BBC Sportfootball

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

Related BBC sites

Page last updated at 17:48 GMT, Friday, 11 December 2009

Buckle frustrated by pitch saga

Advertisement

Buckle dismayed by postponements

Torquay United manager Paul Buckle has spoken of his annoyance at the Gulls' protracted FA Cup tie with Stockport.

The FA have now ordered the twice-postponed second round tie to be played at Moss Rose, Macclesfield, next Tuesday night (15 December, 1945 GMT).

But Buckle said that the postponements have caused Torquay lost money and time in twice travelling up to Cheshire.

"To be up there once, then again and for it not to be played at their place is frustrating," Buckle told BBC Sport.

"It's actually cost the club money and that can't be right.

"And, for our supporters as well, geographically where we are, everyone has to make plans to get up there and it's cost everyone time and money."

Surely if you're going to play rugby on your pitch, the pitch has got to able to withstand that

Torquay boss Paul Buckle on Edgeley Park

"We have to look at it very carefully when we stay overnight and I do believe we've lost money on it.

"We need to try and recoup that somewhere and that's not really fair."

The pitch at Edgeley Park has been the subject of many column inches in recent weeks, Torquay being by far from the only club to have been affected.

The League One fixture with Swindon was also postponed on 1 December.

And Premiership rugby club Wasps refused to play on 27 November against Sale Sharks, who also use Edgeley Park, the night before the first of the scheduled ties.

Buckle believes that Sale's shared use of the pitch is part of the problem.

"Surely if you're going to play rugby on your pitch," he added, "the pitch has got to able to withstand that."



Print Sponsor


see also
Torquay 5-0 Darlington
12 Dec 09 |  League Two
Accrington Stanley 4-2 Torquay
05 Dec 09 |  League Two
New venue for Stockport-Torquay
09 Dec 09 |  FA Cup
Stockport P-P Swindon
01 Dec 09 |  League One
Stockport P-P Torquay
28 Nov 09 |  FA Cup
Wasps cleared over abandoned game
07 Dec 09 |  English


related bbc links:

related internet links:
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites