Colchester United chief executive Steve Bradshaw has defended their reasons for not having underground heating at their new Community Stadium.
Their match with Tranmere was postponed on Saturday due to a frozen pitch.
Bradshaw said: "The Football League have recently gone away from undersoil heating as a concept and have suggested no new grounds bring it in.
"There was also a prohibitive cost, I think about �500,000, which in fairness we just didn't have."
"It's desperately disappointing and I am terribly sorry that fans will have been inconvenienced," he added.
"But player safety is paramount and also that of fans getting to and from the stadium."
The decision to call the match off was taken 90 minutes before kick-off, and Bradshaw was adamant it was the correct decision.
"It's always the right decision as far as player safety is concerned," he said.
"Our hardcore fans will remember one of our most consistent players, Karl Duguid, being injured on just such a day a couple of years ago and he was out for 18 months.
"So whilst I understand people have concerns and disappointments, ultimately player safety has to be paramount."
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