Match switched due to BNP event

Everton's match against Stoke has been rescheduled

Police have apologised to Everton fans after postponing a game because of a British National Party event.

The Blues were due to take on Stoke in a Premier League fixture at Goodison Park at 1500 GMT on 14 March.

But local BNP members are due to leaflet the city centre in the run-up to the European elections in June.

Merseyside Police feared they did not have enough officers for both events and so asked the Premier League to move the fixture by 24 hours.

The match will now take place at 1500 GMT on Sunday, 15 March.

We apologise if this has caused any inconvenience for some members of the public, but public safety is paramount Ch Supt Steve Watson, Merseyside Police

Laurence Lee, of the Everton Former Players Association, said many fans were disappointed with the move.

"I think there's only four or five homes games all season that kick off on a Saturday at three pm," said Mr Lee.

"So for that reason alone people will be disappointed. Secondly police and football interfering is not a good combination."

Merseyside Police said they had made representations for the fixture to be moved on the basis of "operational considerations".

Ch Supt Steve Watson, commander for Liverpool north, said there were several events planned that would have required "intensive policing".

"If they had all taken place at the same time it would have placed extraordinary pressures on demand and would have affected the ability to police those events effectively," he said.

"Safety of the public is paramount and this was considered in our representations.

"We apologise if this has caused any inconvenience for some members of the public, but public safety is paramount."

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