Witney Tn 2, Dartford Tn 3

(abandoned after 69 mins - waterlogged pitch) WITNEY'S Dr Martens Eastern Division match with Dartford was reduced to a farce last night, writes Kieren Bushnell.

Even though half the pitch was covered in water and the rain was pelting down, Swindon referee Bob Desmond insisted the match should go ahead, only to abandon it after 63 minutes.

To their credit, both teams played the game in good spirit despite the rain which quickly turned the pitch into a mudbath.

The first goal came after 26 minutes as a direct result of the condtions, the ball stopping in the water for Paul McCarthy to score, and Lee Guiver made it 2-0 on 33 minutes.

In the second half as the heavy rain turned to snow, Darford made it 3-0 when Danny Evans's long punt upfield stopped in the water and Barnes rounded Huwie Evans to finish with ease. Within seconds, Witney began a fightback. Simon Abercrombie reduced the arrears with a fabulous 20-yard curler, and minutes later, Town pulled it back to 3-2. The ball was played into the box and defender Liam Nash inadvertently put through his own net.

However, with snow teeming down, the referee finally decided enough was enough.

Club fury

Story date: Wednesday 12 April

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.