Exeter City match postponed

Pitch is frozen

Exeter City's League One match against Barnsley on Tuesday evening has been cancelled because the St James Park pitch is frozen.

The decision was taken late in the afternoon, with the Yorkshire team already on their way to Devon.

Their fans are not happy, taking to social media to complain that the call to stop the match was made "embarrassingly late", according to one follower just three hours ahead of a game a four-hour drive away.

Temperatures have struggled to get much over two or three degrees in Exeter through much of Tuesday, and are set to plummet overnight.

Nonetheless, whilst player safety is critical, some will point out that it has been cold for several days now and the forecast is for it to stay this way until Wednesday.

On its website, the club says: "Despite the hard work of the ground staff at St James Park, there are small areas on the pitch that are unplayable."

And match referee Darren Handley said: “There are areas on the touchline and near the away end that are not going to give and won’t grip so it won’t be safe for the players.”

Exeter had the chance to rise to eighth in the table with a win, whilst Barnsley, were looking to consolidate their position in the play-off places.

Exeter FC has apologised to Barnsley and its fans who have already travelled to Devon for the game.