Ternent fumes

The scheduled third-round FA Cup replay at Glanford Park was postponed less than an hour before kick-off because of a frozen pitch.

And Ternent felt the Third Division club should have done more to get the message across earlier that the game was in doubt.

The pitch was playable at five o'clock according to match referee Graham Frankland but he was concerned about how it might deteriorate and by the time the Clarets got to the ground it was clearly unplayable with temperatures falling further.

"It's like a skating rink. I can't believe they've asked us to travel across with the state of the pitch," said Ternent.

"The referee's decision is absolutely 100 per cent right. You couldn't have a game of football on there.

"You could have a game of ice hockey it."

Ternent was furious that they had been given assurances by Scunthorpe that the game would go ahead. And he added: "Yet we arrive here and it's a joke. It's a joke that they've asked us to travel to be fair.

"I understand it from Lawsy's side of a thing. If they get us on a pitch like that they've got a better chance.

"It's just unfortunate but it isn't fair on the fans and it's nothing to do with Burnley Football Club. It's ridiculous to even come across.

"We have a responsibility to our fans, especially. They're knocking off early from work and don't let them tell you it's a frost come down. They know what the forecast is. We've travelled across and we're wasting our time.

"They're saying you can get a stud in it but I doubt very much you could at nine o'clock and anything can happen. Footballers' safety is more important than results, in my view.

"We followed the instructions to the letter. We got here and the game's called off but to be fair to the referee his decision, in my view, is 100 per cent right. But what about all our fans ? It's absolute nonsense."

Scunthorpe boss Brian Laws was adamant that the tie could have been played and looked to make a point by taking his players out to train on the pitch following the postponement. "We wanted to go out there and play, no question about that. You could see the reaction of the Burnley players. They didn't fancy it at all," he said.

Laws even claimed that the referee's decision may have been influenced by the Burnley players' reaction to the pitch.

But Frankland was clearly in no doubt.

He said: "At five o'clock the pitch was playable but the frost has come in very quickly and in view of the players' safety, which is paramount to us when making these sort of decisions, there's certainly a concern with the frost that's out there.

"In view of the status of the game as a replay we could still be out there at ten o'clock and beyond so in view of the players' safety and the time we've still got to go we've decided to call it a day."

"I respect everybody's views but as the referee I've got the decision to make. The players' safety becomes paramount but added to that as the frost comes it does become very difficult for players to keep their feet on frost.

"It's FA Cup third round, it's a big game for both clubs and the last thing we want is ties like that being decided on a diabolical surface. It's slippery and the last thing you want is a game being decided in those circumstances.

"There was a good chance we were certainly not going to get through the game."

The winners of the re-arranged replay will play their fourth-round tie at Bolton on Sunday, January 28 (kick-off 1pm). The game has been put back to allow the Reebok Stadium pitch extra time to reover from a Friday night Rugby League match between Brisbane Broncoes and St Helens.