Don’t blame City for trying to beat snow (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Don’t blame City for trying to beat snow

12:00pm Friday 6th February 2009

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As the home team, City would have trousered £30,000 from Sky for covering the Darlington game.

No more than a couple of days’ work for the Frank Lampards of the world but a princely sum in League Two terms.

So you could hardly blame them for going all out to save the match from the blizzards.

Of course it would have been easier to call the whole thing off in the morning. Inevitably, if the game had not been scheduled for TV, they would have done.

But City – and the splendid army of volunteers – did all they could to make the pitch and surrounding area suitable for action. At least until, as forecast, the snow returned with a vengeance a couple of hours head of kick-off.

Darlington were already there at that point but, having suffered three postponements already this season, they were just as keen as City to get playing if at all possible.

Both clubs have taken stick from supporters for the late call-off and been accused of stringing them along.

As someone who, as a foolish young lad, once travelled to Blackburn from the south coast for a Saturday afternoon only for the game to be called off at 2.15pm, I appreciate the frustration of any fans who set off in hope through the winter blast.

But don’t shoot City for trying. Money talks, especially in a current financial climate far icier than the temperature outside.