MARINE will be seeking compensation from both Worksop Town and Kendal Town after matches with the two clubs were called off at short notice.

Chairman Paul Leary has confirmed that the UniBond Premier Division club will be looking to recover some of the £900 that was spent on wasted bus journeys on Saturday and Tuesday.

Players, officials and fans arrived at Watnall Road, the temporary home of Worksop, at 1.30pm on Saturday – only to step off the coach and be told the game was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch.

Heavy rain also caused the Lancashire Co-op Trophy match with Kendal to be postponed for the third consecutive Tuesday.

The Crosby club were only informed of the decision after 4.30pm, when the Mariners’ coach was ready to leave College Road for Cumbria.

Alternative dates have been agreed upon for the two matches, but Marine boss Alvin McDonald is less than impressed with the solutions found – a trip to Worksop on Wednesday, March 25 and to Kendal on Monday, December 29.

Leary said: “We will be claiming for the rearranged Worksop match and are asking for it to be treated as a cup game, so we can get the extra contribution from the net share of the gate. The Worksop bus cost £500 and the Kendal coach cost £435 because it left the depot.

“When we arrived at Watnall Road on Saturday, the pitch was unplayable. We spoke to the club Friday night, Saturday morning and on the way down there, and they said it was playable right the way through. I was disappointed they did not call the referee – it is just frustrating.

“Kendal had a deluge of rain on Tuesday afternoon, which caused the pitch to be totally waterlogged.

“We still had to pay for the bus and so have requested the Lancashire FA for help when we have to travel for the rearranged fixture on Monday, December 29.”

McDonald said: “I am angry and frustrated, knowing both grounds like I do, there was no chance of the games going ahead.

“We have now got to go back to both and it is money the club does not have. These teams have not gone by the rules – a referee has to postpone the match, but for whatever reason this has not happened.

“The Kendal match was ‘on, off, on, off’ two or three times during the day. A little bit of consideration was needed because lads had to take time off work on Tuesday, which is especially hard this time of year.

“I am not happy with the dates for the rearranged games. It is alright the FA saying we have got to play then, but I don’t know what the panic is about playing before the New Year.

“We only have to win three matches in the Lancashire Cup to get to the final, so what is the rush?

“We are semi-pro, so a little bit of consideration is needed. The Worksop game comes the Wednesday after the biggest trip of the year to Boston.”

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