THE MERSEYSIDE derby between Liverpool and Everton at Anfield was postponed just 52 minutes before kick off because of a waterlogged pitch. Several thousand people were already inside the stadium when Mossley referee Roger Wilkes announced his decision shortly after attempting - forlornly - to kick a ball around a sodden playing surface.
Whilst disappointed, both Everton manager, Joe Royle, and his Liverpool counterpart, Roy Evans accepted the referee's somewhat belated decision. "It's disappointing for everyone concerned but the important thing is that the match was not allowed to start and then degenerate into some kind of farce," said Royle.
"Both sides were anxious that the game went ahead but, to be fair to the referee he took an honest decision.
"One of the problems is that pitches these days are so very hard and, perhaps, they do not drain quite as well as they once did," he added.
With a side seemingly certain tub qualify for the latter stages of this season's European Cup Winners Cup, Evans admitted that he now feared some form of fixture pile up early in the New Year.
"We have already had to reschedule games against Nottingham Forest and Middlesbrough. I can understand the frustration of those supporters who travelled great distances to get here today but the referee has to take into account the safety of the players."
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