SKELMERSDALE United chiefs have turned up the heat on tonight's clash with Bacup Borough by branding boss Brent Peters 'irresponsible' for publicly accusing them of trying to influence a referee.

Skelmersdale chairman Arthur Gore slammed the Bacup manager for suggesting that club officials may have tried to force the referee to call off the Marsden Challenge Trophy match between the two sides last Tuesday.

The game is set to be replayed at Skelmersdale tonight, despite Peters' attempts to get the game switched back to Bacup, where it was moved from after four postponements.

In last Wednesday's Lancashire Evening Telegraph, Peters accused Skelmersdale of trying to get last Tuesday's game called off because they didn't fancy the conditions.

The referee, Ian Wright, from Wigan, postponed the game 30 minutes before kick off because of water-logging but Peters claimed the pitch was playable, and that Skelmersdale only wanted the postponement because conditions were difficult and the pitch would have cut up.

But Gore denied that, and said: "Skelmersdale United have an excellent record in preparing their pitches for games and every effort was made on New Year's Day and the day of the game to make the pitch playable.

"Unfortunately, incessant rain for almost two hours prior to the game was the cause of the postponement. For Bacup's manager to make the comments was irresponsible particularly from the perspective of player's safety.

"The referee decided for himself to go and inspect the pitch. We couldn't have put any influence on him because it is his responsibility."

Peters' main criticism was that Skelmersdale's pitch was in a better condition than their own at West View.

He said: "If Skelmersdale's pitch was a danger to players we would never play another game at our ground, because that pitch was Wembley compared to ours.

"When the referee went to inspect the pitch at 7.30 he went out in the clothes and shoes he arrived at the ground in. He didn't get a pair a wellies or ask for waterproofs, so the pitch can't have been that bad.

"They say they weren't influencing the referee but there was a guy stood on the pitch with the referee, saying to him 'I know this pitch and I know it will cut up'.

"But I said 'Of course it will cut up. Our pitch cuts up every game.'

"All pitches do. I went to Rossendale United the other day and it was a mudbath.

"I asked the referee to start the game because only then can you know whether a pitch is going to cut or become a danger to the players."

Gore denied that he or any of his colleagues had asked the referee to inspect the pitch at 7.30., but Bacup chairman Frank Manning said: "The referee told me that someone from Skelmersdale had come to his room at 7.30 and asked him to go out and look at the pitch again."

Peters complained to the FA and asked for the game to be moved back to West View. "I wanted to bring them back here to show them what a bad pitch is but the FA have told us we have to go back up there."