CHERRIES’ game at home to Nottingham Forest has been postponed less than four hours prior to kick-off.

The club stated on Thursday evening they had “been advised to review the situation regarding the impact of Storm Eunice on Friday".

The Met Office had previously labelled the storm with a yellow weather warning, before upgrading it to amber, the second tier of the Met Office’s warning system.

In the early hours of Friday morning, it was then upgraded to the highest tier, a red warning, with the weather believed to be a “danger to life”.

Winds of up to 100 miles-per-hour were predicted throughout the day, with the warning in place from 10am Friday until 3pm.

In a statement on their website, Cherries said: "Friday’s SkyBet Championship match between AFC Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest has been postponed for safety reasons following damage to Vitality Stadium caused by Storm Eunice.

"Structural engineers have carried out an inspection of the stadium and have confirmed that the damage could pose a significant risk to supporters’ safety.

"The ongoing impact of the storm means the damage cannot be repaired in time either to fulfil the fixture on Friday, or at a re-arranged time on Saturday.

"The postponement was recommended by the club’s Safety Advisory Group, and ratified by the EFL.

"A new date for the fixture will be announced in due course. All purchased tickets will be valid for the rearranged fixture, but all supporters will be eligible for a refund if unable to attend the new date.

"The club apologises for the inconvenience caused by this announcement, but would like to reassure supporters it has been made with the safety of everyone due to attend the match in mind."

Speculation had grown over the course of Friday, with fans travelling from further afield airing their concerns over the delay of communications from both clubs, Sky Sports, and the EFL.

The game was originally moved from the traditional 3pm Saturday kick-off by virtue of being selected by Sky Sports for live coverage.