Fans in uproar as referee ABANDONS non-league clash five minutes into stoppage time – and even teams didn’t realise
A NON-LEAGUE clash between Scunthorpe United and Buxton was bizarrely abandoned in the final minutes of stoppage time due to a waterlogged pitch, leaving both teams baffled.
Visitors Buxton were leading the match 2-1 when the referee decided to suspend play at Glanford Park.
The premature end came shortly after a torrential rain storm on the hottest day of the year so far.
Both managers were left completely perplexed at full-time, with Scunthorpe boss Jimmy Dean admitting: “It just wasn’t clear at all.”
Dean told BBC Radio Humberside: “I went on to the pitch to ask him [the referee] what was going on after he blew the whistle and I don’t think he knew himself. It was when we got inside that he said it was abandoned.
“There was no dialogue, or coming over to talk to us, and he only confirmed it was abandoned when all hell broke loose in the tunnel.
“He said the game was over when I went on the pitch and I asked what that meant because there was at least five minutes of injury time left.
“The game should have been abandoned earlier than it was because we missed a penalty, but the player couldn’t see the ball.
“If I were Buxton I would want the game finished today. I’d want to go in, wait for 20 minutes and see if it dried out. The way the referee blew his whistle… it just wasn’t clear at all.”
Scunthorpe’s social media admin was also left confused.
After tweeting that Buxton had won the match, they followed-up with a short statement that read: “We have been informed that the referee has abandoned the game, rather than blown the full-time whistle. As soon as we have further information, we will let you know.”
Buxton had a similar social media mishap when they thought the final whistle had been blown.
A tweet from the club’s Twitter page read: “The referee has blown up early due to the poor weather conditions. WE HAVE PICKED UP ALL THREE POINTS GET INNNNNNN! Goals from McBurnie and Hunt means we go back to Derbyshire with the win!!”
However, they then added: “The referee has in fact abandoned the game, rather than blown the full-time whistle. As soon as we have further information, we will let you know.”
The National League North has said that no determination will be made on the outcome of the game until the referee’s report is received.