BRIGHTON’S upcoming clash with Crystal Palace has been POSTPONED due to train strikes.
The Seagulls were due to host their rivals at the Amex Stadium on September 17.
But the south coast outfit have now confirmed the fixture will be rescheduled – with a new date to be confirmed in due course.
A statement from the club read: “It is with regret that our Premier League match against Crystal Palace on Saturday 17 September has been postponed due to the planned industrial action on the rail network.
“At this stage there is no new date for the fixture and ticket holders should retain their tickets.
“Once a new date is confirmed, match-ticket purchasing supporters unable to attend the game will have seven days to apply for a refund.”
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Chief executive Paul Barber added: “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 matchday 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.
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“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.”
Train strikes, which have been confirmed for September 15, 17 and 26, have already wreaked havoc earlier this season, with Brighton keen to avoid similar issues later this month.
The Palace clash could have been the first game for Brighton’s new manager if Graham Potter does leave for Chelsea.
The current Seagulls coach has travelled to London for talks with the Blues following Thomas Tuchel’s sacking.
And some Brighton supporters thought the club were announcing Potter’s departure when they saw the tweet about the match being postponement.
One said: “Don’t you ever start a tweet like that again.”
While another added: “Why would you start the tweet like that man😭😭.”
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The original date was scheduled to be the final game for Brighton and Palace before the international break.
As it stands, the two teams will now not play until October following their games this weekend.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
