The Row over the Swans FA Cup postponement at Histon rumbled on today

Physio Richie Evans who was present when the game was called off told the club's official website

"I honestly don't know why the Histon chairman has reacted the way he has,'' explained Evans. "Perhaps it's for the limelight, which is a bit strange to say the least.

"But let's make one thing clear; there was no pressure on the referee from anyone from Swansea City. I'm certainly not in a position to put pressure on anyone.

"The only people from Histon at the ground when we arrived were the physio and the groundsman,'' added Richie.

"There wasn't any covering over the pitch whatsoever and our first reaction was that the pitch was in no fit state. It was rock solid.

"If they had put some covering over the pitch or brought in some hot air blowers it would have helped get the game on. But the reaction we had was that if it was flat then it was playable. But so was the car park!

"I'm the physio; I wouldn't even know where to look for the number of the FA, let alone ring them.

"As soon as the referee entered the ground just after 11am, the Histon chairman was in his face trying to get the game on,'' added Richie. "The only pressure was coming from their end.

"The only role I played was an observational role. I stood away from everything and the referee never once asked me for my opinion.

"The referee couldn't get a key into the ground. He went away to have a look at the weather forecast and came back shortly after to try the key again.

"Then he went into a huddle with their chairman, groundsman and safety officer. I was 10 yards away when he said he was not happy with the pitch; it was not safe. And I agreed with him.

"Their chairman obviously wasn't happy because he turned to me and said 'you don't want the game played do you?' I replied 'no, we've enjoyed our five and a half hour bus trip so much that we are all desperate to do it again next week'.

"It's a shame he has felt the need to blame us. We had some great experiences dealing with some lovely people at Billericay and Horsham in the FA Cup last season.

"We even made a significant donation to Horsham to help them improve their ground facilities.

"But I suppose it's all about respect. The Histon chairman didn't have any respect for the referee's decision to look after the safety of both sets of players; so he certainly wasn't going to have any respect for us or our supporters.

"We had been asking for a pitch inspection on Friday to prevent our fans from travelling, but were told there was no problem with the pitch. The ones who have lost out here are the supporters; which is a crying shame.''

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