A Great Gesture From Barnsley After Charlton Athletic Farce

Saturday's Championship fixture between Charlton Athletic and Barnsley fell victim to a waterlogged pitch after an inspection by referee Iain Williamson deemed the surface 'dangerous' with the full agreement of both managers.

It meant a third postponement in a row at the Valley after the FA Cup tie against Oxford United was called off twice and there has clearly been some exceptionally bad weather across many parts of the country recently.

However, Barnsley were notified at only 12:20 on Saturday afternoon according to their chief executive Ben Mansford that a pitch inspection was due for 1pm, obviously far too late for the 500 or so Tykes supporters making the journey from South Yorkshire. No earlier inspection had been planned as, according to Charlton's official website the club's ground staff 'did not deem it necessary'.

were confident the surface was in a better condition than at a comparative stage before the recent matches against Brighton & Hove Albion and Sheffield Wednesday.
Read more at http://www.cafc.co.uk/news/article/20140111-club-statement-1288017.aspx#PxUUeaDxUSw3HqsU.99

An 'absolutely raging' Mansford has contacted the Football League regarding compensation for both club and fans while the home side's own supporters' trust issued a statement on Sunday calling for much greater clarity about when a fixture is threatened with postponement and regular updates via social media. After all, as the CAS Trust states, many Charlton fans come from great distances to support their team at home.

Full marks to Barnsley FC, however, as despite the postponement being out of their hands, they have offered anyone with a ticket for the Charlton game (which remain valid or are eligible for a refund) an equivalent free ticket for this Saturday's home fixture against Blackpool as a goodwill gesture.

http://www.barnsleyfc.co.uk//news/article/club-statement-charlton-postponement-13012014-1291053.aspx