Sunderland boss Jack Ross has been speaking in the aftermath of seeing his side's game against Accrington Stanley called off  with just 20 minutes left on the clock yesterday.

The two sides were deadlocked at 1-1 with not long left to play, when referee Oliver Langford took the decision to take both sides off as torrential rain set in at the Wham Stadium.

Ross said he had his concerns ahead of kick off and that he had 'no issues' with the referee making the big decision to take both sides back to the dressing room.

"I think that when the game is level, it makes it easier for everyone to accept the decision," he told the Sunderland Echo.

"I had my concerns about the game starting, the conditions were borderline playable and then obviously in the second half it worsened to the extent that, you can't play on that. There becomes an element of farce about it after that. I have no issues with the decision."

Sunderland had gone close to taking a 2-1 lead moments earlier when Chris Maguire's shot clipped the crossbar. The former Oxford man had given the visitors the lead in a scrappy game severely affected by the adverse conditions.

That lead had lasted just a minute, Accrington had struck back almost immediately through Connor Hall.

Sunderland remain in second place despite the fixture being abandoned, although Luton Town have now moved level on points with them.

The Verdict

It's a shame when the game is so far in to have to call it off, but the quality from both sides was badly affected in the early exchanges and there's a question mark over whether it should have gone ahead at all.

The fans have all paid good money of course and if Accrington are forced to offer reduced entry for the replay, it could well affect their income too. It might be the right call, but it doesn't make it any less frustrating for those involved.

 

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