WREXHAM FROZEN OUT AT MK DONS
Mark Currie - Daily Post

WREXHAM manager Brian Little had no complaints about the decision to call off Saturday's match against League Two leaders MK Dons, despite learning of the postponement only minutes before the team bus arrived at the ground.

Referee Danny McDermid, from London, inspected the stadium:mk playing surface at 1pm before ruling that a significant area of the pitch was frostbound and constituted a danger to the players.

A disappointed Dragons boss echoed the sentiments of hundreds of Wrexham fans who also made the six-hour round trip in vain when he said: "It has left me feeling a bit empty.

"It's Saturday, the sun is shining and we should be playing football."

Little's assistant Martin Foyle and some members of the Racecourse backroom staff had arrived at the stadium ahead of the team, yet were given no inkling that the match was in doubt.

But Little added: "I understand the referee's decision. From all accounts he had no choice with a large proportion of the pitch still frozen from the overnight frost.

"There is naturally disappointment at the late nature of the decision and I really do feel for all our supporters, who must have virtually arrived in Milton Keynes before learning of the cancellation.

"That will also go for the home fans as the club were expecting another bumper crowd this afternoon.

"Obviously it is the height of the stands at their new ground which has caused the problem and not allowed the sun to bring the frost out of the ground.

"Martin Foyle said the groundsman could hardly make a mark in the soil with his key, which shows just how hard the surface was."

Ironically the Dons' new multi-million pound home - opened at the start of the season with McDermid in charge of the Dons first home league game against Bury - includes provision for undersoil heating, but work is still ongoing.

MK Dons manager Paul Ince was as frustrated as his Wrexham counterpart, saying: "I spoke to Brian Little and we both agreed straight away with the referee that the pitch was unplayable.

"The most disappointing thing is that for the most part the pitch is probably playable, but the part without the sun on it is frozen and definitely dangerous.

"We're very disappointed because we wanted the game on, especially after the result (3-3) at Shrewsbury on Tuesday.

"The lads have been chomping at the bit since then to put it right against Wrexham."

Results elsewhere on Saturday have left Wrexham seven points away from League Two safety, albeit with matches in hand on most of teams in the relegation battle.

And the Dragons face a testing trip tomorrow evening to Hereford United, who moved into second spot as a result of their 2-0 win against Chesterfield.

Striker Drewe Broughton, on loan from the Dons, comes back into contention for the Edgar Street clash and Little admitted to some sympathy for Rob Duffy, who had been pencilled in to make his first Wrexham start at stadium:mk.

He said: "One person I feel particularly sorry for is Rob Duffy as he was so looking forward to playing with Drewe Broughton not available to face his parent club.

"The players were really up to see if they could continue the run we have got going at the moment, but we will just have to wait until Tuesday night's trip to Hereford instead.

"With the Dons now having two midweek JPT games in quick succession it looks likely that there may be some delay before we can make the return trip to play them."

DISAPPOINTMENT FOR WREXHAM PLAYERS OVER POSTPONED MATCH
Richard Williams - Wrexham Evening Leader

BRIAN LITTLE admitted there was massive disappointment in the Wrexham camp that Saturday's match against Milton Keynes Dons was postponed because of a frozen pitch.

Although there had been no earlier pitch inspection despite the overnight frost, referee Danny McDermid made the decision to call the game off after taking a look at the stadium:mk playing surface at around 1pm.

The tall stands at the impressive new stadium meant sunlight was restricted on one half of the pitch and was left rock hard following freezing temperatures overnight.

With no prior suggestion the game was in doubt, the Wrexham backroom staff had already arrived at the ground to make final preparations and when told of the postponement, had to inform Little and his players - at a nearby hotel - of the decision.

Wrexham had made the trip to the League Two leaders on the back of a five-match unbeaten run and Little said the players, hoping to extend that record, were gutted not to be in action.

"It is not what we wanted because we are here and everybody is keen," said Little today. "Nobody believed me when I told them it was off. Everybody wanted to play.

"We'd got down here, had the pre-match meal and one or two of the staff came down early to put the kit out.

"We are gutted but you just have to get on with it.

"We have got a good spirit at the moment and we were laughing and joking about it, though you could see how disappointed they were.

"We are going well at the moment and it would have been nice to have played."

Little himself did not inspect the pitch, but he accepted the decision to postpone the fixture, saying it was in the best interests of both sets of players and the officials.

"The referee said he had a couple of problems with one half of the pitch - one was obviously harder than the other because it had no sun - and he called it off," said Little.

"I did not go out myself, I don't really see any point because the decision has been made.

"I think both parties recognised that the pitch was difficult in some areas and not in others.

"We will accept the decision. The referee has to do what he deems is right.

"He has got people to think of and at the end of the day, if somebody had got hurt on the pitch we would all be crying over spilt milk."

Little felt particularly sorry for striker Rob Duffy that the match against Paul Ince's MK Dons, who Wrexham beat 1-0 last month in the corresponding fixture at The Racecourse, had been postponed.

Oxford United frontman Duffy, whose initial one month loan deal at Wrexham has been extended until the end of the season, was due to make his first start for the Reds having previously made two brief substitute appearances.

Drewe Broughton, also on loan at Wrexham, was not allowed to face parent club MK Dons, meaning Duffy was being handed his full debut.

With Broughton available again for tomorrow's trip to second place Hereford United, Little now has to de

cide who will lead the Reds' attack at Edgar Street.

"I feel sorry for Rob," added Little. "Neil Roberts said, 'oh no, his big chance', so you get the feeling among the players about how keen they were to play.

"I feel sorry for a lot of people - including the supporters who have made their way here.

"Everybody wanted a game on and it is one of those things. There is not a lot I can do.

"It is another midweek game to rearrange but we will just get on with it.

"If you let disappointment get at you too much it has an affect on you.

"We will just get ready for Hereford now."

The majority of results involving Wrexham's relegation rivals on Saturday did not go the Reds' way.

Victories for Dagenham and Redbridge, and Mansfield means that bottom of the table Wrexham are now seven points away from safety, although the Reds do have games in hand on all the sides around them.