Later inspection was touted prior to Dons' weekend postponement

There were tentative talks on Saturday to try and get MK Dons’ game with Fleetwood Town to go ahead after the pitch inspection.

With Storm Bert hitting Highbury Stadium overnight on Friday into Saturday, the game was postponed at 10.45am, when many of the travelling Dons supporters had already hit the road. But a later decision was in the offing for a brief period, sporting director Liam Sweeting admitted, as both sides considered the measures it would take to get the game to go ahead.

Scott Lindsey and his side were already in the area, having travelled to the game the day before. Hearing of the pitch inspection, the head coach and sporting director went to the ground to see what could be done, but Sweeting admitted it quickly became apparent the game was lost.

He said: “We travelled up, stayed over, and I went to the stadium with Scott on Saturday morning and as soon as we stepped on the pitch, it was clear. Whilst we were frustrated, we knew it was unplayable.

“There was a brief chat about getting the groundsmen in with their forks but with the forecast, that would have been too difficult.”

The decision not to pursue the idea of continuing the groundwork to get the game on ultimately came down to the supporters, Sweeting added, with the long journey from Milton Keynes for the travelling fans being one of the deciding factors.

He continued: “We tried to make the call as early as we could, because of all the logistics. We had to get the referee there, but he was in Liverpool and he had to get across. But it was clear and we were able to make the call early for our supporters.

“The last thing we wanted was for people to have a completely wasted trip. We know people were on their way, and inconvenienced, but that was the best decision we could make in the quickest time frame.”