LEATHERHEAD manager Richard Brady says it was fortunate no one was hurt after a wall collapsed at the Tanners' Fetcham Grove ground today (Saturday).
A wall collapsed behind one of the goals at the ground during the Tanners' Ryman League Division One South game with Dulwich Hamlet, which the visitors were leading 2-0 at the time.
The incident, which occurred during the away fans' celebration of Dulwich Hamlet's second goal, prompted the abandonment of the game with only five minutes remaining.
And the Tanners boss said the decision was made by the referee with the safety of players and spectators in mind, with nails close to the pitch from the broken advertising hoarding.
He said: "When they scored the second goal, I think their fans got a bit excited and there were probably about 30 or 40 of them.
"The weight of them against the wall made it fall and in hindsight, it was fortunate that no one was injured.
"But the referee made the decision to abandon the game because he couldn't be sure of the safety of players. And what can you do?
Brady said he could understand the disappointment of the second-placed visitors, who led 2-0 courtesy of a double from Danny Carr, which would have see them move eight points clear of the Tanners.
However, he said there was little choice for the referee, adding that he was simply safeguarding the players.
"They were really disappointed and so would we be if we were winning 2-0," said Brady.
"But the referee has got to think about the safety of the players and once you walked over to the area, you could see that he couldn't be sure.
"I think they understood the referee's decision and he was never going to play on after that."
The abandonment of the game means it will be rescheduled for a later date, with the game likely to be played on a Tuesday night.
A wall collapsed behind one of the goals at the ground during the Tanners' Ryman League Division One South game with Dulwich Hamlet, which the visitors were leading 2-0 at the time.
The incident, which occurred during the away fans' celebration of Dulwich Hamlet's second goal, prompted the abandonment of the game with only five minutes remaining.
And the Tanners boss said the decision was made by the referee with the safety of players and spectators in mind, with nails close to the pitch from the broken advertising hoarding.
He said: "When they scored the second goal, I think their fans got a bit excited and there were probably about 30 or 40 of them.
"The weight of them against the wall made it fall and in hindsight, it was fortunate that no one was injured.
"But the referee made the decision to abandon the game because he couldn't be sure of the safety of players. And what can you do?
Brady said he could understand the disappointment of the second-placed visitors, who led 2-0 courtesy of a double from Danny Carr, which would have see them move eight points clear of the Tanners.
However, he said there was little choice for the referee, adding that he was simply safeguarding the players.
"They were really disappointed and so would we be if we were winning 2-0," said Brady.
"But the referee has got to think about the safety of the players and once you walked over to the area, you could see that he couldn't be sure.
"I think they understood the referee's decision and he was never going to play on after that."
The abandonment of the game means it will be rescheduled for a later date, with the game likely to be played on a Tuesday night.