Liverpool Women were forced to postpone a league game at Prenton Park for the second time this year, with Peter Moore acknowledging the club need to “find a solution.”
Vicky Jepson’s side were set to host a crucial fixture for their safety in the Women’s Super League against Birmingham City on Sunday, only for the game to be called off due to parts of the playing surface being ruled unplayable.
It is the second fixture Liverpool Women have had to postpone in 2020 at Prenton Park, with the meeting against Man United on January 12 also called off.
The ground is, of course, also home to Tranmere Rovers’ men’s side who have played four games in 12 days at the ground, including their FA Cup fourth round tie with Man United.
They too saw the field wreak havoc on their playing schedule with their third round replay against Watford having to be postponed due to a waterlogged pitch, with both the ground’s drainage system and sub-structure set for an overhaul in the summer.
.@LiverpoolFCW v @BCFCwomen at Prenton Park in the @BarclaysFAWSL has been called off as the referee deemed part of the pitch to be unplayable #LFC pic.twitter.com/Bi8sTkqY9z
— Christopher Coughlin (@ccoughlin1995) February 2, 2020
The latest postponement, however, comes at the most vital of times for Liverpool Women who are battling for their safety in the top flight having picked up just six points from 12 games – where they sit one place above the relegation spot on goal difference.
Birmingham sit one point ahead, with a game in hand, and the latest disruption to the fixture schedule means Jepson’s side will head into the all-important meeting with Everton at Goodison Park without having played a minute of competitive action in two weeks.
The blame should not fall at the feet of Tranmere, rather the fact that England’s professional women’s teams are still forced to share pitches, and it is now on Liverpool to act.
Moore, Liverpool’s chief executive officer, released a statement after the latest postponement and claimed the club “will continue to explore all the options” to address the ongoing issues.
“We know how frustrating this is for supporters as well as the players and staff of both clubs who have put in a hard week of preparation for the game,” Moore said.
“I speak regularly with Mark Palios at Tranmere and we had a solid pitch on Saturday but overnight rain saw it deteriorate despite the best efforts of all the hard-working grounds staff at Tranmere acting in conjunction with our own grounds team.
“While these problems are not unique to us – with other Women’s Super League games called off both on Sunday and earlier this season – we need to try to find a solution to provide our LFC Women with the surface they deserve.
“To that end, we will continue to explore all the options open to us.”
No new dates for Liverpool’s two postponed games have been announced, with the Reds next in action against the Toffees on Sunday, February 9, with kickoff set for 2pm (GMT) at Goodison Park.
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