Southend United: Groundsman's wife shocked by frozen pitch sacking

The wife of a groundsman who was sacked because a match was cancelled by a frozen pitch said she is shocked and disappointed by his dismissal.

Southend United said Ken Hare, who had been the club's groundsman for 27 years, should have told management how cold it was going to get before the game against Bolton Wanderers.

Mr Hare's wife Maisie told BBC Radio Essex her husband did everything he could to make the Roots Hall pitch playable.

In a statement the club said: "People generally lose their positions as a result of not doing their job."