Furious Notts County plan to make a formal complaint over 'disgusting decision'
FURIOUS Notts County are going to the Football League over the "disgusting decision" to call off their League One clash with Leyton Orient at Meadow Lane.
The Magpies' chief executive, Jim Rodwell, is so angry with first-year referee Jeremy Simpson that he is going to make a formal complaint about him to the League.
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Rodwell was so shocked with the decision he even went out on the pitch to speak to the match officials, after they called it off following a second pitch inspection less than two hours before kick-off.
Simpson made the controversial call because he felt heavy rain had made playing conditions dangerous for players.
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But both clubs told him they wanted to play and the pitch was not waterlogged, because Notts County had borrowed a hi-tech water suction machine from Nottinghamshire's Trent Bridge.
The ball was rolling and bouncing fine – and the Magpies' frustrated players even trained on it later in the day.
The session was filmed by the club and the footage of that is now likely to form part of their complaint to the League as proof the game with Orient should have gone ahead.
Rodwell knows he might land himself in hot water with the FA for blasting Simpson, but he could not hide his anger.
"I thought it was a wind-up when I was first told," he said.
"He (Simpson) said there were pockets of water on the pitch. I might be going crazy, but I couldn't see them.
"He took the ball out there and did the right things.
"The ball was rolling and bouncing just fine, but for some reason he felt it was potentially dangerous to the players.
"I might be up for an FA charge, but I'm only saying what I'm thinking.
"It was an astonishing and disgusting decision. I have never seen a decision like it in all my time in football."
Rodwell also said the call-off will have a big impact on the club's cash flow, with the Magpies not set to play at home again until they face MK Dons on New Year's Day.
"It's all about cash flow and it will cost us a lot of money," he added to the Post.
Further Notts reaction – Page 31
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