Dover Athletic P-P Notts County: Head coach Ian Burchnall calls postponement a 'disgrace'

Ian Burchnall found out about the postponement 10 minutes before their arrival at the ground

Notts County head coach Ian Burchnall says Dover Athletic showed a lack of respect over the postponement of Saturday's National League game.

In a statement, the club said they had contacted Dover at 11:00 GMT and were "categorically told" there were no concerns about the match going ahead.

Club officials were then told the match was off, due to a waterlogged pitch, when they arrived two hours later.

"For me, today has been a disgrace," Burchnall said.

"Fans have sacrificed their Saturday, and a lot of money, to travel four hours in support of their football club and they have been massively let down by a complete lack of communication from Dover.

"We understand that weather conditions can worsen even in a short time period, but to not inform us of the game coming under question shows a complete lack of respect to our supporters and us as a club."

Burchnall was with staff and players on the team bus, 10 minutes from the ground, when he received a call from the referee explaining the pitch was unplayable.

Notts also had their game at King's Lynn called off on Boxing Day while the team and supporters were making their way to the ground.

"It's disgraceful that Dover have allowed this completely avoidable situation to play out as it has," Burchnall added.

"Our supporters have been badly let down once again and the National League need to address this for the good of all clubs."

Dover Athletic chairman Jim Parmenter believed the game could have gone ahead and said the referee had made the decision because of the threat of further rain.

"I'm very disappointed in the decision," he said. "He's called it off, in my opinion, based on his view of the weather forecast rather than the actual state of the pitch because the pitch is clearly playable."