Pitch Problems Force Blues Game Off

The club relaid the St Andrew's playing surface on Monday but, after prolonged rain in the area throughout the week, it was today declared unsafe by the Football League's official turf expert Steve Baker and match referee Rob Styles. Birmingham managing director Karren Brady was quick to insist her club was blameless, claiming instead that "freak weather" had caused the problems - and that three times more rain than forecast has fallen in the midlands this week. "Absolutely nothing more could have been done in terms of manpower, machinery and equipment to try and get this game on following the freak weather Tuesday into Wednesday," she said.

"Due to the club's extensive efforts since Tuesday/Wednesday's freak rainfall to get the game on in the face of adversity; all the areas of turf we have just laid will now have to be dug up and a new pitch sought due to the present saturated conditions." Birmingham also claim to have sought "top expert advice from agronomists and turf specialists in relation to the re-lay of the pitch", and that "such type of works have always been completed successfully by the same company elsewhere on numerous occasions and within the same timescale." In a statement they also pointed out that their efforts to combat the "extreme weather", including "additional covers, additional manpower as well as other works, procedures, materials and machinery, eg water blotter in order to ensure the game went ahead this Saturday.

"Once the club were made aware by the contractors that the extent of the unexpected weather had caused such problems for them we immediately contacted the Football League for advice in order to ensure the least amount of disruption possible to both clubs and both sets of supporters." But it wasn't to be, and this afternoon the match was called off. A rescheduled date for this fixture will be announced shortly following consultation with Leeds and the Football League.

The consequences for the Blues, however, could be serious. They may face a charge of failing to fulfil a fixture and a disciplinary commission could hand out a fine or even impose a points penalty. City's need to relay their pitch was emphasised when the on-loan striker Nicklas Bendtner suffered an ankle injury after catching it in a divot during last Saturday's FA Cup tie with Newcastle.