Fans voice their anger at call-off
Referee Colin Burns speaks with players and officials
Angry Coleraine fans slammed the referee after their Premiership fixture against Dungannon Swifts was postponed because of an electrical fault.
Supporters jeered Colin Burns as he departed Stangmore Park on Saturday, claiming he should have facilitated an earlier kick-off to enable the match to be completed.
The game was called off around 3.40pm after engineers were unable to solve a problem with the stadium’s floodlight system.
Many supporters had taken their seats in the ground, having waited almost an hour to be let in.
The teams emerged on the pitch at 3.25pm, but 15 minutes later the fixture was abandoned.
Fans were given a full refund and promised free entry to the rescheduled fixture – yet many were still furious over the referee’s role in the debacle.
Nicky Coyles and Andy Drake were among dozens of Coleraine supporters left disappointed after making the 100-mile round trip from the north-west.
“Alright, we have got our money back, but who is going to pay for all the fuel and expenses?” asked Nicky. “Some of us have taken a day off work.”
“The players had suggested for the match to start early and take a 10-minute half-time break, but the referee wouldn’t allow that for some reason,” Andy added.
It is the second successive Dungannon fixture to be affected by a floodlight failure.
On Tuesday night their game against Crusaders was held up for 15 minutes after the lights went out.
The vice-chairman of Dungannon Swifts, Jarlath Faloon, apologised to fans for the latest setback but stressed the problem was beyond the club’s control.
He said there had been similar problems at other grounds in recent months, and has called on the IFA to investigate the issue.
“The floodlights are run by generators and the IFA have a contract with the manufacturers who supply all the Irish football grounds,” he said.
“They came out on Wednesday and we thought the problem was fixed.
“Unfortunately it appears there was a different problem today in respect of the electronics inside the generator, and the engineers couldn’t fix it.
“It is completely beyond our control and I really apologise to all the Coleraine fans who came today.”
Mr Faloon confirmed visiting fans would be given free entry when the match is replayed.
“We understand that a few clubs have suffered from this problem,” he added.
“Coleraine officials told me they have had problems with their lights, so perhaps this is something which should be looked at.”
With the Irish Cup taking place this weekend, Dungannon’s next league game is not until February 18 when they face Lisburn Distillery.
Mr Faloon admitted it was a frustrating wait for the team and manager Rodney McAree.
“Obviously Rodney is disappointed because we are near the foot of the league and we were looking for three points to move us up the table,” he added.
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Weather for Belfast
Tuesday 29 May 2012
Today
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