1:04pm Thursday 4th January 2007

Advertiser - Ludlow

FEARING injury to players on Saturday, the referee abandoned the match on a pitch fast becoming a mudbath.

Now a West Midlands FA board will decide whether the game will be replayed if both clubs are agreeable.

Tenbury manager Colin Powell said: "I can see why the referee did it, players were going to ground and getting fractious. We will be pushing for the game to be played again and going after all three poiints. Sporting Khalsa also need points and their attitude could be much the same."
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He added:"But I would have much preferred to have seen matters settled on Saturday for the sake of 15 or 20 minutes."

Captain and centre back Matthew Kurkus had returned from injury and Tenbury reverted to 3-5-2.

Striker Ryan Morris was missing after suffering a broken collar bone against Hinton and will be out for six weeks.

The visitors took the lead after 10 minutes from a breakaway and the ball was lobbed over the keeper from the edge of the area.

On the half-hour mark, Tenbury equalised when the ball was played down the line for Karl Pearson to slot it into the bottom corner of the net.

With the score 1-1 at half time, the skies opened and rain bucketed down on to the deteriorating pitch.

Matthew Kurkus said: "Football became a slog on such a heavy surface. The ball was barely moving and we could hardly stand up. It was like playing in a mudbath with players sliding in all around you."

He added: "The referee had tried to keep the game going but admitted that it was unlikely to go the full 90 minutes."

Tenbury visit Bilston on Saturday in West Midlands One, kick off 3pm.

Bilston will be looking for revenge after being beaten 1-3 by Tenbury in November.