Tuesday 18th September 2001 Football League Division Two
Match postponed due to floodlight failure - did not start
There were farcical scenes at Gigg Lane on Tuesday evening as Wycombe's game with Bury was postponed due to floodlight failure. Problems with the turnstiles has already delayed supporters getting into the ground before it was obvious that Club officials were having problems with the lights. There were no floodlights working on the south side of the ground and although it was originally hoped to get the the game started by 8.15pm, with only three floodlight pylons working at 8.20pm the match referee called the game off, leaving players, officials and fans stunned.
Wycombe and particularly the loyal fans who travelled north to see the game will now have to wait to see when the game is replayed. The only consolation is that as the game didn't start and full refunds will be available and anybody who travelled on the organised coaches will refuned through the insurance scheme.
Wanderers would have been looking for their first away victory of the season. Bury had lost all three of their home games so far in the season and were one place off the foot of the table. Team news for Wycombe saw Steve Brown missing with a groin strain while Paul McCarthy was still recovering from a calf strain that kept him out of the home game with Wigan on Saturday. As expected Keith Ryan was set to replace Brown in the starting line-up while on loan Aston Villa striker Richard Walker remained as a substitute. Former Wycombe loan striker George Clegg was on the bench for The Shakers.
Officials from both Clubs were hoping to play the game the following evening (Wednesday 19th September) but this would have had to been sanctioned by The Football League and was quickly dismissed. Last season Wycombe fans saw the game at Notts County abandoned after a few minutes due to flooding but they returned 24 hours for the replayed game. However, with more time to fit this fixture in, it was always likely that a more amicable date could be arranged.
The new date for the game has now been fixed for Tuesday 2nd October. Under League rules, Bury Football Club will meet the travelling and hotel costs for Wycombe on this return journey.
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