts go into the break ahead and home manager Dave Challinor was frustrated but accepting of the conclusion.

“It was never going to be a great spectacle with 60-mile-anhour winds and driving rain. The referee was asking questions as to what we thought but at the end of the day it was irrelevant.

“You can’t play football when the pitch gets like that even though both clubs and both sets of fans would have like to have seen the game finished.

“Maidstone won’t want to come back up here on a Tuesday night and we are disappointed because we were in the lead. We got on to the front foot and didn’t over-complicate it. Both sides had opportunities but we have to write it off now and look forward to another home game against Wrexham on Tuesday.”

Stones boss Jay Saunders agreed: “I thought it was quite a close game in the first half, but the weather took over. The ball was stopping all over the pitch and we knew that was going to be the end of it. “I was disappointed with the goals we conceded but with the wind against us it was very difficult, as Fylde would have no doubt found out in the second half. We would have far preferred to got the game done and dusted on the day but it had become dangerous and it was the correct decision to call the game off.”