National League investigating allegations over bizarre King's Lynn v South Shields pitch issue

South Shields have refused to comment on claims National League North rivals King’s Lynn Town forced the postponement of their recent fixture against the Mariners by soaking their pitch.

Ian Watson’s promotion chasing side were set to travel to the Walks Stadium earlier this month as they looked to boost their push for the title with a positive result in Norfolk. A pitch inspection was planned in the 24 hours before the game was set to take place and a local match official opted to postpone the game as the playing surface was waterlogged following several days of rain.

However, a number of time-stamped images from CCTV cameras at the Linnets home appear to show the pitch being watered and the stadium’s irrigation system appears to have been in use for at least 45 minutes despite ongoing rainfall in the area. Claims from a source made to the Lynn News, Kings Lynn’s local news outlet, have accused the Linnets of ‘deliberately worsening conditions to force a postponement, linking the alleged move to illness within the squad and an injury to defender Festus Arthur. They also claimed South Shields had escalated the matter to the Football Association and the National League.

A National League statement released to the Non-League Paper over the weekend read: “We are aware of the allegations and we are investigating, but we won’t be making any further comment.”

A short statement has now been posted on the Mariners website as they said: “We are aware of reports that have surfaced over the course of the weekend regarding our postponed fixture versus King's Lynn Town FC. The club has been approached by numerous external media outlets; however, the Club will not be commenting further at this time.”

The Linnets could face strong sanctions from the National League should they be found guilty.

Disappointing

South Shields will hope the situation does not take any focus away from their home league game with Worksop Town on Tuesday night as the Mariners look to move on from a disappointing home draw with AFC Telford United on Saturday afternoon.

The draw saw Watson’s side slip from the top of the table but they can regain their place at the summit if they see off the Tigers and title rivals AFC Fylde are beaten at Macclesfield. Speaking ahead of the game, Mariners boss Watson urged his players to move on from an underwhelming display at the weekend.

He told The Gazette: “The only plus is that we have a quick turnaround with a game on Tuesday night. We have to show a reaction, we have to stick together, we have to move on to the next one and we have to put it out there for each player and each person within the football club to take responsibility to do their job and to do the job they are asked to do. There has to be a big reaction on Tuesday, there’s no doubt about that.”

Meanwhile, South Shields have confirmed their home game with National League North rivals and FA Cup history makers Macclesfield has been rescheduled for Tuesday, April 14 with a 7.45pm kick-off.

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