Plainmoor tussle called off

Torquay's League Two match with Chesterfield has been postponed due to a waterlogged pitch.

Heavy overnight rain left the Plainmoor pitch saturated and with the weather forecast showing little sign of improvement over the next 24 hours, the decision was made following a morning inspection. "It is massively frustrating for us," said manager Martin Ling on the club's official website. "It's putting us in a situation where we are struggling to find available slots in the calendar. "We still have 20 games to play in the season and our next match at Exeter a week on Monday takes us to the end of January, leaving us just three months to fit in the remaining games. We will be playing on a Tuesday night most weeks and this is without considering even more bad weather to come. "Obviously, the game is not due to kick-off until tomorrow afternoon but you have to look at the logistics of getting it on. "When we looked at the pitch this morning, we had to call in a referee to be fair to all concerned. He looks at the pitch to see the percentage chance of the game being on and he has to do an assessment. "You work on percentages and the referee shook his head as soon as he walked on the pitch. We could perhaps wait if it was Exeter or Plymouth and they are just down the road, but the decision has to be made earlier when you have a team travelling a long distance." A new date for the fixture is yet to be announced.