In an already tight looking schedule where Mayo were facing into 11 games in 12 weeks the postponement of Sunday’s FBD opener against Galway is a headache that Stephen Rochford could have done without. But the Mayo manager understands and respects the reason for the game being called off at short notice, due to a frozen pitch. The game has been refixed for this coming Friday night, January 12 at 7.30pm in MacHale Park.
Rochford said after the game was pulled on Sunday afternoon, “Look, I think when you have got a situation that weather has taken such a turn in the last 24 hours, you give it every chance to thaw out. It’s not preferable for people that have travelled that the game was called off at the last minute, but I think player safety has got to be respected and I understand that.”
Mayo were first made aware that there could be an issue with the pitch at 1.30pm, just 30 minutes before the game was due to throw in “It is what it is, I think myself and Kevin (Walsh - Galway manager ) would have preferred if the game went ahead, but it’s understandable in the conditions that it is better the way we are” said Rochford he also added that, “Look we could have got through it and nobody picks up an injury, but you have to respect that somebody has to make a decision and I respect Paddy Neilan’s (referees ) decision.
“I think, you have to understand with the amount of people that were here and the conditions, you give the pitch every chance to thaw out. I don’t know what the position is from the Connacht Council in regards to, other than to try and give us every minute that they could, there was no movement on the thawing and player welfare has to take precedence.”
Getting the game played as soon as possible is something that Rochford said, he wanted to see done saying, “The thing from my perspective is to play this game as soon as possible whenever that is, following next week - we’re into preliminary rounds of the Sigerson Cup and there are rounds of it the week before the start of the National League and my recommendation would be that we try to get the game out before the end of this week, maybe Friday night.”
