BGB Southern Premier - Halesowen ready for play-off clash

May 1 2008 By Nick Pullen

HALESOWEN Town are due to stage their re-arranged BGB Southern Premier play-off clash with Chippenham Town tonight.

Halesowen had their Grove ground waterlogged on Tuesday night after the original fixture was abandoned after 32 minutes with Chippenham leading a farcical contest 3-2.

Yeltz manager Morell Maison has since questioned why Tuesday's fixture was allowed to start in the first place and said: "I know it's easy to be wise in hindsight, but there was clearly a problem before the game kicked off. The referee came over to me and asked for a ball. He then kicked it across the pitch and it skidded.

"Then to my amazement, he turned round and said it should be OK.

"I know our pitch well. We had exactly the same situation against Gloucester City and I told the referee there and then, the game wouldn't take place if it kept raining.

"Then in the first minute, our goalkeeper Mark Osborn skids some 10 to 15 yards after gathering the ball, carrying it out of his area in the process.

"If the referee had booked him, he would have been forced to stop the game there and then.

"I just laughed and gave up. I told my players we were playing the conditions as well as the opposition.

"The referee then had a perfect opportunity to call the game off after the penalty was awarded - but he didn't and just persisted.

"At one stage, he asked both his officials and they said to call it off - so why he chose to continue, I just don't know!''

Maison will choose from exactly the same squad for tonight's game.