Waterford FC clash with Drogheda postponed as heavy rain leaves RSC unplayable

Heavy rain left the RSC pitch unplayable less than an hour before the SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division clash between Waterford FC and Drogheda United was due to be played as referee Marc Lynch was left with little option but to postpone the fixture.

Drogheda made the long journey from Louth to the South-East early on Friday morning due to the road blockades around the country, but the game was called off after parts of the RSC surface was left underwater after heavy rain.

Waterford FC manager Jon Daly said: “It’s obviously disappointing, but the rain has come down quite heavily over the last couple of hours. People know that the RSC pitch is one of the best in the country for drainage, but with high tide and when the river is up, it doesn’t go anywhere. It left the pitch unplayable. It’s unfortunate.

“There’s not an awful lot of work that could be done on the pitch during that time frame and there’s nothing anyone can do about it.”

Commenting on the decision, Drogheda United manager Kevin Doherty said: “It’s incredibly disappointing particularly given the day that’s in it. We've been on the phone since 8am this morning looking at traffic and having group calls about the M1 closed, M50 closed, and M7 closed.

“We went through backroads through the country that I didn’t know even existed if I’m honest. We’ve got a good few non-Irish lads, who have gotten a good tour of the country today. It’s nobody’s fault and we had to be here to play the game. We couldn’t wait for the game.

“It’s disappointing but what can you do? I spoke to Jon Daly and David Breen. We've been down here since 3pm, and it didn’t look too bad. It’s disappointing because we were ready for the game and wanted the game, but look there’s nothing we can do. We’ll work with the league and Waterford regarding a new date.”