Saturday’s game between Blackburn Rovers and Ipswich Town was abandoned with just 10 minutes remaining due to torrential rain at Ewood Park. A yellow weather warning for rain had already been issued and there was a monumental deluge before kick-off, though no pitch inspection was made. It was a game of little quality in the first half, with neither side finding a breakthrough in the opening 45 minutes.
After the interval, the visitors were reduced in numbers when Jacob Greaves was dismissed for a clumsy last-man foul on Yuki Ohashi. Minutes later, they found themselves a goal down with Todd Cantwell firing Blackburn ahead from the penalty spot. It came after Ipswich defender Darnell Furlong hauled down the Rovers forward inside the box.
The rain continued to fall as the match progressed, with the ball struggling to bounce or roll on the waterlogged pitch. Eventually, the referee was forced to make a decision as he ordered both sets of players back into their respective dressing rooms.
There was a lengthy delay as the ground staff at Ewood Park took to the pitch with forks in a desperate attempt to drain some of the standing water. However, the rain was coming down quicker than it was possible to remove it from the field of play.
Many fans were seen leaving the stadium before it was confirmed the game had been abandoned. A decision on whether it will be replayed in full is set to be made in due course.
The stadium announcer told the remaining fans: “Thank you for your patience. Game abandoned. A decision will be made by the officials whether the match will be replayed in due course.”
Following the announcement, the Ipswich players walked over to the away end to applaud their travelling fans who had made the long journey up from Suffolk for the game.
Blackburn supporters will feel hard done by, given the timing of the abandonment and the fact they were a goal to the good. However, the referee was left with little choice but to bring a halt to proceedings with no sign of the weather easing up.
A re-staging of the match would appear all but certain, with FA guidelines suggesting that it will need to be replayed in full.
The relevant rule states: “In the event of a competition match not being played or abandoned owing to causes over which neither club has control, it should be played in its entirety on a date to be mutually agreed by the two clubs and approved by the competition.”
The outcomes leaves Blackburn sitting 17th in the Championship table, on the same number of points as Ipswich who are one place ahead on goal difference.
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