Rail industrial action forces postponement of Brighton-Crystal Palace Premier League fixture

Crystal Palace’s grudge fixture at Brighton on September 17 has been postponed due to the scheduled industrial action on the rail network.

The Eagles issued a statement this afternoon.

“Following a request to the Premier League Board by Brighton and Hove Albion F.C, the club’s home fixture against Crystal Palace F.C, due to be played at 15:00 BST on Saturday, September 17  has been regrettably postponed.

“The decision follows exceptional circumstances relating to the planned industrial action on the rail network, with authorities unable to sanction the fixture to be played with no public transport available for supporters.

“The Premier League has consulted with both clubs, police, the SAG for Brighton & Hove City Council and other relevant authorities in exploring alternative plans but all have agreed there was no other option but to postpone the fixture.

“A new date for the rescheduled match will be announced in due course.

“Ticket holders are asked to retain their tickets in the meantime.”

Brighton chief executive Paul Barber said: “Both clubs wanted the match to take place on the original date and there has been a continued dialogue in order to achieve this with all relevant authorities, including Sussex and Surrey Police, other local emergency services and agencies, Brighton & Hove City Council, the Premier League and Crystal Palace.

“Following these discussions, and having carefully evaluated all the factors, the unanimous recommendation of the Safety Advisory Group was to postpone the fixture with the full support of the Premier League.

“While we fully appreciate this will be of huge disappointment to both sets of fans, and causes disruption to both teams’ fixture schedules as well as those of supporters, the safety of fans of both clubs, our match day staff, players and officials must be the priority.

“We have taken into consideration how difficult it would be for fans of both clubs to attend the match without access to the rail network and we looked at a number of options and various contingency plans.

“This included additional travel options or moving the match to earlier or later in the same week, with Sunday afternoon the latest the fixture could be played on that weekend due to the international break, but it simply was not possible to play the match with a full capacity crowd in attendance.

“We apologise for the inconvenience this may have caused fans of both teams, but we feel that the right decision has been reached. We would also like to thank Crystal Palace, the Premier League and the authorities for their support in this matter.”

PICTURE: KEITH GILLARD