Tuesday 5 January 2010

Carling Cup ties fall foul of the weather

Both Carling Cup semi-final first leg matches have been postponed due to the snowy and icy conditions in the north-west of England.

Tuesday night's game between Blackburn Rovers and Aston Villa at Ewood Park was called off on advice from the police, despite the pitch being playable.

Wednesday night's game between Manchester City and Manchester United at Eastlands has been called off on Tuesday. A statement on City's website read: "It is with regret that the club can confirm that due to extreme weather conditions in the North West of England, tomorrow night’s Carling Cup semi-final tie against Manchester United has been postponed.

"After discussions with the relevant parties including Greater Manchester Police, the Safety Advisory Committee, the Football League and Manchester United, the decision was unanimously reached that the game should be re-scheduled due to safety concerns, particularly with regard to travel for supporters."

The second legs of these ties were originally scheduled for the week starting Monday 18 January. At least none of the four have FA Cup replays which would have been in the week starting Monday 11 January, but whether the first legs can be scheduled for then, I don't know.

At times like this, Sir Alex must be relieved that his team lost to Leeds in the FA Cup on Sunday, thereby by reducing fixture chaos in weeks to come. United are the only one of the four Carling Cup semi-finalists still in European competition.

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