Sturrock: 'Annoying that we're having to keep stopping and starting our season'
Saturday's call-off of the Wycombe Wanderers match at Roots Hall due to a frozen pitch was the third postponement for Southend United in five games!
Not surprisingly the Shrimpers manager Paul Sturrock was not a happy Luggy as his team remain 17th in League Two.
Strurrock told www.echo-news.co.uk: "It's very frustrating because the weather has disrupted our momentum again. After getting a great win at Cheltenham and playing well we wanted to take that in to the Wycombe game and hopefully pick up more points."
He accepted that the ground staff at the Hall tried their best to keep the pitch playable but it was the severe drop in overnight tempartures thatdid for them in the end.
Sturrock continued: "Although the club did everything they could to get the game on, including covering the pitch, the freezing temperatures meant it was impossible for the match to be played. It was a similar story after we had drawn against both Shrewsbury and Stevenage and it's annoying that we're having to keep stopping and starting our season."
There would have been a problem for the fans getting to the game as well, in fact, there wasn't a match played in the fourth tier, and only one in the third, Exeter City hammering fallen giants Sheffield Wednesday 5-1! I wonder how many Owls fans made that trip!
However, Luggy is now moving on to the Shrimpers preparations for the Barnet match on Boxing Day, which will also be affected by the adverse weather, as still could the game at Underhill!
The Blues boss concluded: "We're running the risk of the pitches at the training ground being rock solid again and players struggling to maybe even get in. Hopefully the conditions can soon improve and the only good thing is that it gives our players carrying knocks — like Josh Simpson and Bilel Mohsni — longer to recover."
Tuesday November 16th was the last time the Essex boys steeped out onto the hallowed turf, losing on penalties to Macclesfield in the FA Cup, while at least they got the excellent 2-0 victory at Cheltenham last Tuesday in.
Sadly for left-back Peter Gilbert it does extend his suspension until, possibily, the forecast is that bad, the League Two away clash with Crewe Alexandra on Bank Holiday Tuesday, December 28th, as long as the Bees game gets the nod of course!
The latest weather outlook here:
http://uk.weather.com/weather/10day-Southend-on-Sea-UKXX1314
http://uk.weather.com/weather/10day-Crewe-UKXX0228
More on the Gilbert suspension here:
www.southendunited-mad.co.uk/news/tmnw/
poor_peter_gilbert_sits_out_more_time_for_southend_united_609950/
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