BOSS Frank Gray defended the decision to abandon Bashley’s clash at Redditch United and suggested the match should not have gone ahead in the first place.

Proceedings were called to a halt at half-time with the Southern Premier showdown goalless as rain lashed an already sodden Valley Stadium pitch.

But Gray’s Redditch counterpart Simon Redhead criticised the decision and claimed that it was Bash, who will have to make the 300-mile round trip again following the rain-off, who did not want to play on.

Redhead said: “We were disappointed the game ended at half-time. We thought the game was there for us to win and they (Bashley) were extremely keen to get the match called off.

“The referee felt the pitch was unplayable by half-time but we disagreed. The pitch was difficult and not conducive to flowing football but on the back of two good wins, we wanted to keep going.”

However, with puddles emerging on the playing surface and the ball failing to roll through different patches, Gray felt an already difficult pitch should not have been risked from the outset.

The Bash manager told the Daily Echo: “We weren’t keen to call it off at all but it was not a game of football in the first half, the rain kept coming down and it was getting a bit farcical.

“The last thing we wanted, having made the trip up there, was to have to go back on a Tuesday night, but it was impossible to play on. I don’t think the game should have started with the weather as it was.

“We were never sure the game would be played to a finish under the circumstances and so it proved.”

Both teams had made the best of conditions during the 45 minutes of action but Redditch created the better openings. Jake Reid was played through by Alex Hickman for the hosts but his effort was blocked by the legs of Bash keeper Stewart Kearn.

Will Richards and Reid both saw 20-yard efforts drift wide for United before Bashley’s most presentable opening came three minutes before the break when Rob Gradwell’s long-range strike missed the target.

As the rain continued, both managers joined referee Geoffrey Russell and his assistants during the break before the decision was taken to end matters early.

Bash: Kearn, Wheeler, Oliver, Stephenson, Middleton, Richardson, Casey, Gradwell, Stokoe, Gamble, Jenkinson. Unused subs: Knight, Finlay, Strickland, Hill, Foster.

  •  Wimborne Town had a lucky escape when their Division One South & West clash at Evesham United was abandoned after 38 minutes.

The Magpies were trailing 3-0 inside the opening half an hour following two goals from debutant Carl Brown and a Henry Eze effort.

But floodlight failure denied the hosts and the two teams will have to do it all again.

Elsewhere in the Southern League, Poole Town’s home game against Cinderford was postponed.