The west of the Pennines notoriously receives more rainfall than the east. I can honestly say that I hadn’t realised quite to what extent until I moved to Sheffield and experienced what I call “The Huddersfield Effect”.
The highest motorway in the UK can be found on the M62 at Windy Hill between Oldham and Huddersfield. Here, when travelling westbound you can revel in sunshine up to & including the summit only to prepare for precipitation on the descent into Greater Manchester.
Many a time I’ve left home in South Yorkshire wearing shorts, tee shirt and sunglasses only to end up looking like Nanook of the North after a total wardrobe readjustment in Birch Services. Rain in the northwest of England isn’t a surprise.
At Ewood Park these days, it does however seem to be catching out Blackburn Rovers FC with increasing frequency.
The second abandonment of this embryonic season leaves Rovers with more games not finishing at Ewood than home victories - thanks to Sam Miller for that beauty.
What could be done though? Surely all this is a force majeure outside of the club’s control? It’s plain bad luck…isn’t it?
Well, you may say/think that but when the likes of Accrington Stanley can complete 90 minutes plus extra time and penalties then it’s time for a serious contemplate in the Ewood boardroom.
Fans now have to consider the long-range weather forecast before buying tickets. Away supporters might not want to risk it. The Sheffield Wednesday fans apparently had a fund raiser to cover the costs of travel & accommodation for their beleagured, currently ownerless club, to what end?
Well, they now know that Rovers have to cover the costs of the replay as per EFL rules - but only for the team. The supporters…they have no such luxury - ask Santa for a rail ticket, hotel voucher or petrol perhaps..?
Years of underinvestment and cost-cutting are now coming home to roost (pun intended) as the pitch - which has been in use for thirty years or so, is clearly struggling to cope.
After the Ipswich fiasco much was made of the River Darwen and it’s impact on the water table, painting the club as hapless accomplices to the vicissitudes of rainfall. However, this take was undermined by the club’s long-serving groundsman Trevor Wilkin;
“It was absolutely nothing at all to do with the river, this game. It was just the amount of rainfall that we got. We came in on the Saturday morning, myself and Lynsey Talbot, we checked the river, the drains in the river. They were working absolutely fine, not a problem. As the day went on, it just got heavier and heavier. It got to the point where it was just saturated and it couldn't physically take any more water.”
The pitch has already cost us points, money, reputation and supporter goodwill.
Will that be enough to provoke a rethink regarding investing in a new pitch?
Don’t hold your breath. Do hold an umbrella.
