AFC Fylde boss Dave Challinor was philosophical after his side’s National League encounter against Guiseley was called off. 

Following a pre-match inspection, match referee Matthew Donohue deemed the playing surface at Mill Farm unsafe after torrential downpours over the afternoon.

Whilst Challinor reluctantly accepted the decision, he could now be counting the cost of the postponement admitting there will be ‘consequences’.

Challinor said: “First and foremost, it’s frustrating because we have prepared for the game. 

“With the next game here Wigan in the FA Cup we certainly didn’t want to ruin the pitch, but ultimately we wanted to back up Saturday’s win with another three points. We now have another game to catch up on. 

“Another frustrating factor is that Jack (Muldoon) won’t serve his suspension in time for Wigan and therefore he won’t be eligible. 

“So there are consequences surrounding it but I wasn’t overly surprised with the referee’s decision. 

“I went out at 4pm and the pitch was fine but it lashed it down for a couple of hours and it became completely unplayable. 

“The weather was improving but the pitch was still very wet. We did everything we could but it wasn’t to be. Ultimately the referee has to make a decision thats on his head around health and safety.

“You have to look at the worst case scenario. If we had risked it when it was touch and go and one of the players got injured as a result of the pitch then it would have been the wrong decision. 

“The lads went and trained on the 3G pitches instead because they had been off before the game. We will give them a good blast and then be right back at it on Thursday before a long trip to Dover at the weekend. 

“Personally, I took the opportunity to go and watch Wigan and see what they are like in the flesh rather than just on videos.”

Guiseley manager Paul Cox was of a similar opinion to Challinor, citing player safety as his main concern: “I think you have to give the ground staff here a lot of credit. They have been working hard to try and make the pitch playable. They gave it a good go but in the end I think the referee has made the right decision. 

“We are a little disappointed but it’s all about player safety. We have to accept the decision and come back on another day.”