Carlisle consider Grays complaint

Tuesday night's game was delayed for 27 minutes before being abandoned

Carlisle United will consider lodging an official complaint with the Football Association following Tuesday's abandoned FA Cup clash at Grays.

The first-round replay was called off after 20 minutes due to floodlight failure with Grays leading 1-0.

"We're obviously very disappointed," Carlisle chief executive David Allen told BBC Radio Cumbria.

"We'll have a meeting about it later today [Wednesday] but it is obviously very unfair on the club."

They were blaming the water in the Thames rising and the damp getting into the electrics

Carlisle chief executive David Allen

The Blue Square Premier side had taken the lead through Sam Sloma 60 seconds earlier before the lights in one corner of the Recreation Ground's Bradbourne End went out.

After a delay of 27 minutes, referee David Phillips decided to call off the game for "health and safety reasons".

Allen said: "It's been talked about having [the replay] a week on Saturday. We're hoping we can get it changed to next Tuesday night."

Last week, Grays had to postpone their Setanta Shield tie against Chelmsford City due to floodlight problems.

The Cumbrians' chief executive was critical of the reasons the Blue Square Premier club gave for Tuesday night's problems.

"They were blaming the water in the Thames rising and the damp getting into the electrics.

"It's 2008. I think excuses like that, they should be doing something better."

Allen confirmed that the Cumbrians would not be out-of-pocket following Tuesday night's abandonment.

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Must say well done to the fellow Carlisle fans who turned up

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"Part of the Football Association rules in these cup games are that the club does get its expenses back," he said.

"The club is very sympathetic for the fans that travelled, so any fans who travelled with the official coaches, we'll put coaches on again at no cost.

"If fans can't travel to the replay, we will reimburse the cost they paid."