Rotherham United left 'disappointed' after Coventry City clash postponed

Rotherham United were unable to face Coventry City.

The Millers were due to travel to the Coventry Building Society Arena on Sunday but the pitch was deemed unsafe after its use in the Commonwealth Games.

The Rugby 7s tournament was played there left the pitch shorn of grass and covered in sand and a local referee called the game off after a pitch inspection on Saturday evening.

A Millers statement read: “Rotherham United can confirm that our meeting with Coventry City – scheduled to take place on Sunday 7th August 2022 – has been postponed in the interest of player safety following a pitch inspection by the match officials.

“The playing surface at the Coventry Building Society Arena has undergone heavy usage due to its involvement in the Rugby 7s event of the 2022 Commonwealth Games and has subsequently been rendered unsafe to host tomorrow’s Sky Bet Championship clash between the Millers and the Sky Blues.

“Officials inspected the surface at 6pm on Saturday evening, maximising the time that the Coventry City groundsmen were able to work on the pitch following the conclusion of the Rugby 7s matches and ahead of the scheduled second tier fixture, but to no avail.

“Whilst we are, of course, disappointed that the fixture will not go ahead as planned, we will always prioritise the safety of our players and understand the match officials’ decision to postpone the game. We share the frustrations of our fans and apologise to those who had made travel plans to attend Sunday's match.”

No new date has been set for the fixture.

The game being called off does at least mean it was one less fixture they had to deal with without the services of Tom Eaves.

The striker has a groin injury but is only 10 days away from returning to training.

“Prior to him seeing a specialist last week, we thought it was going to be the end of September before we saw him,” boss Paul Warne said.

“We now think that, if everything goes well, he should be back on the grass in about 10 days.

“That will have a massive impact on the dressing room. He’s very popular with the lads.”