WHILE clubs in other parts of the country had a fairly easy decision before calling off their fixtures this weekend, for referee Ross Joyce it was not so straight forward at the Racecourse.

The club and match officials had watched the forecasts in the days leading up to Saturday and as soon as Thursday night's frost arrived, it was arranged for a local referee to inspect the Racecourse on Friday afternoon at 3.00pm.

While the surface was crusty in places, it was deemed playable, but with another frost expected on Friday night, the match referee immediately drove south from his Teeside home, so as to be ready to check on the pitch as soon as day break arrived on Saturday morning.

Mr Joyce joined Wrexham staff at the Racecourse shortly after 8.00am and was pleasantly surprised at what he saw, although there was frost on the grass and the ground still hard.

Checks were made again with the weather forecasters, who suggested temperatures would soon start to rise and climb above freezing.

With Mansfield Town leaving shortly after 8.30am and the sun starting to shine on the pitch, it was decided to see if temperatures would come up enough to let the surface take a stud.

The Stags were kept informed by mobile phone and their boss David Holdsworth was making his own way to Wrexham ahead of the team coach.

Wrexham boss Dean Saunders joined the referee at 10 o'clock and the pair spent a considerable amount of time on the pitch, as they waited for David to join them.

The Mansfield manager was on site shortly after 11.00am and after talks between the the trio, it was decided that while temperatures were above freezing it was still not lifting the frost out of the ground across the whole of the pitch, especially in front of the Mold Road Stand.

With concerns about players landing heavily on the hard surface, the decision was made at 11.30am to postpone the fixture, which was as late as we would have liked to have left it before starting to inform supporters of any postponement.

"We have given the pitch every chance of staging the game," said referee Ross Royce.

"We have worked with the groundsman Paul, but in the end the weather has beaten us.

"The sun came out and lifted the temperature, and over half the ground is playable, but unfortunately on the far side it is still frozen.

"After consulting with Dean Saunders and David Holdsworth, we decided it was not safe to play - so unfortunately we have been beaten by the frost.

"I've just checked the temperature again and it's up to 4c degrees, but it still hasn't been enough to help us on that far side.

"The Mansfield fans will have been well on their way and I do feel desperately sorry for them. It took me four hours to get down from Middlesbrough last night, so I do sympathise.

"I'm as disappointed as anybody today, but I do have to look at the players' safety first and on this occasion I think we have made the right decision, especially after discussions with the two managers.

"We all wanted the game on, but we had to be realistic."

At that time, only two other BSP games were still left on, but both also fell to the conditions - Grays v York City went a 1.15pm and Gateshead v Kettering Town at 2.00pm.

Our apologises to all fans, from both clubs, for the inconvenience caused, but as can be seen from the pictures below, we were not far away from being able to stage the match.

Dean Saunders and referee Ross Joyce walk the pitch

The pair discuss conditions in front of the Mold Road Stand

The groundstaff's hard work was all for nothing!